New DMR radio

[N4KVE]

Today I was at a local hamfest, & there was a vendor selling a new DMR radio. Looks exactly like a CS700, but the name was Quantun. Everything about the radio was the same, except the radio has great tx audio, unlike the weak tx audio of the CS700. The distributor is just west of Ft. Lauderdale Florida, & the pricing is the same as the CS700. Before I purchased the radio, I loaded in the local DMR freq's, & the repeater owner & I traded radios making comparisons with the tx audio. Now I'm a Motorola guy, & compared the tx audio on this radio with my XPR7550. Really no difference at all. So to you guys who want a budget entry radio, but want good tx audio, I suggest the Quantun 2100.
QP-2100|Digital Radios - Quantun Electronics, LLC.

 

[slapshot0017]

Looks like a total rip off to me... Kind of disappointed...

 

[rapidcharger]

Good to know. How much are they ($)?

 

[N4KVE]

I paid $189.50. 2 year warranty where the CS700 is a 1 year warranty. [from what I've read] But what's nice is the importer is in Sunrise Florida, just west of Ft. Lauderdale should I need service. Very pleased so far. I'll be the local test monkey.

 

[N5TWB]

Looks like a total rip off to me... Kind of disappointed...

I think I did a pretty good scan through the website and found no evidence of a programming cable or an additional battery or the programming software. All are plainly evident on the Connect Systems site.

 

[N4KVE]

All the accessories were on display yesterday. I did get the cable with the radio, & in the box with the radio was a link to the free CPS. The CPS was on the homepage. GARY

https://pogoplug.com/s/134kpJ_Kwxs/

 

[mikewazowski]

I doubt anybody ripped off anything from Connect Systems. I suspect, much like the Baofengs and other cheap Chinese radios, anybody with enough money for a volume order can call up the manufacturer and get a bunch made.

They probably tweak the firmware slightly, stick a new label on and ship it.

 

[KD2EOY]

So will this radios firmware fix the low audio in the cs700?.....and how do you get it?

 

[N4KVE]

Actually, the fw is 1 version behind the newest CS700 radios. The same CPS programs both radios.

 

[slapshot0017]

Sounds like a rip to me... I mean looks like a good radio for the price, but I'm gonna stick with quality over quantity...

 

[N4KVE]

Sounds like a rip to me... I mean looks like a good radio for the price, but I'm gonna stick with quality over quantity...

Somehow I'm confused. Holding these radios side by side, it's quite obvious they were both made under the same roof. While the CS700 has been around for a year, the importer is across the country, while the importer of this radio is 45 minutes away from me. While the CS700 has a 1 year warranty, the Quantun radio has a 2 year warranty. Also while many CS700's suffer from low tx audio, that doesn't seem to be a problem with the radio I purchased. So for me it was a no brainer. I can only assume that CSI did not have an exclusive deal to be the only US importer of this radio.

 

[tlc007]

It is important to remember that CoValue (the manufacturer of these radios) builds for private labeling under several names. CSI was merely one of those names. One question for Gary, Does your radio scan properly and does the nuisance channel delete work on your radio? The CSI radio does not scan properly, and the nuisance channel delete while discussed as a feature in the manual does not function. It won't be hard to find someone with better service on the portables as CSI has NO local service capabilities.

 

[tlc007]

"Sounds like a rip to me... I mean looks like a good radio for the price, but I'm gonna stick with quality over quantity"

I wonder which radio he is referring too as "quality"? Surely not CSI

 

[KD2EOY]

Actually, the fw is 1 version behind the newest CS700 radios. The same CPS programs both radios.

why then is the audio in this radio better than the 700?

 

[slapshot0017]

No I am not... Just the whole influx of cheap radios Chinese radios seems to go to be true for me. Not saying they're not good radios I just won't go crazy over them...

 

[N4KVE]

why then is the audio in this radio better than the 700?

I have no idea. But knowing how the tx audio is weak on the CS700, I made sure the audio was good on the radio before laying out the cash. I remember there being a string of Alinco ht's where the mike hole in the front case was not drilled all the way through. Hey, I own a XPR7550, & a XPR3500, but I needed a radio I could afford to lose should it go overboard while out on the boat.

 

[N4KVE]

It is important to remember that CoValue (the manufacturer of these radios) builds for private labeling under several names. CSI was merely one of those names. One question for Gary, Does your radio scan properly and does the nuisance channel delete work on your radio?

I won't know until Tuesday. The radio came with a barebones local codeplug, and an empty contact list. So rather than be up programming until 4am, on Tuesday I will be meeting a friend to get his [state of Florida codeplug] which has all the DMR repeaters & contacts in the state. Then I can answer your question.

 

[Voyager]

Fixing the audio is just a matter of a small firmware tweek, and CSI has said it will be addressed in the latest firmware.

CSI may have had an exclusive agreement to sell the CSI models, but all they have to do is create a new model around the same hardware, and they market it is a different model. Look at all the Baofeng models that are the same radios sold by different dealers as different model numbers.

I think that's one reason the CS7000 is being developed outside the manufacturer - so they can't sell it to someone else.

 

[N4KVE]

Fixing the audio is just a matter of a small firmware tweek, and CSI has said it will be addressed in the latest firmware.
.

While this is true, the last time I e-mailed Gerry about this, he said it's been 10 months since he's been waiting for the "small firmware tweak". The CPS for both radios looks the same though.

 

[N5TWB]

All the accessories were on display yesterday. I did get the cable with the radio, & in the box with the radio was a link to the free CPS. The CPS was on the homepage. GARY

https://pogoplug.com/s/134kpJ_Kwxs/

Display at a physical location does not equal what CS has on a website. Also, the CPS is not evident on the homepage - I've clicked every link and it does not go to the programming that you have linked.

A large number of us in NE OK are using the CS700 with no audio issues and are getting stellar service from Connect Systems. I'm not seeing this doppelganger solving anything beyond shipping time.