SteveW

The point about these cables that hasn't been made clear is: there are a lot of different cables for different radios with different programming or mic/speaker sockets. The most common is the two-pin "Kenwood K-1" style used by most Baofeng (not all) and many other brands. Yes, a good FTDI K-1 cable is about $15. The price you are quoting is for the proprietary (but outstanding) software produced by RT Systems, AND their software, in a bundle. Their cables supposedly had some sort of special wiring or chip inside that was required to use with their software (a form of piracy protection). However, once you buy a bundle, you can use that same cable with another compatible radio and just buy their software for less money. They are a small, USA-based company that writes and supports their software, unlike the terrible software that comes with CCRs. So, a legitimate comparison is between a good, reliable, non-RT Systems K-1 cable (~$15) vs. your $11 cable. It's a small difference to pay for avoiding reliability or compatibility issues later.

For people who may have been interested in buying this radio (mainly for its water resistance), Baofeng has apparently fixed some bugs and re-released it: amazon.com/s?k=B098JGLWZ1 I don't own one and don't plan to buy one, as I already have a Retevis RP76P and a Wouxun KG935G. But, the Baofeng looks like an attractive option for a modestly-priced HT.

I have no idea what you were looking at, but it's plain as day...

That product gets overwhelmingly bad reviews. I wouldn't trust it to plug in a cigarette lighter, let alone a radio. there is a reason that good DC power supplies cost more than that.

Just get the Smiley SuperStick IV 465MHz telescoping antenna. Stock number 46510, for $25.50 plus shipping. It's awesome. You will need to specify a SMA female or male adapter, depending on your radio; the Baofeng and Wouxon radios need a SMA female adapter; the Retevis radios need a SMA male adapter. And no, I am not worried about bending the telescoping sections; it is easy to carry it in the retracted position and then just extend it if you need the extra range while in use.

It IS FCC Part 95E compliant: https://fccid.io/2AJGM-P51UV

Yes, thanks; after I returned from a trip that interrupted my new radio play time, I explored the Wouxun software and programmed my local FM broadcast stations. I also programmed some local 2m/70cm ham repeaters, and reception on the ham bands is more sensitive and clearer than my Baofeng BF-F8HP. I also added my local NOAA channel, and again, the Wouxun's receive sensitivity on that frequency is better than both my Retevis RT76P and Baofeng radios. The included antenna is excellent. I don't expect that changing antennas would be worth it.

Thanks for your reply. I actually spent more time reading the manual after I posted here, and then I also downloaded and used the software. The sequence of key-presses and up-down keys to operate the FM radio from the keypad, if you haven't already programmed in some stations, is the ultimate secret handshake. Yeah, it works, but you'll never remember how you did it a month from now. However, the software is an improvement, in that you can very easily store stations. Thanks for the tip about WX-ALERT. It does make WX-ALERT useless, if it interferes with scanning, but I have other radios that do a fine job of working with the NOAA alert system, so that's ok. It's at least better than the Retevis or BaoFeng radios' NOAA abilities.

I'm testing my newly-arrived KG-935G now. So far, I've encountered two issues: A minor issue is that the FM broadcast radio implementation is poor: unless I am missing something, the only way you can use it is to do a channel scan, which only picks up a couple of very strong stations. There is no way to manually tune to a station frequency. I haven't tried the software yet, and I am hoping it has a way to store whatever FM frequency you wish. A major issue is the GMRS channel scan. I don't know if this is a firmware bug or if I have a defective radio: When running the channel scan, it will briefly indicate a full-bars signal reception on several channels before the scan continues. When I open the squelch and scan, those signals are from a VHF NOAA weather channel. I'd appreciate it if y'all can test this. And oh yes, the terrible Chinese fonts. They're ubiquitous on a lot of Chinese products. I just hate 'em.

I have a theory, that people recommend the Nagoya NA-771 series of antennas just based on them being mentioned so often, not necessarily that they are truly better performers. I don't have the GMRS version of that antenna, but I tested the 2M/70CM amateur band version on a BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) radio. The radio's included antenna (improved over the typical, earlier-generation Baofeng antenna) works better than the Nagoya. And, the long bendy whip of the Nagoya makes the radio fall over if jostled. I just got a Wouxun KG-935G. It comes with an improved, higher-gain antenna, and its performance is so good, that I wouldn't consider changing it. The radio with its stock antenna has much better receive performance than my Retevis 76P with it stock antenna, and somewhat better than the 76P with a Smiley Super Stick IV. https://www.smileyantenna.com/product-p/46510.htm I haven't tested the Smiley antenna yet on the 935G, because the Retevis has the opposite gender SMA connector, but my guess is that it would perform even better than the stock antenna on the Wouxon, since it can be extended longer. I'd contact BuyTwoWayRadio and ask if the 905G uses the same antenna as the 935G, and if not, can you buy the 935G antenna. https://baofengtech.com/product/nagoya-na-771/