WOUXUN KG-UV6D V2- Best Bang For Your Buck!
Purchased one of these Wouxun radios, again! Yes I said again! I had purchased the earlier version which did not have the changes that this one has and got rid of it. Sure enough, they come out with this version which has a few updates or upgrades whichever you prefer. So, here is my first impression of this radio:
The good:
Narrowband ready. The radio has the proper 6.25 and 7.5 (2.5 actually) Khz. tunning step sizes.
Loud RX audio. 500Mw of loud crisp audio perfect for both home and mobile environment.
TX audio: very clean crisp sound. Tested on a scanner using GMRS and on Ham repeater. Good feedback
Memory capacity: 199 channels available with PL/DPL 6 character alphanumeric label capability
Backlighting: Very nice bright white backlight for the LCD and the keypad. No problems in low light situations.
Good Sensitivity: 0.2 Microvolts across both bands
Coverage: TX-RX= 136-174 and 420-519.9975 (to be exact! LOL)
Programmable side buttons: 2 side buttons can be programmed to do different things (scan, light, etc.)
Repeater Button: single button for repeater mode changes. No fiddling with menus
Battery: 1700mAh Li-ion battery included as is the drop-in fast charger Nice belt clip included as well.
Antenna: the included antenna, unlike a lot of radios, is very decent and usable.
Antenna connection: SMA - NOT reverse SMA as was the case before. Use any SMA antenna you wish.
Knobs: Large knobs no problem for any size hands or fingers.
Keypad: well marked easy to read
Monitor button: dedicated monitor squelch release button.
Program Software: (Included) Very straight foward, no issues loading to / from the radio. Software worked well with my windows 7 Pro on my laptop. cable included is USB.
These were just a few of the major featured points I wanted to bring up and is NOT intended to mean that these are all the features on this radio.
Now for the few not so great, but liveable things about this radio.
Squelch Tail: this radio has a very noticeable squelch tail. This may or may not get on your nerves. Given the fact that this is sold as a "commercial" radio, it lacks in this area. Again, its up to you, I can live with it.
Squelch settings: Due to the high sensitivity there is without a doubt, bleedover and intermod in heavy RF environments. The settings for the squelch go from 0 (none) to 10 (tightest). Even with the level set at 9, the interference still manages to get in at times. The only small relief is using PL/DPL tones.
VFO / Memory mode switch: there is no button to switch from VFO to memory mode. You HAVE to go through the menu. Again, this radio is sold as a "commercial" radio so the buyer MUST keep that in mind.
Scanning: Very very slow scan rate. Again, this is not a scanner so don't expect blazing fast speed here. But if fast scanning speed is something that you must have, then maybe this radio is not for you.
DOT matrix display: Im used to the nice LCD displays of regular commercial radios. This dot matrix thing takes a little getting used to. Not a deal breaker for me, but I felt the need to mention it.
Signal strength meter: forget about it. Every halfway decent strong signal shows up as full bars on the signal display. Again, this is a commercial radio. Can't say that enough.
That's really all I can say right now from a first impression stand point! For the price ($159.99) you really can't beat this baby with all the things you get. I got mine from (shameless plug coming up)
Lentini Communications, Inc.. (thanks Bill and Alex!) I have no afiliation with them at all. Just a place I have done good business with for years so I keep going back. If you are on the fence about this radio, go for it. For HAM radio, GMRS and Commercial use (if licensed properly) it's a great little radio. Just keep in mind, it's a commercial radio with Ham radio capabilities so judge it accordingly.Will it ever be a Moto? NEVER! But then again, you're not paying MOTO prices either......
Manny