Wouxun KG-935G - Tips & Tricks

[plarkinjr]

Another poster started a similar thread for KG-1000G and I thought it was such a great idea, I figured I'd start one for KG-935G.    Some of this may apply to the KG-XS20G (manuals look very similar) or to other KGs.

Here's one I'll start with (and it has much to do with the software):

Scan Groups

Preface:  The KG-935G has 999 memory slots.  Scanning channels is fairly slow.  Priority Channel scan is a great idea, but implemented globally (vs within a scan-group).   If you visit different areas frequently, its best to scan only the stuff near you.  If you have less than 100 channels of interest in any given area (I have 25 at most in any geographic area), this may help you.   Aside from where I live, I regularly visit 2 areas, and less frequently visit 2 others.

Using the (less than great) Wouxun software:

First:  Renumber all scan groups to Group1=100-199, Group2=200-299, etc etc (I made Group10=001-099).    This makes it such that any channel's first digit is the same as the scan group number.  (out of the box, group 2 runs from 100, to 199.   Not so intuitive later on...)

Second, create a fake "Channel" at 100, 200, 300, 400, etc.   Set it to no transmit, Scan Add = OFF, and give it a name for your areas of interest.   For example, I have:

• 100="<HOME>"  [settings: Rx 137.1, TX off, TX Power low, Mode narrow]
• 200="<DFW>"  (Dallas)
• 300="<ETex>" (east Texas)
• 400= "<Hou>" (Houston)
• 800="<HotList" (stuff I might like to hear anywhere)
• several others.  I left channels 1-99 factory stock.

Finally, separate all of your regional channels under the appropriate bank.  For example, I have Tyler GMRS repeater in 311, DallasFire at 255.  The Northwest Houston GMRS repeater in 401.   You could further subdivide these by band, service, interest (e.g. 200=DFWGMRS, 400=HouGMRS, 500 Hou-HAM, 600-HOUfire) so you only scan GMRS for your area, or all the HAMs in an area, or only Fire/Police in another.

After doing that, it is a simple matter to use the radio's menu keyboard to set the scan group to match wherever you find yourself.   And here's the true magic:  Because you renumbered the groups, and stored a fake "label" channel at x00... if you ever forget, you can just key in "200", "400", etc, to see the channel group label ("<DFW>" & "<Hou>" in my case).  Press UP Arrow to quickly find the channel you want, or set the scan group to #2 and you're scanning all the channels you saved for that "region" (Dallas on my radio).

 

Now it's your turn:  Have any tips/tricks for KG-935G (or very closely related) radios? Post them here!

[mbrun]

Add repeater input frequencies into your scan lists as a way to learn who is talking on repeaters that may be within simplex range of you.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[DownEastNC]

There is an anomaly when using the weather alert on the KG-935G and the KG-XS20G. When selected 'On' and scanning in area A, the scan will be continuously interrupted while it interrogates the NOAA weather channels for an alert tone. This is very distracting and inefficient. There are two ways to work around this "feature"; (1) Turn off weather alert or (2) Set your scan in area B where it will not be interrupted. The weather scan only occurs in area A.

If you find your scan still being interrupted by the weather frequencies, no matter what you do, then set Scan Mode to 'CO'

[WROZ873]

On 11/2/2021 at 5:12 PM, plarkinjr said:

Another poster started a similar thread for KG-1000G and I thought it was such a great idea, I figured I'd start one for KG-935G.    Some of this may apply to the KG-XS20G (manuals look very similar) or to other KGs.

Here's one I'll start with (and it has much to do with the software):

Scan Groups

Preface:  The KG-935G has 999 memory slots.  Scanning channels is fairly slow.  Priority Channel scan is a great idea, but implemented globally (vs within a scan-group).   If you visit different areas frequently, its best to scan only the stuff near you.  If you have less than 100 channels of interest in any given area (I have 25 at most in any geographic area), this may help you.   Aside from where I live, I regularly visit 2 areas, and less frequently visit 2 others.

Using the (less than great) Wouxun software:

First:  Renumber all scan groups to Group1=100-199, Group2=200-299, etc etc (I made Group10=001-099).    This makes it such that any channel's first digit is the same as the scan group number.  (out of the box, group 2 runs from 100, to 199.   Not so intuitive later on...)

Second, create a fake "Channel" at 100, 200, 300, 400, etc.   Set it to no transmit, Scan Add = OFF, and give it a name for your areas of interest.   For example, I have:

• 100="<HOME>"  [settings: Rx 137.1, TX off, TX Power low, Mode narrow]
• 200="<DFW>"  (Dallas)
• 300="<ETex>" (east Texas)
• 400= "<Hou>" (Houston)
• 800="<HotList" (stuff I might like to hear anywhere)
• several others.  I left channels 1-99 factory stock.

Finally, separate all of your regional channels under the appropriate bank.  For example, I have Tyler GMRS repeater in 311, DallasFire at 255.  The Northwest Houston GMRS repeater in 401.   You could further subdivide these by band, service, interest (e.g. 200=DFWGMRS, 400=HouGMRS, 500 Hou-HAM, 600-HOUfire) so you only scan GMRS for your area, or all the HAMs in an area, or only Fire/Police in another.

After doing that, it is a simple matter to use the radio's menu keyboard to set the scan group to match wherever you find yourself.   And here's the true magic:  Because you renumbered the groups, and stored a fake "label" channel at x00... if you ever forget, you can just key in "200", "400", etc, to see the channel group label ("<DFW>" & "<Hou>" in my case).  Press UP Arrow to quickly find the channel you want, or set the scan group to #2 and you're scanning all the channels you saved for that "region" (Dallas on my radio).

 

Now it's your turn:  Have any tips/tricks for KG-935G (or very closely related) radios? Post them here!

How do you set it to “no transmit”? Or is it just low transmit power? 

[WRHS218]

The way I read that is that he is setting the TX tone to "off". On my 935 there is no way to turn off the TX function. The firmware will do it for you if you program in a frequency out of band (GMRS). I really enjoy using the KG-935G, it is a fun and fairly simple radio.

[WRUK799]

Great tips for the scan groups and organizing channels.   Thanks

[TheLostMedic]

Thanks! I am just getting into GMRS and purchased this radio. Waiting for it to be delivered.

[Sdrom87]

Is there a way to edit an existing repeater channel. So I'm new to all of this and tried to program a couple repeaters (with permission) and I belive I got the tones wrong. Do I have to plug it back into chirp or is there a way to do it on the radio?

[WRUU653]

25 minutes ago, Sdrom87 said:

Is there a way to edit an existing repeater channel. So I'm new to all of this and tried to program a couple repeaters (with permission) and I belive I got the tones wrong. Do I have to plug it back into chirp or is there a way to do it on the radio?

You can do it either way.  First select channel you want to edit, then select menu, then scroll to TX-CTCSS (or RX-CTCSS, TX-DCS, RX-DCS depending on what you want to change) hit select and scroll to desired tone, select menu again and then exit. 

[Sdrom87]

On 5/11/2023 at 6:26 AM, WRUU653 said:

You can do it either way.  First select channel you want to edit, then select menu, then scroll to TX-CTCSS (or RX-CTCSS, TX-DCS, RX-DCS depending on what you want to change) hit select and scroll to desired tone, select menu again and then exit. 

Awesome thanks for getting back to me. I also noticed that when I program with CHIRP that it seems like not all the information that I put in, doesn't get transferred to the radio. Is that something that happens

[WRUU653]

21 minutes ago, Sdrom87 said:

Awesome thanks for getting back to me. I also noticed that when I program with CHIRP that it seems like not all the information that I put in, doesn't get transferred to the radio. Is that something that happens

I have only seen that specific issue when you try to program something you can’t. For instance if I grab some channels programed in a ham radio and move them to the GMRS radio in Chirp it will sometimes say some settings need to be changed or it will default to a non TX setting, something like that. Which is fine those are things I’m just putting it in for scanning anyway. You can’t do what you aren’t supposed to.
There do seem to be some things Chirp doesn’t seem to do. For instance if I add a new channel via Chirp it automatically gets added as a “channel favorite” which is annoying because I have to go in and manually turn each added channel off in channel favorite settings on the radio. I tend to only go in and program things once and a while and when I do I will sometimes shift entire blocks of things around and then I’ll have to go in and change those all one at a time. For the most part though I am really pleased with how much easier front programming is compared to how my Baofeng UV-9G is. I really like the KG-935G Plus.  Adding or changing things like tones on the fly or choosing a GMRS channel to skip in scanning because there’s noise on it just seems easier to me. 
The best advice I have for programming in Chirp (any radio software programming really) is to first save two copies downloaded from the radio, make all your changes in one while saving the first for backup. 

[Sdrom87]

On 5/11/2023 at 6:26 AM, WRUU653 said:

You can do it either way.  First select channel you want to edit, then select menu, then scroll to TX-CTCSS (or RX-CTCSS, TX-DCS, RX-DCS depending on what you want to change) hit select and scroll to desired tone, select menu again and then exit. 

 

On 5/17/2023 at 7:38 PM, WRUU653 said:

I have only seen that specific issue when you try to program something you can’t. For instance if I grab some channels programed in a ham radio and move them to the GMRS radio in Chirp it will sometimes say some settings need to be changed or it will default to a non TX setting, something like that. Which is fine those are things I’m just putting it in for scanning anyway. You can’t do what you aren’t supposed to.
There do seem to be some things Chirp doesn’t seem to do. For instance if I add a new channel via Chirp it automatically gets added as a “channel favorite” which is annoying because I have to go in and manually turn each added channel off in channel favorite settings on the radio. I tend to only go in and program things once and a while and when I do I will sometimes shift entire blocks of things around and then I’ll have to go in and change those all one at a time. For the most part though I am really pleased with how much easier front programming is compared to how my Baofeng UV-9G is. I really like the KG-935G Plus.  Adding or changing things like tones on the fly or choosing a GMRS channel to skip in scanning because there’s noise on it just seems easier to me. 
The best advice I have for programming in Chirp (any radio software programming really) is to first save two copies downloaded from the radio, make all your changes in one while saving the first for backup. 

That's funny I also have a uv 9g and yeah I absolutely love the wouxun kg-935g better. 

Ok maybe I just missed something, I got confused on the chirp app when it opened up separate windows when I tried to save everything on one radio to put on the other. I think I have it somewhat figured out though. Thanks again for getting back to me, I'll have to go back onto chirp on both radios and see if it wasn't something I missed.