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Attack of the 2m Clones!!!

Robb

Robb

Honorary Member Silent Key
Dec 18, 2008
11,432
3,653
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Silicon Valley CA, Storm Lake IA
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-777-1...in_0?hash=item3355269cd3&_trksid=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!
:D

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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I posted one a bit ago,

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
 
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.
 
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??????
 
moleculo said:
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.
Click to expand...
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-...in_0?hash=item4148829444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Or:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-WOUXUN-KG-U...in_0?hash=item5634c14303&_trksid=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!
 
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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.
 
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new here and i know this is an older post but i will chime in with my .02c. my wife has the 777 as a radio for work. she is a EOC supervisor and a few months back our kids destroyed my scanner so the wife had no way of listening to the 911 broadcast so she told her boss about it. he called there tech guy who said there was a radio in the back and she was more than welcome to use it. i had never heard of it, it is a infinity 777(same as the Puxing PX-777 just under a different name). so i did some searching. this this IS FCC approved as a PRO radio, which truly shocked the youknowwhat out of me. after having this radio for a few months now i have to say i am VERY impressed. i use a Vertex XV-800 for my personal radio and also on ham and this little 777 puts it to shame as far as receiving. if they are next to each other, more often than not, the 777 picks up traffic that my 800 does not. sound quality is great. i havent tried it for TX but the wife has and has never had a problem with 911 center hearing her. i have been so impressed that i am looking at picking up a KG-UVD1P(made by the same company as far as i can tell) as my mobile HT. im waiting till my next payday to pull the trigger on it. once it gets here i will give you guys a unboxing report as well as my thoughts after a couple of days of use.
 
Im thinking for my kids to take with them these radios would be good starters instead of these exspensive Yaesu HT they been harping about ....Interesting to say the least :unsure:
 
TonyV225 said:
Im thinking for my kids to take with them these radios would be good starters instead of these exspensive Yaesu HT they been harping about ....Interesting to say the least :unsure:
Click to expand...
if you only need 2m i dont think you could go wrong with the 777. like i said, im ordering the dual band next week and it will probably take a week or 2 to get to me. i will be able to tell a lot once i open the box for the first time.
 
i will. right now im running a IC-V8 and a VX-800 for 2m. 70c isnt very busy here but i want to have it just in case, plus the local sheriffs office uses 460mhz so i can use it for a scanner.
 

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