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Product Review Wouxun KG-UV8D
VHF/UHF Handheld April 24th, 2014
Advertised
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Some radios are delivered with:
Black Buttons & Light Blue LCD
What's in the BOX
Inside the package was a nicely written, 60 page English manual, with lots of graphics, diagrams and illustrations. This was accompanied by sturdy belt clip, and 8 inch (21cm) flexible antenna,
7.4V 1700mAh battery and charger.
The antenna is terminated with an SMA Male connector. As
with many dual band antennas is marked 136-174 /
400-480MHz, but on the air tests show its use on the
hams bands is quite respectable.
The Li-Ion battery charger appears to be solidly built with
an AC power connector on the back (no Wall-Wart
necessary). It also sports a 12VDC input jack for mobile
use. This charger is unique to the UV8D and not
compatible with other Wouxun chargers.
A Good Feel The radio has a comfortable feel and fits my large hand
very comfortably. Nicely contoured and easy to hold with
some nice weight behind it.
The top of the radio has the traditional Volume/PowerOn
switch and Channel Selector.
The left side of the radio has the PTT switch and well
as two function keys each with programmable functions,
including Scan, Lamp, SOS, TeleAlarm, FM Radio and
Disable. The right side has the 2 pin Kenwood, Wouxun,
Baofeng programming cable/speaker-micr connector.
The Large Display
I have learned in the past that when it comes to
handhelds, you can never tell a book by it's front
panel. Although I must admit, the initial appearance is
impressive. The large multi-color screen has a
sharp and easy to read display. Powder Blue background,
Black (freq), Blue (RX), Red (TX), and Green/Red
(battery). One added display feature is the
ability to view the FM Radio frequency and the two TX/RX
channels at the same time. Nice touch.
Display Name via the Keypad
Those familiar with the Wouxun are no stranger to the
ability to enter a channel's Display Name via the keypad.
The UV8D also allows up to 8 characters, which includes
A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and 25 special characters, such
as [ ] { } @ # & % $ etc.
I like the ability to switch the display type while in
the Channel Mode. A simple push of the VFO/MR
key changes the display to either Frequency, Name, or
Channel Number.
The Backlight Timer is adjustable from 1>20 seconds, or
can be set to Always On. I've been keeping the display
ON full time for the past 2 days and the battery life
doesn't seem to be impacted. With battery save ON, the
7.4V 1700mAh Li-Ion battery still has plenty of life left.
The Backlight can also be controlled by a Side Key
button if so desired.
The Signal Meter graduated in 12 steps based on the level
of noise. A signal with noise will vary the reading, but
once quieting, the indicator shows full scale. Somewhat
better than what I refer to as the Karate Kid S-Meter
(signal ON, signal OFF). Although still not a
traditional S-Meter, it clearly shows which display has
the active signal.
Another useful function is the ability to revert to a
Single Display mode. This automatically overrides the
Dual Receive capability. You can still change from upper
to lower display, but only one channel is displayed at a time.
Other Functions / Observations Two of the side function keys are programmable via the
keypad menu. Some of the selectable options include
Scan, Lamp, Alarm, SOS, FM Radio, Disable. The FM
Broadcast function is activated by the lower function
key. As with many handhelds, the frequency is changed by
pressing the *SCAN key.
Unlike its predecessor,
The UV8D now supports 999 channels in 10 separate banks of 100 (bank 1
has 99). The upper and lower display can be assigned a
separate single bank or All. The scanning rate is approx 8 channels per second.
I personally have a hard time thinking of 999 channels I
need to have stored, but the 10 channel banks is a
useful feature.
The front end selectivity is excellent. Although I am not in a
high intermod area, I do live 800' from the local
repeater VHF and UHF repeater. 15kHz up or down
frequency and the
bleed over is gone. You will appreciate this if you are
in an urban or metro area.
The receive audio quality is good with plenty of volume.
Not quite as mellow as some, but not at all
objectionable.
Transmit power readings taken with a Telewave 44A show a
solid 5.0W on VHF transmit with 4.1W on UHF. Not too
shabby.
Frequency
Although the frequency range on the inside label read:
144.000 - 147.995 420.000 - 449-995 MHz
It opened up nicely with software to:
134.000 - 174.995 400.000 - 519.995 MHz
Dual Receiving
The capability to receive two frequencies simultaneously
works extremely well. If both channels become active at
the same time, you can quickly select the single
frequency mode, then the Upper or Lower display.
Duplex Cross-Band Repeating
This allows rebroadcasting a VHF signal to UHF (or UHF to
VHF) with two selectable options. Directional repeat which
allows
either VHF to UHF or UHF to VHF repeat. Two Way repeat allows both
options, but not simultaneously. The first active
receive signal takes repeat priority. When that signal
drops, both receivers return to active standby.
To prevent receiver overload, the UV8D will not allow same band
VHF/VHF or UHF/UHF repeating. As one would expect, the isolation
to allow this just isn't there. If you are planning
to run the transmitter on a continuous duty basis, you
want to run in the low power position. The internal heat
sink can only do so much heat distribution.
Software
The OEM software is easy to follow, but CHIRP developers
are aware of this new addition to the Wouxun line, so
CHIRP should be right around the corner.
As always, it is recommended to get a quality
programming cable so you spend more time talking on the radio
and less time loading special drivers to your PC.
Firmware
My original UV8D (V1.01) firmware only allows for a
minimum frequency step of 5kHz. Radios manufactured
after 5-15-2014 (V1.02, V1.03, etc.) include
the 2.5kHz step.
The way to tell what version you have is to Press and
Hold the 3 KEY while doing a PowerON. The LCD will
show the firmware release (UV8DV1.xx)
The same Software is used for all versions and
the firmware is not upgradable, so it is what it is.
For me, that's not a deal breaker, but nice to have.
IMHO
I think
Wouxun has a winner with the new UV8D. The large
multi-color display and cross-band repeat options are
nice additions, and the 2.5kHz step rounds out the
package.
