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Thread: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

  1. #21

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    really? which ones have you read anything bad about? Ive only followed wouxons up until now and they have FCC numbers and great track records. In fact they now produce radios with part 90 stamps to broadcast on business bands.

    i like the sound of these surplus radios. Can they be typically be opened up to talk on ham freqs? If not then I dont see them being that much more handy then a tweaked emergency radio

    dont you have the winsystem in Sacramento? that the most epic 70cm system in the country

  2. #22

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    I've read a little on pretty much every forum I go on. There is a lot of talk about them locally as well. I forgot what the nick name was but some guys would call it out when someone was using them. I guess they could tell from the audio if someone had one. For the most part I believe it to be just the HT's that came out about 2 years ago.

    I bought my FT 60r from solidradios.com, straight from the factory in Japan. It does not have an FCC number. I didn't know about this until it was stuck in customs for 4 months. I filed a PP dispute and the seller shipped out another one and when it arrived the customs label said battery powered LED. I guess it is a battery powered LED, but it's also a radio.

    I have had zero problems with my ft60 as it's a super solid radio with a great track record. The pirate group, friends of the rubicon, friends of fordyce, etc, etc all use it (the groups actually own 20-30 for work days and events) so I know I have a buyer if I ever need one.

    The surplus radios can pretty much do anything aside from cross band repeat and SSB. By design they need a computer to program but everyone has one of those. I'm not sure on how much they can be opened up but it's pretty much only legal on 2m. I think it will do a little above and below but unless you have a business band license it's useless. The spectra has been around for a while so there are quite a few different models. I'd search or ask around to see which is best. I believe most are around the 100w range.

    I think there is a winsys but because of the military installments 70cm is blocked in the valley. I think it's mostly because of Beale AFB, Travis AFB and remnants of McClellan AFB. 6m is a niche little group but that group is much more active than anything 70 cm. For the most part locally it's 2m, 10, 40 and 80.

  3. #23

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    Here is one example. It's a UHF so it most likely can be programmed for 2m (don't take my word on it). It's only 45w but that is probably all you'd need.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorola-Spe...item5646e70cfe

    There are also 900mhz models which are the newer ones. I think it's 900mhz that most public service agencies use or are currently replacing. These would be less useful for amature radio use.

    Here you go. This ones says 146-174 (2m band range). I've seen these for $40.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTOROLA-SPE...item256909a997

  4. #24

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    northern sacramento only for winsystem it looks like. thats a bummer...They have almost continuous coverage for all of socal and all interconnected. You could talk to us at the hammers haha

    [img width=800 height=597]http://www.winsystem.org/Site_Plots/winsystemPlots/winsystem/Loomis-01-RF-Coverage.jpg[/img]

  5. #25

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    Interesting. I'll have to check that out. I only have 70cm on my HT and have never had a contact.

    As mentioned above we have bases around here so 70 cm is blocked. I'm not sure why, maybe they use it? Anyways you can see Beale on the map. Travis is in Vacaville/Fairfield and McCellan is near North Highlands. I live just above the 50 symbol east of Sacramento.

  6. #26

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    updates on the radio. Wouxon.us is saying February-March for sales and a pre-order has turned up in china for $2000 yaun. First hand accounts of the radio are saying no APRS mode is available. Lack of APRS is not really a deal breaker but the $2000 yaun = $300 USD apparently and if that is the final price on US soil its not going to make much stir. Anyhow the radio is coming...just no one knows exactly when or if its going to be the value everyone expected to blow the other radios out of the market.

    http://translate.google.com/translat...6424695-1.html

  7. #27

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    $300 is no deal. An 8800 or 8900 can be had for cheap on the used market or the ham swaps. APRS is a cool feature but I hear it takes a lot to keep going as well as to organize all the data points. If I had the time or need for another antenna I'd consider APRS.

    HRO is starting to carry some Chinese radios. Once they flood the market the price should go down. Hopefully this is a good radio and money won't be wasted.

  8. #28

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    Meh, that's not a bad price, but for $300 I'd rather buy a new Alinco DR-635T/E (Japanese made remote mount/vhf/uhf/cross band repeat)
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

  9. #29

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    agreed...300 + shipping is too much unless it proves to be exceptional. I like my Chinese cheap junk, but its probably just going to be good. Exceptional for the price is what my fingers are crossed for lol

  10. #30

    Re: cheap dual band mobile coming to market. game changer?

    this is the email I got this morning. If it really is going to be part 90 certified, I may pick one up even though I just got my Yaesu 8800 . . .
    Dear Customer,

    Here is the latest news on Chinese dual-band mobile radios.

    Wouxun Dual Band Mobile - KG-UV920R

    On June 21 I was informed that Wouxun would supply a small number of these radios to selected dealers (max of 10). At that time they also quoted a dealer costs that I thought was outrageous. The dealer costs was almost what I have always considered the retail price would be. In an email I told them sternly that with any dealer markup at all, the radio would not sell in the US and I would decline to purchase samples.

    Wouxun response was that when full production began, the dealer costs would be lower. Since I've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars building a market for this company over the past few years, I decided I would not let others bring this radio to market before I did. I reluctantly placed an order for 10 radios, figuring I would sell them at costs, to get them to market.

    After my order was shipped, Wouxun informed me that these sample radios must NOT be sold for less than $320-$330. They went on to say "If we found you or your dealer's end price was lower this range without our permission in advance, then we will stop supplying this model to you."

    For the past two years, I've repeatedly told Wouxun that this radio must sell for no more than $250-$275 for it to be competitive with the big three Japanese companies. It appears this advice has fallen on deaf ears.

    These pre-production radios lack some of the features the full-production radios will have. These will not be FCC Certified for Part 90 use. They will have narrow band capability but will not have the 2.5 kHz tuning step required for Part 90 radios beginning in 2013. The frequency range will be RX:136-174 & 350-480 and TX: 136-174 & 400-480. They did not indicate if any wide-band receive, such as 118 MHz AM, would be available on these pre-production models.

    Although these radios may lack some of the bells and whistles we've expected, I imagine they will still be good dual band radios for the ham market. BUT, I still don't feel they are worth $325.

    Wouxun says I can't sell these for less than $325. They did not say that I can not include a FREE HT with the purchase. (Rest assured, they will raise holy crap about it, but I'm used to that) So here's my plan. I will place the limited number I have on sale for $350 and include a free KG-UV2D HT in the deal. I'll profit nothing at this but we'll see what happens.

    Anytone Dual Band Mobile - AT-588UV

    For the past two years, I have consulted with Anytone as they developed their dual band mobile radio. Anytone send a non-working model of the radio for me to show at the Dayton Hamvention (Wouxun would not send anything). Anytone is now sending a working model (for free!) and says full production will begin in early August. Anytone has quoted a price that lets me know this radio will retail in the $250-$275 range. It will be Part 90 Certified and will have some wide-band receive ranges, including AM aircraft. I look forward to working with this company and expect their mobile to be a big seller.

    TYT Quad Band Mobile - TH-9800

    This radio covers 10 meters, 6 meters, 2 meters and 440 (only FM mode). TYT sent a semi-working model for me to show at Dayton. It would light up with menus working and etc. Those who played with the display said it is a clone of the Yaesu FT-8900. I have a close contact at TYT and am told they are working hard to get this radio into production in October.

    Conclusion

    I will continue to do my best to bring quality made Chinese radios to the US market and will only send these emails when necessary.

    This particular email is going to about 5,000 people so please don't expect a quick response if you send me a question.

    Regards,
    Ed Griffin

    Wouxun.US & Import Communications
    www.wouxun.us
    www.importcommunications.com
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

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