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Wouxun Wouxun KG-UV6x and other "Chinese" portable radios scanning design problem

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railguy5

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What I'm about to describe appears to be a design flaw common to most, if not all, Chinese radios from Wouxun, Bao Feng, etc. I'm using my Wouxun KG-UV6X as an example because I have looked for any workaround possible in this radio and there appears to be none. From talking to several radio vendors familiar with Wouxun and other Chinese radios, the issue remains in all of them so far as I know, with no "fix" on the horizon. And, yes, it is, in my opinion, a major design flaw.

Here is the issue, in short: It is impossible to initiate a memory scan on the radio, then lock the keypad, PTT, and auxiliary buttons to keep an inadvertent press of one of them from knocking the radio out of scan. On the Wouxun KG-UV6X (and most of the other Chinese radios, so far as I know), just pressing the "Lock" key (usually a long press of the "#" key) immediately knocks the radio out of scan. So, it is impossible to use the radio to scan unless the keypad and other buttons are unlocked. On the KG-UV6X the problem is compounded because the slightest press of any of the auxiliary buttons (including the non-modifiable button that turns the stupid flashlight on and off) will knock the radio out of scan, often without the user even knowing it. I use my radio for Skywarn and amateur communication, as well as for monitoring rail and other commercial communications. It is an absolute requirement that I have a reliable and functioning scan function. (It's really unfortunate that the KG-UV6X has this issue, as it otherwise has been a really good performing radio for me.) I would (and do) use my commercial portable radios for this purpose, but there are times that I need dual band (VHF/UHF) capability and my commercial radios are VHF only. I do also have a Uniden BC-125AT scanner that I use (and it CAN be keypad locked while scanning), but, obviously, it does not have the transmit capability that I frequently need.

Does anyone know of any of the Chinese radios that do NOT have this scan/keypad lock issue? Also, one of the reasons that I look at the Chinese radios is that I need radios with 2.5 kHz tuning steps and almost none of the Japanese manufacturers make a dual-band 2.5 kHz tuning step-capable amateur radio. Alinco has one amatuer model that is obviously a Chinese design that has 2.5 kHz tuning steps, but Alinco's technical people told me that it is has the same scan/keypad lock issue that the Wouxun, Bao Feng, etc. radios do. Any possible answers or work-arounds would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

k6cpo

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Guess what? It's not just the Chinese radios. Every single one of my ten different Yaesu radios is "locked out" of most functions when the radio is scanning, including locking the dial and/or keypad. To do any thing with them, the scan has to be stopped.
 

jwt873

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FWIW, I can activate the keypad lock on my Kenwood TH-D74 during a memory scan.

(Just tried it for the first time ever :) )

(edit).. But no 2.5 kHz step..
 
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railguy5

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The lack of 2.5 kHz tuning steps on most amateur radios is as dumb as the lack of keypad-lock-in-scan functionality. While U.S. amateur bands are still "wide band"--5 kHz spacing, the entire remainder of the VHF 136-174 mHz band has been narrow-band since 2013, with some entities using the "splinter channels" created by narrowbanding (the reason narrowbanding was done to begin with). Most every ham radio operator I know uses their amateur radio to monitor non-amateur channels of some type. The radio manufacturers need to wake up and offer 2.5 kHz tuning steps. Oddly, the Kenwood TM-271A and TM-281A mobiles have 2.5 kHz spacing, but have been discontinued. The portable Kenwood TH-K20A was a portable "cousin" to the TM-271A radio, but, for some reason, did not have the 2.5 kHz tuning steps.
 
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