New GMRS Mobile Radio - Wouxun KG-XS20G

[bobthetj03]

I got this one based on what NotaRubicon used to use in his videos for 12 volt power supply. It worked fine for me while I programed the radio with the software. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RZQ9WY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[DownEastNC]

17 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

1.  

No good source of 12v in the RV?

For perspective, per the display on my alinco psu, my 50 watt Btech draws between 10 and 11 amps on high, while the 15 watt Midland drew 3.5 amps. If your wouxun is in the same ballpark, that would put it in the 4-5 amp range on high.

This pyramid is likely sufficient, though not a lot of headroom. Reasonably priced, and it's a linear regulated (rather than switching) power supply.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Compact-Bench-Power-Supply/dp/B000A896GG/

 

(I had an eye toward more than just the btech when I was setting up, so I over-spec'd on power supply, 22amp continuous, 30amp surge Alinco from DXE)

Yeah, I got 12 volts in the RV but much easier to plug into a 120 volt outlet not only for now but in the future if I want to use it in the shop or wherever. Until I can put an ammeter on the circuit I won't know exactly what I'm dealing with so for the moment I'm going with the 20 amp power supply per the operator's manual. I'll check it out after I get it hooked up and then report back.

[TOM47]

19 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

This pyramid is likely sufficient, though not a lot of headroom. Reasonably priced, and it's a linear regulated (rather than switching) power supply.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Compact-Bench-Power-Supply/dp/B000A896GG/

I HAVE ONE OF THOSE  SUPPLYING POWER TO ONE OF THE KG-XS20G'S RIGHT NOW, WORKS GREAT!

[DownEastNC]

9 minutes ago, bobthetj03 said:

I got this one based on what NotaRubicon used to use in his videos for 12 volt power supply. It worked fine for me while I programed the radio with the software. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RZQ9WY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

All I can tell you is what the user manual says and it states it needs a 20 amp supply. Truth be told they may be covering their butts but until I check it out I won't know for sure.

[wayoverthere]

28 minutes ago, DownEastNC said:

Yeah, I got 12 volts in the RV but much easier to plug into a 120 volt outlet not only for now but in the future if I want to use it in the shop or wherever. Until I can put an ammeter on the circuit I won't know exactly what I'm dealing with so for the moment I'm going with the 20 amp power supply per the operator's manual. I'll check it out after I get it hooked up and then report back.

Fair point. Some extra headroom in what the PSU can supply doesn't hurt anything except maybe the wallet

And yeah, what it needs in terms of current to power up and program, and what it needs to transmit are likely a bit different. I've run the btech off of a little 1amp cig lighter like the one linked earlier for programming, and a pair of 6v lantern batteries in series for a noise test...it only draws 100mah at idle.

[DownEastNC]

38 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

Fair point. Some extra headroom in what the PSU can supply doesn't hurt anything except maybe the wallet

One of my high school shop instructors always had a come back when we tried to push things. He would say "Just because your speedometer says 100 mph doesn't mean you can go that fast"

[DownEastNC]

1 hour ago, bobthetj03 said:

I got this one based on what NotaRubicon used to use in his videos for 12 volt power supply. It worked fine for me while I programed the radio with the software. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RZQ9WY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Looking at this again, that is a 10 Amp power supply, which in reality probably provides enough power for the normal functions of the radio. If the radio is fused for 15 amps then that usually means the highest consumption of current shouldn't exceed 12 amps. It could be lower and many times the fusing is to protect the wiring. It will be interesting to see what the actual current consumption is when the radio is stress tested. As soon as I get my hands on a radio I'll put a DC ammeter on it and peg it at one of the higher wattage channels and then we'll know. Thanks!

[mbrun]

For reference, the power draw of the XS20G’s big brother, the KG-1000G, is as follows:
@Idle @5w @20w @50w
Conventional wisdom is to choose/design a power system so that the steady/continuous draw of the load is no more than 80% of the power system. For the 20w setting above, this would suggest a 7.5A supply..

However, this theory does not necessarily account for power-up surges which can be high. A 1.5-2x (and more) increase in power supply system capacity can at times be required. This would suggest a supply that can handle surges 9-12A (which would explain the 15A fuse). Most power supplies include some degree of surge capacity, which may be very well be 10% and more of their continuous rating. A well designed 10A continuous rated supply therefore would, in all probability, comfortably hand surges of 11A and greater.

So assuming the KG-XS20G falls into the same 6A load draw as its big brother, a 10A + continuous rated supply would seem to be of sufficient size. While smaller sizes may also work well on receive, depending upon the quality of design and internal headroom of the supply and how long your transmission are, you may experience performance gremlins that have you scratching your head when transmitting.

In the end, there is nothing wrong with the manufacturer’s 15A recommended power supply. It provides a very good and responsible safety margin. It also provides some extra power available for other things when you need it.

Regards.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[WRFF247]

I purchased one of these for my Jeep. I ordered the programming cable for it as well. Typical use for GMRS is off roading. We just did a trip up in the Cascades of WA, had 5 jeeps. It worked just fine. I like the many features and functions-much better than my MXT-400-that is now set up as a base station. The compact chasis and front facing buttons are a big plus, and it's easy to read the display. The only issue I had was dealing with disabling my anti virus program in order to run the Wouxun program. For a mobile setup with a decent antenna, it is just fine. I'm a Ham so if I need to do longer distance stuff I can use that platform. We only have one GMRS repeater in my general area but it has tremendous coverage and I can hit that from most places I travel locally. I'm very pleased with this radio. Wouxun makes a solid radio even though techincall it's in the "Chinese Radio" category. IMHO one of the best units available. Midland does have 2 options in this general power output range but not nearly the features, especially with the Wouxun's wide band TX/RX ability. I'd recommend this radio for sure. 

[SteveW]

On 10/15/2021 at 2:30 PM, TOM47 said:

CHECK OUT THIS POWER SUPPLY FOT THE KG-XS20G  Amazon.com: ACEXL Cigarette Lighter Adapter-Ac to Dc Converter-Car Plug Adapter Outlet-Car Cigarette Lighter Socket-110 to 12 Volt-Car Adapter to Wall Outlet-12 Volt Power Supply-24Watts : Automotive

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.

[desangles]

On 10/14/2021 at 1:21 PM, bobthetj03 said:

When displaying only one channel, is there a way to get rid of the radio model display. Can you add your call sign there maybe? 

Open the programming software on your computer, click on READ (from radio) and go to KEY SETTINGS. Replace KG-XS20G with your call sign and then click on WRITE (to radio).

[desangles]

On 11/6/2021 at 11:22 PM, desangles said:

Open the programming software on your computer, click on READ (from radio) and go to KEY SETTINGS. Replace KG-XS20G with your call sign and then click on WRITE (to radio).

 

[Hotvw]

Here is the deal…I have a kg905 , Kg935g and a uv9g….the kg 935 is a radio on the chip, the uv9g is superheterodyne and it makes a big difference! I’m guessing that the new XS20G is a chip radio, does anybody really know? I’d guess that since they don’t say it, it isn’t.

[OffRoaderX]

7 hours ago, Hotvw said:

 I’m guessing that the new XS20G is a chip radio, does anybody really know? 

Yes - The XS20G is an SOC (not SuperHet) - Source: The owner of the only XS20G authorized dealership in the United States - he also designed/spec'd the radio for manufacturing.

I too have a KG905G (a few), KG-935G (several), KG-805G (a couple), multiple KG-1000Gs, and some KG-UV9s... and I can tell NO difference between the XS20G or 935G (both SOC) and all the other Superhet radios - they all receive the same, from everything I can see/hear and from reports from human ears, they transmit the same - the signal sensitivity , although maybe different on a scope - i am not able to perceive any difference.. and the squelch,as best as I can tell, are the same..

...However... i CAN tell a (HUGE) difference in the $30-$50 SOC radios (Retevis, BoofWang, etc) and any of the Wouxun SOC or SuperHet radios - even the BTech 50X1 - huge difference in receive sensitivity and even bigger difference in squelch operation.

 

[MichaelLAX]

31 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

i CAN tell a (HUGE) difference in the $30-$50 SOC radios (Retevis, BoofWang, etc) and any of the Wouxun SOC or SuperHet radios - even the BTech 50X1 - huge difference in receive sensitivity and even bigger difference in squelch operation.

"Affiliate link below" 

[TheLostMedic]

Any "long-term" updates on this radio?

[pcradio]

On 12/7/2021 at 11:37 PM, OffRoaderX said:

I can tell NO difference between ... SOC ...

...However... i CAN tell a (HUGE) difference in the $30-$50 SOC radios (Retevis, BoofWang, etc) and any of the Wouxun SOC or SuperHet radios - even the BTech 50X1 - huge difference in receive sensitivity and even bigger difference in squelch operation.

 

Would you clarify your point? Are you saying you've notice a difference between SOC and Superhetrodyne in your area?

[Sshannon]

6 minutes ago, pcradio said:

 

Would you clarify your point? Are you saying you've notice a difference between SOC and Superhetrodyne in your area?

No, he said he couldn’t tell the difference between the Wouxun XS20G or 935G SOC radios and superheterodyne radios, but he could tell a big difference between the Wouxun SOC radios and cheaper SOC radios.

Therefore he would also be able to tell a big difference between superheterodyne radios and the cheaper SOC radios.

[WRUT935]

Thanks to Randy's discount code, I got my unit a few days ago.  An early xmas gift from my wife.  I have a Wouxun KG-UV9-Pro from BSR.  Both radios a very good.  The 20+ watts makes a big difference for me due to the hills and Mt. Diablo near me.  I was able to connect to the repeater in Sunol and was able to converse with clarity.  I paired it with a pyramid 6 amp PS. I have an Ed Fong antenna on my roof/side of the house (HOA) with a 25 foot KMR 400 (amazon) cable.  My SureComm digital meter shows upto 22 Watts out with SWR of 1.18. So far no issues.  There was one weird anomaly this afternoon  that the tones for one of the repeaters got set to off, hence it can't talk and hear on that repeater.  Watch Randy's videos on this model to get to additional info, he has one when it first came out and a follow up when it went "plus".  The free Wouxun software makes it easy to change setting but it does NOT have the ability to import/export.  My UV9-Pro has tons of channels and I can't port them over, not even copy and paste using the Wouxun software.  The RT systems software (around $25) does not show one for the xs20G. The Wouxun Commander for the XS20G does not recognize the file output from the UV9-pro.

WRUT935/Benjo

  

[CentralFloridaGMRS]

On 12/17/2022 at 10:18 PM, WRUT935 said:

Thanks to Randy's discount code, I got my unit a few days ago.  An early xmas gift from my wife.  I have a Wouxun KG-UV9-Pro from BSR.  Both radios a very good.  The 20+ watts makes a big difference for me due to the hills and Mt. Diablo near me.  I was able to connect to the repeater in Sunol and was able to converse with clarity.  I paired it with a pyramid 6 amp PS. I have an Ed Fong antenna on my roof/side of the house (HOA) with a 25 foot KMR 400 (amazon) cable.  My SureComm digital meter shows upto 22 Watts out with SWR of 1.18. So far no issues.  There was one weird anomaly this afternoon  that the tones for one of the repeaters got set to off, hence it can't talk and hear on that repeater.  Watch Randy's videos on this model to get to additional info, he has one when it first came out and a follow up when it went "plus".  The free Wouxun software makes it easy to change setting but it does NOT have the ability to import/export.  My UV9-Pro has tons of channels and I can't port them over, not even copy and paste using the Wouxun software.  The RT systems software (around $25) does not show one for the xs20G. The Wouxun Commander for the XS20G does not recognize the file output from the UV9-pro.

WRUT935/Benjo

  

Just purchased two of these. Both put out the advertised power plus a bit more. Great radios. 

[WRUT935]

FYI - the speaker on the mic is broken, only weak crackling sound coming out when on speaker 2. Buytwoway radio customer service responded quickly and they are sending me another mic.  Great customer service.  

[WRUT935]

Just got the replacement mic from buytwoway. The new mic has the same issue as the first.  I wrote the vendor back and hopefully will hear tomorrow. I hope I just got another bad mic and that the radio is not defective.  
 

those who own the kg-xs20g plus, have you tried to switch from spk1 to spk2 and is the mic speaker working properly? 

[Extreme]

On 12/22/2022 at 9:30 PM, WRUT935 said:

Just got the replacement mic from buytwoway. The new mic has the same issue as the first.  I wrote the vendor back and hopefully will hear tomorrow. I hope I just got another bad mic and that the radio is not defective.  
 

those who own the kg-xs20g plus, have you tried to switch from spk1 to spk2 and is the mic speaker working properly? 

 

On 12/22/2022 at 9:30 PM, WRUT935 said:

Just got the replacement mic from buytwoway. The new mic has the same issue as the first.  I wrote the vendor back and hopefully will hear tomorrow. I hope I just got another bad mic and that the radio is not defective.  
 

those who own the kg-xs20g plus, have you tried to switch from spk1 to spk2 and is the mic speaker working properly? 

...and...?

[WRYZ926]

I just purchased one for use as a base station. And if I find I need or want a 50 watt radio for a base station, then the XS20G will go in my Honda Pioneer 500.

[pjpockets1]

I just had to trade in my new KGXS20G for another one. It seems to lose reception. Reception is broken and sporadic. Antenna is fine, as proven with my other radio. Guess I will see what the next does.