Wouxun KG-UV8D: Thanks

I have been neglectful in mentioning in each of my posts about the KG-UV8D that it is on loan from BuyTwoWayRadios.com. Thanks again to the team there for letting me play with the latest from Wouxun!

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Scanning

The scanning speed is quick. I programmed in a bunch of repeaters and such this morning to test. Sorry it keeps stopping, the local repeaters were busy today.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Programmable Keys

There are four buttons on the left side of the radio. Starting at the top and going down, you have PF1, PTT, PF2, PF3. You cannot change PTT or PF2.

PF1 (Menu 19)
- Call (selective call)
- VFTX key (transmission on sub frequency)

PTT

PF2
Short - Flashlight
Long - Monitor

PF3 (Menu 20)
- Radio - FM Radio
- Disable - inactive
- Scan - scan
- Lamp - flashlight
- TeleAlarm - remote alarm
- SOS - SOS function

PF1 and PF3 can be configured via the software as well.

Baofeng UV-B5: The Best Kept Secret's Secret

Amazing... I had noticed a bunch of traffic on the Yahoo Group, but I had not made time to read through it. John sums up that the dual-band (2M/440) UV-B5 can do about 2 Watts out on 220. You can access the additional band frequencies by using Chirp to program the radio.

Pofung

Via Hans, if you see a Pofung, you are probably seeing a Baofeng.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Charger

Here is a look at the charger. There is no power brick - the AC cord goes straight to the outlet. It also has a DC 12V port.

House Mom

I've found my dream job.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Yahoo Group

The "required" Yahoo Group is here.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Questions

So here are the questions that have been asked of me so far... anything to add?

What is the scan speed like?
Is there a way to leave the display on all the time w/o backlight?
What's different between this and the older Wouxun's?
How's the DTMF paging work?
Can you assign anything to the PF keys on the side, or just a few options?
Does the charger come in 110V only or is it on autovolt system (110-240V)?
Does it have the same X-DIRPT, X-TWRPT Cross band options like the Wouxun KG-UV920P mobile?

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Size Comparison

The first surprise I had was the size of the UV8D. From the pictures I had seen, I thought it was going to be a hefty radio. The reality is different. In the pictures you can see (from left to right) the Baofeng UV-3R, the Baofeng UV-5R, the Wouxun KG-UV8D, and the Wouxun KG-UV1DP.

(And, yes, I found my UV-5R.)