Just ordered a Wouxun KG-905g.(and an 805g too)

[WSAA635]

I finally had one of my returns come through so I had some funds in my Amazon account.  Been going back and forth between the 805g and the 905g and it looks like the 905g won out so I'll be getting my first actual GMRS radio. I've had a lot of other radios(most returned for one reason or another)but this'll be the first one that's actually Part 95E approved.

I've already got the factory CPS installed on my Linux Box via WINE so I'll be ready to set it up when it gets here Saturday.  I'm going to test fit a Nagoya 701c antenna to see if it has a small enough O.D. to work and if it does I'll order a GMRS tuned Nagoya for it. Anyway, just wanted to share the good news. 

PS. Also ordered a KG-805g too.

[Raybestos]

Congratulations on the new radio!  I had a couple of the 905's as well as 935's and a S88.  While Wouxun overall is superior to Midland, B-Tech, and similar brands, one place I have found where they seriously drop the ball is their PL/DPL encoding and decoding.  I have had issues with all models I own(ed) with regard to PL/DPL encoding and decoding.  It seems to be different tones or codes based on the particular radio and maybe even the day of the week.

I would recommend checking the tones against repeaters or known simplex operations in your area.  If you find a problem, contact Buy Two Way Radios ASAP and make them aware of it.  If you wait till after the warranty expires, you will be SOL.  I hope at some point Wouxun finds it in their hearts to remedy the issues with their PL/DPL encoders and decoders.

 

Best of luck to you!

[WSAA635]

Ok, I looked up what PL and DPL are and I don't think I'll ever need or use them. As long as I can get CTCSS tones for repeaters I'm good.

[Raybestos]

PL is the same thing as CTCSS.

[SteveShannon]

6 hours ago, WSAA635 said:

Ok, I looked up what PL and DPL are and I don't think I'll ever need or use them. As long as I can get CTCSS tones for repeaters I'm good.

 

3 hours ago, RayP said:

PL is the same thing as CTCSS.

And DPL is the same as DCS or DTCSS.  

[WSAA635]

So how do I test this? 

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

So how do I test this? 

You’re gonna need to tell us what you’re talking about.  How do you test what?

[WSAA635]

How do I test to see if the PL and DPL tones are right? Do I need to text all of them or if one is ok then can I figure they're all ok?

Randy has talked about a lot of Wouxun radios on his YouTubes and never said anything about this issue.  None of the other folks have said anything on their YouTubes reviews about Wouxun radios having this problem with Tones not being set right.

[WSAA635]

11 hours ago, RayP said:

While Wouxun overall is superior to Midland, B-Tech, and similar brands, one place I have found where they seriously drop the ball is their PL/DPL encoding and decoding.  I have had issues with all models I own(ed) with regard to PL/DPL encoding and decoding.  It seems to be different tones or codes based on the particular radio and maybe even the day of the week.

I would recommend checking the tones against repeaters or known simplex operations in your area.  If you find a problem, contact Buy Two Way Radios ASAP and make them aware of it.  

This-how do I test/check to see if my Tones are correct and do I need to check all of them or if one is right then will they all be right?

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

How do I test to see if the PL and DPL tones are right? Do I need to text all of them or if one is ok then can I figure they're all ok?

Randy has talked about a lot of Wouxun radios on his YouTubes and never said anything about this issue.  None of the other folks have said anything on their YouTubes reviews about Wouxun radios having this problem with Tones not being set right.

Nobody does that.  They’re right.  CTCSS is an actual tone.  DCS is a digital code.  The mistake some people make is depending on numeric designators for the tones.  Motorola only had 38 and they used numbers 1 through 38 to refer to them, but most other manufacturers have added a few extra tones so it’s crucial that you look up the actual tone, such as 100.0 Hz, and use that to ensure you’re comparing apples to apples.

[WSAA635]

So how do I know if my 905g is good or has an issue with tones?  What is RayP talking about in the above post?

[WRUU653]

It’s as @Sshannon said, just make sure you are picking the actual tone/Hz and not a  number designated by the manufacturer because some have more tones than others and numbers may not be the same. I have not had any issues with my Wouxun radios and tones or any other radio I have for that matter.

[SteveShannon]

22 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

So how do I know if my 905g is good or has an issue with tones?  What is RayP talking about in the above post?

I don’t know what Ray is talking about.  I’ve never heard anyone else knock Wouxun for poorly functioning CTCSS.

Just use the radio. Stop obsessing.

Or set yourself up to be a communications service shop and buy a Communications Service Monitor:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374764319457?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=374764319457&targetid=1530766779295&device=t&mktype=pla&googleloc=9021317&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1530766779295&abcId=9307249&merchantid=8317664&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh__asFTIQ3LwjckorkT9KnHA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwncWvBhD_ARIsAEb2HW9BC-CZAJgJEhs5gnqWCwUxrJCQcF4n8PYDMz4cJnx52S0j0biIhgkaAjdCEALw_wcB

[WSAA635]

14 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

It’s as @Sshannon said, just make sure you are picking the actual tone/Hz and not a  number designated by the manufacturer because some have more tones than others and numbers may not be the same. I have not had any issues with my Wouxun radios and tones or any other radio I have for that matter.

All of the radios I currently have or have had only have the tones in Hz. They're all CTCSS tones. I searched the YouTubes for Wouxun radios having issues with tones being installed correctly in the radios and I've found zero, zip, zilch about it. There seems to be no issues with tones and I don't know why RayP would even mention it.

[OffRoaderX]

12 hours ago, RayP said:

I have had issues with all models I own(ed) with regard to PL/DPL encoding and decoding.  It seems to be different tones or codes based on the particular radio and maybe even the day of the week

I have, or have had every GMRS radio that Wouxun makes. In some cases, multiple ones, and I have never, once, seen this issue. I also have many friends, and about 200K fans, and none, never, once, have mentioned this issue.

[WSAA635]

7 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

I have, or have had every GMRS radio that Wouxun makes. In some cases, multiple ones, and I have never, once, seen this issue. I also have many friends, and about 200K fans, and none, never, once, have mentioned this issue.

Thanks for chiming in Randy. I ask this same question today on a YouTubes video you did on tones about 5 months ago. I'm really looking forward to getting my 905g and hope there's no issues with it. I've been having a run of bad luck lately with a few of the radios I've bought. I hope the 905g breaks this cycle. 

[WRUU653]

Just make sure you stand on one foot and hold the radio in your left hand. Left hand!

[WSAA635]

25 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Just use the radio. Stop obsessing

LOL, that's so easy for a Neurotypical person to say.

 

[WSAA635]

2 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

Just make sure you stand on one foot and hold the radio in your left hand. Left hand!

And it always helps if you wave a dead chicken over the radio before you use it.

[SteveShannon]

10 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

LOL, that's so easy for a Neurotypical person to say.

 

I’m not, but when I went back to school the second time (because I failed to hand in assignments that were imperfect) I had to learn how to accept imperfections and make decisions.  I had to learn to accept good enough instead of holding out for perfect.

[Raybestos]

1 hour ago, WSAA635 said:

This-how do I test/check to see if my Tones are correct and do I need to check all of them or if one is right then will they all be right?

Absent some expensive test equipment, you will need to check the tones against another radio or other radios, or against a repeater known to be encoding and decoding certain tones.  I had a 905G that would not decode a local Motorola repeater's output tone of 210.7.    There were other tones I discovered by accident that would not encode and/or decode with another radio of the same model, when only a few yards apart.  I forget which tones.  I have seen one or two comments from viewers on Randy's YT channel regarding this issue a few years ago.  I asked the poster for details but never got a reply.  Then I had radios that exhibited this undesirable tendency.

Recently, I was testing simplex range between a friend's KG1000G+ and my own S88.  We were using a 245 DPL.  I had set the DPL in both radios and later double checked to ensure that I had not put in the wrong tone on one or a reverse tone.  I had not.  We were on simplex with varying signal strength between very good and very poor as I drove down the road.  For whatever reason, when he transmitted on that simplex channel (between 1 and 7, I forget which), he would not open my decoder.  I had to hit my monitor button to hear him.  This is a real issue, despite apparent lack of reporting of same.

[WSAA635]

So basically, in a nut shell, to test out my 905g I need to program the Rx/Tx tones into a channel of one of my Baofeng radios then do the same with the 905g and if they talks I'm good to go. If they don't I have an issue. What would buytwowayradios do to fix it if I did have an issue? Is it something that I could easily fix at home?

[Raybestos]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

I have, or have had every GMRS radio that Wouxun makes. In some cases, multiple ones, and I have never, once, seen this issue. I also have many friends, and about 200K fans, and none, never, once, have mentioned this 

Au contraire.  The first time I saw it mentioned was a few years ago, from a commenter on one of your vids.  

[Raybestos]

5 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

So basically, in a nut shell, to test out my 905g I need to program the Rx/Tx tones into a channel of one of my Baofeng radios then do the same with the 905g and if they talks I'm good to go. If they don't I have an issue. What would buytwowayradios do to fix it if I did have an issue? Is it something that I could easily fix at home?

If you are within the warranty, you are probably good to go.  If outside the warranty, you are SOL.  These radios are a "rig on a chip" and from what one of their guys told me, not much of anything can be done in the way of adjustments.

This is why I mention checking before it goes out of warranty.

[OffRoaderX]

9 minutes ago, RayP said:

The first time I saw it mentioned was a few years ago, from a commenter on one of your vids.  

I stand corrected.. ONE other guy ...