Worldwide DX Amateur Radio Forums - Ham - CB - HF - VHF - UHF

I see a lot of articles on this site for all of the Icom, Kenwood, Alinco, and Yaesu HT's. But no articles of the cheap and maligned Chinese knock-offs of the 2m and 440mhz radios. Pardon me if I missed a review - if one was written. For ther most part, these radios have been largely ignored...

Example of product:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Puxing-PX-777-13...d=p3286.c0.m14

The price on these are unbelievably cheap.
Well - they are just that - you might say.
"Cheap".
Don't be so quick to dismiss them - eHam has MANY reviews on these little buggers. And according to many Hams that have submitted reviews - they aren't half bad. In fact - quite the opposite is true! They also pass the spec test for TX cleanliness. They are often switchable between 1 watt to 5 watts. Which is great for my needs for use on MURS.
Has any of you tried one of these?

I had been looking for a cheap MURS radio, so that I can use it for the 'Block Captain' program in Cupertino CA where I live. Looking on an eBay link (found at the top of the page on this site), I noticed some unbelievable prices for 2m meter radios that have a 136-174mhz full coverage. That will do the job for what I need it for - and much more to boot. Not to mention, they are also DTCSS/DCS tone capable as well. For about ~$65-90 - you can have a 2m radio that will do everything the 'big boys' will do at a fraction of their cost.

One of the features that one must take care with - is that these aren't type-accepted radios. They will TX out of band! Could be a problem if you don't watch yer @$$! Other than that, they also have programmable repeater access freqs and a myriad of features that one would expect to find on the higher-priced spread. Others come with scrambling capacity - which I'm not sure is kosher with FCC regs. The antenna is a little bit of a dilemma. Some don't use the SMA standard plug - so hooking up an external antenna might be a little troublesome. But for the price - would you be willing to be a Ham and make the mod yourself for this price? I think so. The LiOn battery used are often the 1200ma all-day-sucker variety - so this is a definite plus. They often come with a programming cable, earbud, belt strap, and battery charger.

Cheap? Not really. Depends how one will define that word. Inexpensive but capable equals 'bargain' in my book. But there are some other caveats. One is, that you may need to open up the hole for the mic, as they have been known to vastly limit the audio quality by having a small hole for the mic - or no hole at all. Spend a few minutes with a Dremel tool, and they come alive. Others have claimed that the optional external speaker/mic is great to get with it - and works quite well.

I'm leaning twards the Quangsheng 2m/440 radio myself for that price.
My finger is poised on the 'Buy Now' button!


Check out the Puxing PX-777 Plus for one.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/6221
Or the Quansheng for another.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/6220
Or check them all out on the eHam site here:
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/49

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What gear do I use?
BASE: Icom IC-718 & GAP Titan DX, Yaesu FT-8800R & Diamond X50A, Magnum OmegaForce S45 & IMAX 2000 w/Astatic D104/TUP9.
MOBILE: Galaxy DX99V & Wilson 1000 w/Astatic D104-M2, Yaesu FT-8800R & Diamond NR-770.
"...The 444 in San Jose CA; the Central Gold Coast..."

i dont know if they are certified.They are very cheap.Dont know anything about them.If they are,email me with info.You can get them at radiogearpro.com 73s de JW

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Be radioactive

I was actually going to pick up one a while back and give it a thorough run through and write it up. I got sidetracked and forgot about it...I still may do that, though

If you do pick one up, be sure to let us know what you think.

the feidaxin (fdc) radios are excellent

While not 2M, it is Chinese radio related...

A few years ago I bought a "Jintong" UHF on 70cms, and it was absolute rubbish, poor build quality, poor audio etc. I gave it away to someone who was not so fussy.
About a year ago I was offered 2 new KYD TK-760A units, for $120 the pair ($ Australian). Oh well, it's only money, so I grabbed them.
I was really surprised at the difference , the KYDs are great. Very good build quality, Menu driven, 400 - 480 Mhz (so covers 70cm plus the Australian UHF CB band on 476Mhz) 99 memory channels, full offset, CTCSS and DCS, proper smart drop in charger...small enough to fit in a shirt pocket (radio, not the charger).

The Chinese units are pretty popular down here, as a spare / toolbox / going for a walk sort of radio. Most people seem to get Puxing or Quangsheng.

Oh, some of the manuals can be a bit confusing, due to poor translation..what the heck is "Electroferociousness" anyway??????

I love new words!

Mole, you have been a Ham for quite awhile. I am new and starting out with it. It may be more informative for you to do this - instead of me!

I may well still get the Quansheng 2m/440 radio.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Dual-B...d=p3286.c0.m14
Or:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-WOUXUN-KG-UV...d=p3286.c0.m14

I need more input from the members of this forum before I commit to buying one. I'd hate to get stuck with a lemon if there is better radio in this class. If/when I do - I will post another review on it. I sure would like to hear your side of the story on these HT's. As well as any Ham that has bought one of these 'other' inexpensive Chinese radios. My original post was in response to the Hams on eHam. But as we all know - eHam reviews are a little suspect. I'd really like to hear what WWRF members think of these radios as well. Keep em comin!

__________________
What gear do I use?
BASE: Icom IC-718 & GAP Titan DX, Yaesu FT-8800R & Diamond X50A, Magnum OmegaForce S45 & IMAX 2000 w/Astatic D104/TUP9.
MOBILE: Galaxy DX99V & Wilson 1000 w/Astatic D104-M2, Yaesu FT-8800R & Diamond NR-770.
"...The 444 in San Jose CA; the Central Gold Coast..."

The second one looks better, on paper...

http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=214711

One other thing, quite a few do not do DTMF from the keypad, so if you are into IRLP etc. make sure it does, a few guys down here came up short in their selection.