Chinese Dual Band Mobiles?

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riverrat373

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I am now studying to get my technician license and am trying to find an inexpensive dual band mobile to use as a base station. I would like to buy a Yaesu FT-8800 but some of the Chinese radios are $100.00 or more cheaper!(I'm retired and on a fixed income)

I have been looking at several different Chinese dual band mobiles and am curious how well built and reliable they are. The TYT TH-9800 looks like an exact copy of the Yaesu FT-8800. It also covers the 10 and 6 meter band besides 2 meter and 70 centimeters! What about the Powerwerx DB-750X? I have looked on EHam for reviews and there do not seem to be enough reviews yet to make an informed decision.
 

JustLou

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By most accounts, unlike the Chinese HT's which get mostly positive reviews, the Chinese mobiles are poorly made and poor performers. Almost every review I've seen by someone that bought one was negative.
 

CommJunkie

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You might be better off buying a second-hand name brand radio. In addition to the classifieds on eham, check QRZ.com also.
 

AK9R

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I would like to buy a Yaesu FT-8800 but some of the Chinese radios are $100.00 or more cheaper!
I just checked Ham Radio Outlet and Gigaparts. They both list the FT-8800 for around $440 though Yaesu is currently offering a mail-in rebate (through the end of March) that brings the price down to around $360.

Alternatively, the Kenwood TM-V71A is around $380 at both stores. Kenwood is currently offering a $15 manufacturer's discount which is applied at time of sale (no waiting for a rebate check). So, that gets the price down to around $360.

Granted, the sale price for both radios is currently about the same. But, when comparing the base price and having used both radios, there's no way in my mind that the Yaesu is worth $60 more than the Kenwood.

Other choices are the Alinco DR-635 for around $330 or the Yaesu FT-7900 for around $320.
 

N8IAA

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With the Chinese radios, you get what you pay for. I know there are some who use them daily, I wouldn't. Get the better radio. It will last longer.
Larry
 

kayn1n32008

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I would also like to have a radio with crossband capabilities which I don't believe the Yaesu FT-7900 has, does it?


No it does not, but the FT-8800 does have cross band repeat capability. Although, after using one and using a TM-V71a, the Kenwood is a far more capable radio as far as X-band repeat goes... I owned a 8800, until I bought a V71a... I will not own another Yaesu mobile... The Kenwood is far easier to program, and use.


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riverrat373

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No it does not, but the FT-8800 does have cross band repeat capability. Although, after using one and using a TM-V71a, the Kenwood is a far more capable radio as far as X-band repeat goes... I owned a 8800, until I bought a V71a... I will not own another Yaesu mobile... The Kenwood is far easier to program, and use.


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Thanks for the advice. I have also been looking at the Kenwood TM-V71A.
 

Skypilot007

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I'll also throw out a thumbs up for the Kenwood TM-V71A. Its a great radio. I've been using one mobile for a couple years with no issues. Easy to use and the price is right. I think they are very much worth the extra 100 bucks or so over the chinees radios that are out there. I've had a chance to experiment with several of them. I was far from impressed.
 

N4KVE

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Remember, the Yaesu 8800, & 8900 have been out for almost 10 years now. In today's world, that's a lifetime. Local hams have been buying the Anytone AT-588UV dual bander, & enjoying it.
 

SCPD

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The Wouxun KG-920P-A is a piece of junk IMO,stay away from it.I bought one and have had issues with it for some time.The control head has been replaced 3 time due to the alpha-numeric display scrambling up on one side.The only good thing is the ability to use it in Part 90 and amateur frequencies at the same time.
 

ladn

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I've had a Yaesu FT-8800 for a number of years and am quite pleased with it. It does cross band repeat and has a wide coverage receiver. The two things I don't like about it are the WIRES (Yaesu's linking protocol that's too easy to inadvertently enable) and the alphanumeric display that's limited to only six characters.
 

N4KVE

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I've had a Yaesu FT-8800 for a number of years and am quite pleased with it. It does cross band repeat and has a wide coverage receiver. The two things I don't like about it are the WIRES (Yaesu's linking protocol that's too easy to inadvertently enable) and the alphanumeric display that's limited to only six characters.
Also the buttons on the radio are not backlit. I would think after almost 10 years they could have fixed this.
 

robertmac

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With the cheap chinese radios, you get what you pay for. Re the 8800 and 8900, even if the buttons were back lit, the writing is so small most will not be able to see what they say anyhow. And as the 4 buttons on both sides do the same thing, I have never had a problem. Besides, the mic controls the same functions as the buttons [at least if you set them up], that one never has to use them. This is a small factor in buying a more capable radio than the CCRs. Some say Yaesu are hard to program. Again because that is what I use, I never have a problem. But I do with Kenwood and Icom. It is what ever one is familiar with. And I have had them for over 10 years and they still work like day one.
 

WB4CS

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I'll give another +1 for the Kenwood TM-V71A. It's a GREAT true dual band radio. Not only does it do cross band repeat, but it's remote controllable via DTMF commands from your handheld.

I'll also second the idea that you get what you pay for with the cheap Chinese radios. If that's all you can afford, go for it because at least you'll be able to get on the air. If you can afford a little more spending money, go with a name brand (Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom.)

Good luck with getting your license and keep us posted on how you do on the exam!
 

k8zgw

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Where do you think the Kenwood and Yaesu radio's are made ??
Along with a number of " M" radio's.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck .....
 

WB4CS

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Where do you think the Kenwood and Yaesu radio's are made ??
Along with a number of " M" radio's.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck .....

Some are made in China, but most are made in Japan. Either way it doesn't matter what country it comes from. Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, etc. all have their own product quality specifications. If the product doesn't meet their specs, it's not going to be sold. The cheap brands have much lower standards of quality.

Much like the iPhone is made in China, but Apple has strict quality demands. So a Chinese made iPhone is of good quality versus a no-name brand phone made in China from the same plant. The no-name brand is probably not of the same quality as the iPhone.

You tried to make a good point, but you didn't succeed.
 

k8zgw

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I may have really succeeded

If you thought about what I said, others may also have thought about it too.
And realized that I may have a point ....

I have a couple Chinese handhelds that work as well as anything else,
and one of them has been dropped a number of times and is still working fine.

I have been watching the Chinese exporters, and there are a number of them
that are selling part 90 (and maybe a few part 95) radio's ,
IF they can pass the FCC specs, there is no reason to think
that they are ALL junk ????
 

N4KVE

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Many of the big 3 radios are made in China, & so are some Motorola radios as well. But they are built to the specs that Japan, or the US specifies. China makes great stuff if we tell them to do so. The trouble is that while the new batch of Chinese radios seem to work all right, [not great] they have no idea what we Americans want in the way of keypad programming. Let them buy one of the big 3 radios, disect it, & make their radios program the same way. Also lose the flashlight while they're at it. They seem to come out with improved models every month. Baofang UV5, UV5+, UV5R, & now GT3. It would be nice if they made these radios capable of firmware upgrades, so you don't have to buy a new radio every month to keep up with the improvements.
 
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