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

[WSAA635]

The KG-905g is a Superhet, not a SOC/"rig on a chip" radio. 

Also, the warranty is 1 year so I think I'll have plenty of time to see if it's going to work or not.

[SteveShannon]

49 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

The KG-905g is a Superhet, not a SOC/"rig on a chip" radio. 

Also, the warranty is 1 year so I think I'll have plenty of time to see if it's going to work or not.

All of the control functionality (such as tone encoding and decoding) except the RF front end is probably integrated into a chipset though, so in that sense it is a rig on a chip.
Some radios (including Baofengs) have the ability to scan for tones. You could try transmitting every single tone while a friend of yours scans your signal to discern what tone you’re sending and make sure it matches. 
I make no guarantee that the friendship will survive the exercise.

[WSAA635]

The 3 repeaters that I'd use locally each have a different tone so I'd need those 3 tones. I could set each tone on one GMRS channel and tone scan each with my UV-82 to see which tone the 905g is transmitting.  If those 3 work I can figure that Wouxun got things correct with the other tones and all will be well with the universe. 

[SteveShannon]

27 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

The 3 repeaters that I'd use locally each have a different tone so I'd need those 3 tones. I could set each tone on one GMRS channel and tone scan each with my UV-82 to see which tone the 905g is transmitting.  If those 3 work I can figure that Wouxun got things correct with the other tones and all will be well with the universe. 

Or just push the PTT on the repeater channel and ask if someone hears you …

Wake me when all is well with the universe. I suspect 80% of the tones on RayP’s radio were just fine.

[Raybestos]

5 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Or just push the PTT on the repeater channel and ask if someone hears you …

Wake me when all is well with the universe. I suspect 80% of the tones on RayP’s radio were just fine.

Hi Sshannon!  They aren't.  If there is one thing in radio that I have an intimate working knowledge of, it is PL's.  I suspect many do not discover a problem because they don't set the decoders, to begin with.  The problems I have experienced with Wouxun GMRS radios, pretty much across the board can, as I noted earlier, seem to even vary with the day of the week, leading me to believe there may be an inconsistency somewhere.  

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, RayP said:

Hi Sshannon!  They aren't.  If there is one thing in radio that I have an intimate working knowledge of, it is PL's.  I suspect many do not discover a problem because they don't set the decoders, to begin with.  The problems I have experienced with Wouxun GMRS radios, pretty much across the board can, as I noted earlier, seem to even vary with the day of the week, leading me to believe there may be an inconsistency somewhere.  
 

So we’re all of the tones incorrect? 10%, 50%, ?  
Did you see frequencies that were off also?  

[WSAA635]

1 hour ago, RayP said:

 The problems I have experienced with Wouxun GMRS radios, pretty much across the board can, as I noted earlier, seem to even vary with the day of the week, leading me to believe there may be an inconsistency somewhere.  

So depending on the day of the week the radio was made the tones may be off or they may not be off. All the tones or just some of them. It seems that tones are pretty much hardwired into the radio, that is to say they're preset without variation so how they can be out of spec. would beg the question as to how a major manufacturer like Wouxun could be so sloppy.

[OffRoaderX]

6 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:

how a major manufacturer like Wouxun could be so sloppy.

yah, i'm outraged... because its such a major issue...

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, WSAA635 said:

So depending on the day of the week the radio was made the tones may be off or they may not be off. All the tones or just some of them. It seems that tones are pretty much hardwired into the radio, that is to say they're preset without variation so how they can be out of spec. would beg the question as to how a major manufacturer like Wouxun could be so sloppy.

Attributing this to sloppiness is presumptive. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the tone frequencies in the radio are based on a single oscillator. Components fail. That’s just a fact of life.  Show me any manufacturer that has a perfect record.

[WSAA635]

That's kind of what I was saying in a tongue of cheek sort of way. It's doubtful that someone who makes thousands or even hundreds of thousands of radios each year wouldn't do something about an issue like this.

I even emailed buytwowsyradios and Anthony got back to me saying that other than a handful of S88's he's not heard of such an issue. 

I think it's much to do over nothing but I'll have a year in case something does go sideways. 

[Raybestos]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

yah, i'm outraged... because its such a major issue...

Well, actually, it can be and is.  Many do not grasp what PL/DPL (hereafter shortened to just PL) can do to enhance the radio experience.  To many (most maybe), PL is just an annoying selection you have to make in your radio's menu or on the programming software, so a given repeater opens up when you transmit.  They don't grasp how helpful it can be (provided it works properly in your radio and the radio you are talking to or repeater you are using).

Let's say you regularly use a repeater on 462/467.675 that uses a 141.3 PL.  You monitor on your home base, mobile, or ht much of the day as do family and friends of yours for calls from each other.  You also transact business on the phone, watch TV, listen to broadcast radio, and interact with others in person.  Another repeater at a distance on the same frequency but using a 67.0 PL generates a lot of noise and traffic during the day, too.  Being able to set your PL decoder so you only hear the repeater your family and friends use makes the whole experience of listening for them more enjoyable and less annoying when engaged in other activities.  The same can be said for keeping out other noise sources such as kids or construction workers on the channel nearby, or computer noise, and other stuff that the carrier squelch in your radio just is not screening out very well.  This is one of the reasons it is so annoying that some people go to the trouble and expense of setting up a repeater (whether open system or for a limited group), yet somehow just never had that extra thirty seconds it would have taken them to set a PL tone encoding on the output.  This forces end-users to have to listen to every bit of noise from whatever source, in range of their receivers.

In a downtown big city, there are endless sources of noise that will regularly break through a carrier squelch and become like Chinese water torture to your ears after a while, especially if your radio is direct conversion, like a KG-935G or KG935G+.  A PL module that works properly is a real ear and sanity saver.

Yes, it is a major issue for some.

[Raybestos]

1 hour ago, Sshannon said:

Attributing this to sloppiness is presumptive. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the tone frequencies in the radio are based on a single oscillator. Components fail. That’s just a fact of life.  Show me any manufacturer that has a perfect record.

True, but I have noted issues with the 905G (four individual radios), the 935G (one radio), the 935G+(one radio), and the S88G (one radio).  Every 905 I had, exhibited the problem.  Two were gifts for friends who I did not get a chance to pass them on to for a couple of years after purchasing them.  The day before I knew I would be seeing these friends, I programmed them with a collection of area repeater channels and some PL'd simplex channels I had put in for off-road or on-property use.  In testing them, some (but not most) PL codes would not decode between these two radios.  Some PL's (pulling 250.3 out of the air) might allow one radio to encode and be decoded by the other, but the reverse was not true. 

I generally like Wouxun over the other GMRS specific brands, but they need to tighten up on QC regarding PL/DPL encoding and/or decoding of their radio models.

[Raybestos]

4 hours ago, Sshannon said:

So we’re all of the tones incorrect? 10%, 50%, ?  
Did you see frequencies that were off also?  

It was usually one or two tones out of a template that I was putting together in a radio out of about 60-80 channels.  Not a lot, but enough to be annoying because of the problem.  My guess is, not very many people program much if any beyond the thirty channels these radios come packed with.  Those people use standard tones of 156.7 or below and rarely use DPL.  This allows the problem to go undiscovered and un-reported or under-reported.  I seriously doubt that I am the only one who has noticed this issue.  I wish anyone ele who has would chime in.

[OffRoaderX]

42 minutes ago, RayP said:

Yes, it is a major issue for some

I dont think you actually understand what the term "major issue" means.  Now please write a page-long explanation of why i'm wrong so more people can laugh at you.

[Raybestos]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

I dont think you actually understand what the term "major issue" means.  Now please write a page-long explanation of why i'm wrong so more people can laugh at you.

Sorry.  I forgot that you believe all ideas and concepts can or should be adequately explained in 15 words or less, much like the original form of Twitter.

[WSAA635]

So does the KH-805g have the same issues? Do all Wouxun radios have this issue or only certain models? 

[WRYZ926]

I can't speak about the KG-805G but several of us have the KG935G and haven't noticed any issues.

[WSAA635]

All the repeaters that I'll use in my Ares are between 100 and 141 for tones so if it only affects higher tones then I think I'll be good.

[Raybestos]

5 hours ago, WSAA635 said:

So does the KH-805g have the same issues? Do all Wouxun radios have this issue or only certain models? 

Not sure as I have never owned or used an 805G.

[radiozip]

My 805G and 935G+ have no tone issues at all. Nor have any of my 2-way thinking about it.

[73blazer]

I've never experienced this with my 905G's. The biggest complaint I have about the 905G is the PTT pressure is far too light. You put it in your front coat pocket or on your belt the button gets pressed by passing clothing. I can tell every time my uncle gets out of his blind to go mess with something as you hear his radio butt calling you constantly as he moves around. I'd prefer an adjustable trigger , I mean um, PTT. The 905G's PTT  is setup as a hair trigger.But unlike my favorite rifle, there's no easy way to disassemble the 905 and adjust your PTT pressure.

[WSAA635]

Ok, so like I said in my other post, the 905g is on hold for now, Amazon still had the funds from the gift card "pending" and it had not shipped so I don't see how they could get it to me by tomorrow so the order was canceled. I used the gift card funds to buy a Yaesu FT-65r which WILL be here tomorrow and the 805g is still on order and will be here on Monday.

This doesn't mean that I'm not going to get a 905g, it just means it off for now and I'll wait until more of my refund hits.

[WRXB215]

@WSAA635 Be careful, you are going to end up needing an inventory system to keep track of all your radios like some others on this forum. 

[WSAA635]

23 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

@WSAA635 Be careful, you are going to end up needing an inventory system to keep track of all your radios like some others on this forum. 

LOL, currently I only have 4 radios. 1/UV-5r, 2/UV-82's, 1/A36 Plus. I'll get the FT-65r tomorrow and the 805g on Monday and that'll probably be in for a while. I would like a 905g eventually depending on how the 805g works out.  I really don't think 6 radios is all that many but then being neurodiverse does tend to make me over do things.