Mine arrived a few days ago and it does everything as advertised. I haven't used it connected to an outdoor antenna and amp yet; but its repeater does work good from preliminary testing. The full duplex and true dual receiver alone make it worth it.
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HT Cross band repeaters
- Thread starter repeaterrepeater
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Mine arrived a few days ago and it does everything as advertised. I haven't used it connected to an outdoor antenna and amp yet; but its repeater does work good from preliminary testing. The full duplex and true dual receiver alone make it worth it.
Thank you for the good report on this Puxing, I'm going to order one and give it a shot, I like the dual receive idea, as you say that alone is well worth the cost. I wonder if you had a chance to get any reports on how the TX audio sounds, I know other Puxing's had problems with low muffled audio on transmit and wonder if they fixed that problem.
Also do you know if spare batteries are available? I havent seen any , maybe they use the same battery as the Puxing Px 888 k which looks like the same radio... I don't see a port on that radio to plug in a 12 volt plug like my FDC has, so I'll have to look for a battery eliminator that will fit it for use in the car...
Yes, the radio takes the same battery and 12V eliminator as the 888K (which I also own)
From what I could tell, the radio does NOT have the muffled audio.
I put my full review here:
Yahoo! Groups
I just wanted to say I bought one of these Puxing PX UV973 radios and I really like it. I have 5 of the Chinese HT's and from just playing around with the Puxing today for a few hours I have to say it's the best one I bought so far.
I like the true dual receive feature, I can listen to 2 repeaters at the same time, and adjust the volume of the " SUB" frequency so it's not louder than or the same as the frequency I'm talking on.
The battery life so far is good, it comes with a 1200 mah battery , but I ordered 2 of the 1600 mah batteries, and a battery eliminator for it , as well as an RH 901S antenna, I run these antenna's on my other HT's, they are 18 inches long, and they are center loaded, and in my opinion they outperform the stock antenna 2 to 1.
I tried the cross band repeater function, and I use one way cross banding, I think thats a lot easier on the radio. If I can hear the repeater on my HT but cant' quite get into it without a lot of noise I just set the Puxing in the charge cradle on a window sill where I can get into the repeater, and set it for one way cross banding, and use my other HT from anywhere in the house or yard and I'm full quieting, and the radio does not get hot at all, its barely warm, because it's not working as hard. This saves me the trouble of using my expensive mobile .
I can also send DTMF tones in a burst fashion, which comes in handy if I'm using my Kenwood in it's Remote Control mode because the Kenwood take DTMF tones in the Remote mode. So it's easy with the Puxing, I just put the Kenwood into Control Mode, and then from anywhere I can transmit the correct DTMF tones to it. For example the Kenwood needs a master code or secret code before it will do anything remotely, the code is any 3 digit number preceded by the A, and ending in the # sign, for instance A345# this is easily programmed into the Puxing, and I can just press the correct key and it will send A345# in a burst to the Kenwood. Its a lot easier than having to punch in that code while holding the PTT in. So that feature in itself is great. None of the other 4 Chinese HT's I have (Baofeng's , Wouxun, or FDC) has that feature, nor are any of them full duplexing or cross band capable.
What I can't seem to find is the software to program this Puxing, I have located the PX 888K programming software which is for the 888K dual bander, however it will not read from the UV973, it says "reading" then it gives an error saying it could not read. I do have the proper drivers for the USB com port, and I check the com port because I use the proper software for all the other HT's the Baofengs, Wouxun, and FDC all work perfectly using the same cable which is supposed to work on the Puxing's as well but I can't find any software for the UV973 anywhere, since it's so new. I even looked on the Puxing web page in the downloads area but not much help there at all. So my quest continues for the software for this Puxing PX UV973 dual band rig. Maybe I'll get luck with Google and find one that will work.
Overall, this Puxing is an amazing radio, the audio reports I got today said it was LOUD, and CLEAR, and I was solid into the repeater, sounding as good and any mobile rig out there. I was pleased with all the good audio reports.
I think this Puxing is a winner and priced at $90 shipped I'd definately recommend it over either of my Baofeng units.
I like the true dual receive feature, I can listen to 2 repeaters at the same time, and adjust the volume of the " SUB" frequency so it's not louder than or the same as the frequency I'm talking on.
The battery life so far is good, it comes with a 1200 mah battery , but I ordered 2 of the 1600 mah batteries, and a battery eliminator for it , as well as an RH 901S antenna, I run these antenna's on my other HT's, they are 18 inches long, and they are center loaded, and in my opinion they outperform the stock antenna 2 to 1.
I tried the cross band repeater function, and I use one way cross banding, I think thats a lot easier on the radio. If I can hear the repeater on my HT but cant' quite get into it without a lot of noise I just set the Puxing in the charge cradle on a window sill where I can get into the repeater, and set it for one way cross banding, and use my other HT from anywhere in the house or yard and I'm full quieting, and the radio does not get hot at all, its barely warm, because it's not working as hard. This saves me the trouble of using my expensive mobile .
I can also send DTMF tones in a burst fashion, which comes in handy if I'm using my Kenwood in it's Remote Control mode because the Kenwood take DTMF tones in the Remote mode. So it's easy with the Puxing, I just put the Kenwood into Control Mode, and then from anywhere I can transmit the correct DTMF tones to it. For example the Kenwood needs a master code or secret code before it will do anything remotely, the code is any 3 digit number preceded by the A, and ending in the # sign, for instance A345# this is easily programmed into the Puxing, and I can just press the correct key and it will send A345# in a burst to the Kenwood. Its a lot easier than having to punch in that code while holding the PTT in. So that feature in itself is great. None of the other 4 Chinese HT's I have (Baofeng's , Wouxun, or FDC) has that feature, nor are any of them full duplexing or cross band capable.
What I can't seem to find is the software to program this Puxing, I have located the PX 888K programming software which is for the 888K dual bander, however it will not read from the UV973, it says "reading" then it gives an error saying it could not read. I do have the proper drivers for the USB com port, and I check the com port because I use the proper software for all the other HT's the Baofengs, Wouxun, and FDC all work perfectly using the same cable which is supposed to work on the Puxing's as well but I can't find any software for the UV973 anywhere, since it's so new. I even looked on the Puxing web page in the downloads area but not much help there at all. So my quest continues for the software for this Puxing PX UV973 dual band rig. Maybe I'll get luck with Google and find one that will work.
Overall, this Puxing is an amazing radio, the audio reports I got today said it was LOUD, and CLEAR, and I was solid into the repeater, sounding as good and any mobile rig out there. I was pleased with all the good audio reports.
I think this Puxing is a winner and priced at $90 shipped I'd definately recommend it over either of my Baofeng units.
Thank you I tried to get to the files but it says I have to subscribe to that uv973 group. I added my email address on the page but so far I have no confirmation and don't know if it subcribed me or not. Are the UV973 files anywhere else besides the yahoo group? I'll try to get subscribed again, hopefully it will accept my email.
Thanks again,
Thank you, I was able to download the file and it worked great. I could see right away when I loaded it on the computer that it was the correct program as it had the options that are specific to the Puxing UV973.
Thanks again...
Nice review and I am glad you like it. I am not sure it is "better" than the rest...Just different. I use a Boafeng for corssbanding all the time and I haven't had a need for the remote function of my kenwood. I just set it and forget it. The full duplex option is nice ,But I have found the "dual watch" of the Boafeng is just as good. I would have to question the 1600 mah battery pack. If you Xmit alot it will deplete within two hours. I get a little over two hours of use with the Boafeng 1800 mah pack. The 3800 mah lasts much longer. Perhaps they will come out with a higher rated battery for these in the future.
This is the first time I have heard someone using an HT for crossbanding purposes with another HT. Seems counter intuitive, But I can see saving the wear and tear on the moble rig. In the end I guess it is all about personal taste and using what fits your needs. I wish you lots of luck with it.
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This is interesting. I hadn't thought much about the crossbars repeat function on a ht. I'd like to see what that about
I think sometimes the reason I use this Puxing hand held to cross band repeat is because many yeas ago I was using my fairly new Kenwood TM 721 mobile regularly to crossband repeat with a friend on simplex, and I guess I was just to lazy to sit in the radio room and rag chew for a long time, so I'd go out to the living room and sit back in my easy chair and chat away. Well, one day we were rag chewing, and our QSO suddenly just stopped, and I smelled something burning. I went to investigate, and found that my fairly new Kenwood TM 721 was smoking, it had overheated and shut down.
I took it to the local Amateur shop and the tech checked it out and called me up to come look at the inside of it once he had it on the bench. The man board had a hole in it the size of a half dollar, it had burnt it black and crisp like fried bacon. He shipped it back to Kenwood and they would not fix it, so when it came back this tech reparied it for me by hand, he hand soldered in the components that were burned and the radio worked good again, and I later sold it.
So I think thats one reason why I use this Puxing as a mini repeater to my local repeater, it works well, and gets me in the repeater good and solid, and I keep my transmissions short. I use one way cross banding, I transmit on the repeaters input and I listen on my Wouxun, or my Baofeng to the repeater output so it's easy on the transmitting radio, and when I identify my station it's legal as I'm only transmitting one way, that is into the repeater. So basically I guess I'm just getting a little lazier as I get older, and like to use my easy chair or sit outside in the summer and rag chew. But at the same time I have the peace of mind that I'm not going to smoke a new $400 mobile radio.
This Puxing is a nice little unit, I like it, and I like the features it has. All 5 of the Chinese hand held units I have work very well, they just vary a little in features, and so far from all the on air audio reports I have gotten the Puxing PX UV973 is the loudest of them all and thats without the speaker mic, if I use the speaker mic I got from the 409shop it's even louder which is good. My Baofeng UV 5R is the weakest one as far as transmit audio ,thats why I bought the speaker mic, it works well with the UV 5R Baofeng.
If you like to hear a voice when you use your hand held, then the Puxing is great for that also. It has a male voice that sounds really natural and it tells you exactly what function you have selected. The receive audio is amazing on this Puxing as well, it almost sounds like it has a little "reverb" to it, and has a nice punch sound to it as well, I really like the receive audio on it.
Another thing I enjoy is the 3 color display, you can pick from Orange, Blue, or Purple, like many other hand helds, but my Baofeng UV B5 has one color, it's dull gray and dim, and I really dont like it at all. Also if I need the light to see my display on the Puxing there are 2 tiny buttons on the side below the PTT key, and if you hit either of them the display lights up for about 8 seconds so I think thats nice too.
Each radio has it's own up's and down's and I think we all have our favorites, and I think for the most part these Chinese HT's have their place, they are inexpensive, if you're a new ham just getting started on a tight budget they are great to get you on the air, I wish they had these back in the mid 80's when I had to buy my $400 dual band hand held, I would have saved a lot of money. Also if you're a veteran ham like me, and you want something that gets you on the repeaters and you won't mind much if you drop or lose it or it gets stolen, thats another aspect of owning one.
I've been licensed since 1977, and have used a fair amount of both HF gear, and VHF/UHF gear and these new HT's have a lot of good to be said for them.
I almost forgot for those of you who like to have the 2.5 khz steps, the Puxing PX-UV973 software will program those, it has an option to use the 2.5 khz steps. I checked the box that says 2.5 steps on the software, and now whenever I turn the VFO on the radio the frequency moves by 2.5 khz steps, and thats well worth the price of this Puxing radio, none of the others I have will do it other than my Wouxun with came with 2.5 steps.
I took it to the local Amateur shop and the tech checked it out and called me up to come look at the inside of it once he had it on the bench. The man board had a hole in it the size of a half dollar, it had burnt it black and crisp like fried bacon. He shipped it back to Kenwood and they would not fix it, so when it came back this tech reparied it for me by hand, he hand soldered in the components that were burned and the radio worked good again, and I later sold it.
So I think thats one reason why I use this Puxing as a mini repeater to my local repeater, it works well, and gets me in the repeater good and solid, and I keep my transmissions short. I use one way cross banding, I transmit on the repeaters input and I listen on my Wouxun, or my Baofeng to the repeater output so it's easy on the transmitting radio, and when I identify my station it's legal as I'm only transmitting one way, that is into the repeater. So basically I guess I'm just getting a little lazier as I get older, and like to use my easy chair or sit outside in the summer and rag chew. But at the same time I have the peace of mind that I'm not going to smoke a new $400 mobile radio.
This Puxing is a nice little unit, I like it, and I like the features it has. All 5 of the Chinese hand held units I have work very well, they just vary a little in features, and so far from all the on air audio reports I have gotten the Puxing PX UV973 is the loudest of them all and thats without the speaker mic, if I use the speaker mic I got from the 409shop it's even louder which is good. My Baofeng UV 5R is the weakest one as far as transmit audio ,thats why I bought the speaker mic, it works well with the UV 5R Baofeng.
If you like to hear a voice when you use your hand held, then the Puxing is great for that also. It has a male voice that sounds really natural and it tells you exactly what function you have selected. The receive audio is amazing on this Puxing as well, it almost sounds like it has a little "reverb" to it, and has a nice punch sound to it as well, I really like the receive audio on it.
Another thing I enjoy is the 3 color display, you can pick from Orange, Blue, or Purple, like many other hand helds, but my Baofeng UV B5 has one color, it's dull gray and dim, and I really dont like it at all. Also if I need the light to see my display on the Puxing there are 2 tiny buttons on the side below the PTT key, and if you hit either of them the display lights up for about 8 seconds so I think thats nice too.
Each radio has it's own up's and down's and I think we all have our favorites, and I think for the most part these Chinese HT's have their place, they are inexpensive, if you're a new ham just getting started on a tight budget they are great to get you on the air, I wish they had these back in the mid 80's when I had to buy my $400 dual band hand held, I would have saved a lot of money. Also if you're a veteran ham like me, and you want something that gets you on the repeaters and you won't mind much if you drop or lose it or it gets stolen, thats another aspect of owning one.
I've been licensed since 1977, and have used a fair amount of both HF gear, and VHF/UHF gear and these new HT's have a lot of good to be said for them.
I almost forgot for those of you who like to have the 2.5 khz steps, the Puxing PX-UV973 software will program those, it has an option to use the 2.5 khz steps. I checked the box that says 2.5 steps on the software, and now whenever I turn the VFO on the radio the frequency moves by 2.5 khz steps, and thats well worth the price of this Puxing radio, none of the others I have will do it other than my Wouxun with came with 2.5 steps.
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You could make one of these into a nice temporary repeater. Build a box with an external antenna and tie it into a high mah external battery and hoist into tree. Voila, campsite repeater to extend ht range.
Yes of course that is correct. You could have a length of coax to run up the tree or being that it is a HT and relatively light, the whole box could go up the tree and you could have a very short piece of coax to your antenna.
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