Review - Wouxun KG-UV3D Dual Band Ham Radio

Hello folks,

I got my grubby Western hands on this piece of Occidental communications gear recently.

I'll give you my thoughts by starting with my one word summary - VALUE.

It is an absolute value of function, features, and fit. Maybe we all have been "programmed" for far too long that a good dual band handheld has to be $300 plus and come with a big three badge - Kenwood, Icom, or Yaesu.

Well, I learned a long time ago that there are disruptive product offerings out there. Because of my longtime association with 220 MHz, I became aware of Alinco. They too provide exceptional value in both handheld and mobile form factors.

It was just a matter of time before these Chinese manufacturers attacked the job-site and LMR market with their offerings. With a little h/w programming tweak by their designers - BINGO - Amateur Radio handhelds are born, benefiting from established models and extensive offerings of accessories.

Does it compare favorably with my tri-band Kenwood TH-F6A - yes. Is it meant to be a 100% match, absolutely not. But when you compare with a standard run-of-the-mill dual bander, the Wouxun KG-UV3D is a stand-out. This specific model is offered by the California distributor, Powerwerx, and it lists for $119.99.

People focus on price for these radios and one can understand that - it is the kind of positive sticker shock that we don't get to experience very often. But that focus on price alone is not really fair. The Wouxun has all the features you need in a handheld - VFO mode, Memory mode, dual receivers, both CTCSS and DPL/DCS, DTMF, 128 memories, voice prompting, battery voltage indicator, progammability (keypad, computer, and clone cable), and lots more.

Here is the full list:

Dual band monitor (VHF/UHF, VHF/VHF, UHF/UHF) Dual alpha numeric, backlit display with channel name edit Selectable high/low power settings (VHF: 5W high/1W low) (UHF: 4W high/1W low) Includes extended life 1700 mAh high capacity li-ion battery as standard Includes intelligent desktop 3-4 hour rapid charger Loud speaker audio output (500 mW) Bright flashlight illumination function Meets IP55 waterproof rating English female voice prompts enable non-sighted operation (can be turned off) 128 memory channels (shared) VOX Function Digital FM radio (76-108MHz) with automatic tuning and storing, radio frequency display, 18 FM memories in 2 banks Wide/narrow bandwidth selection (25 or 12.5 kHz) Power on display: show battery voltage, 6-character customizable welcome message, or display test

Windows PC programmable, free software available for download. Optional low cost cable (SKU: WXUSB or WXSER) required. Radio to radio cloning with optional cable (SKU: WXCLN) Same channel: VHF TX & UHF RX or UHF TX & VHF RX available 105 groups DCS/50 groups CTCSS DTMF encoding (includes ABCD tones, continuous with button press duration) CTCSS encode/Decode (no decode delay) Stopwatch function SOS function Low-voltage voice prompt Busy channel lockout Selectable transmit over timer (from 15 to 600 seconds) Selectable step sizes of 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 25, 50 or 100 kHz Multiple scan modes including priority scan Keypad lock (auto or manual) Programmable by computer or keypad High contrast white backlit keypad. All keys are backlit (except A/B & TDR)

Here's the list of what you get:

• Dual band radio
• Dual band antenna
• Extended life 1700 mAh high capacity li-ion battery pack (about 13 hours operating time)
• Intelligent desktop 3-4 hour rapid charger
• Desktop charger AC power cord
• Belt clip
• Wrist strap
• English user manual (Also downloadable)
• Powerwerx quick start reference sheet (Free Download)
• Programming software (Free Download)

It has a built-in LED flashlight that, at first, I thought was kind of a novelty. Then I thought back on my 25-30 years of radio activities....hmmm...that little feature could make a difference under the right conditions. I felt the same about the built-in FM radio coverage - useful.

Audio output on receive is outstanding - just the right amount of level and very good tone and frequency response. Transmitted audio is very good - as good or better than any of the big three and on par with Alinco handhelds which are well known to provide exceptionally good transmitted audio.

My limited experimentation can't speak to selectivity and deeper characteristics but that was not my intent. I really wanted to operate this device as an appliance and from a new-to-ham radio perspective. Â The manual is an easy read! Shocking, isn't it, from China? I think the Powerwerx, or some other stateside folks, have something to do with that.

I think anyone would who understands the features to begin with, reads the manual, and then practices with the radio, would not have any trouble at all in becoming proficient within a day or so.

I got the radio with several basic frequencies loaded. I will be putting in a bunch of local 2 Meter and 440 frequencies for the next testers to try out for some real radio checks.

I don't have to remind anyone that this review is my opinion, do I? Who else's opinion would it be?

It's not expert testimony and it is not biased by some bad - or good - Chinese food I ate in Detroit in in 1978.

Regards,

Joe, N2QOJ

Save Your Audio Settings - Windows PC

Do you find that your recording and player settings get changed from time to time?

Lots of applications, like SKYPE, take over control of your mic and output settings. When you are finished using SKYPE, your settings may be completely changed for your music player or other sound application. Also, if you have hobbies like amateur radio, podcasting, videography, etc., this can be a huge time drain to re-set the audio mixer everytime.

There is a solution to managing your audio mixer settings: QuickMix

QuickMix is a simple applet that allows you to store all or part of the current state of your audio mixer in a settings file, and to restore the mixer to that state whenever you want. And, it's free.....It works on WIN 9X, WIN NT, WIN XP, and WIN 2000. It does not work on VISTA or Win 7.

The nice feature is the ability to setup the audio mixer to your liking and then save a "profile" of those settings. So, if you have different settings for different applications, just setup the audio mixer setting for each scenario and save a suitably named profile. Then, all you have to do is load that profile from QuickMix and all your settings are automatically setup as needed.

You can visit the website here: http://www.ptpart.co.uk/quickmix/

You can download here, QuickMix. Feedback is always welcome, Joe

Record Your PC Session to Video (Windows)

Do you write computer tutorials?

Would recording your PC session help you explain a new program or application to another individual?

Would you like to capture your screen activity for a video you are producing?

Try one of these software solutions:

CamStudio - freeware

Jing (browser-based, MAC supported also) / Snagit / Camtasia (not free) - Popular solutions from the folks at TechSmith.

If you have something else to recommend, please do!

Three Great Services

I had the thought that one of these soon-to-be-mentioned services would be the subject of my next blog entry but then it occurred to me --- combine them. I think you will see why shortly.

Great Service #1: Give Away of the Day

Every so often, my favorite daily must-read website, lifehacker, will showcase an article about a specific utility or program that is available for free. The catch - it is a current version but (1) must be downloaded and activated quickly, (2) it will not be supported formerly and (3) it will not be able to incorporate future updates.

So, I can get a working professional program to address my needs but I can't ask for support or expect updates? -- Sign me up! Lack of formal support or updates is not an issue for me - usually. With special interest forums and groups available on the Net, I am not too worried about getting a question answered. Also, if it works for my purposes - at no cost - then I won't miss the updates.

So where does one find such value on a daily basis? http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

They provide a service to software vendors that helps them showcase and build some interest in new or existing software applications. For those of you interested in gaming, these nice folks also provide a similar give away for games - http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/

OK, so now you know where one of the best sources for value is on the web and you will visit it everyday to check, right? No need - they have an RSS feed that will tell you what the give away of the day is so you can decide if it warrants your time to check it out.

And that is a wonderful segue to my second essential service - RSS forwarding...

Great Service #2: http://www.rssfwd.com/

Let's assume we all know about RSS feeds. If you don't, go here to read about the topic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss

Many websites today present its visitors with RSS feed URLs that they can employ with RSS readers or RSS friendly browsers like FireFox. However, for those of us that would like to automate things a bit, there is a great service available from the folks at http://www.rssfwd.com/.

Just visit the website, supply the RSS feed URL (address) that you are interested in, and give the email address that should receive the feed. What happens is that you will now receive emails containing the RSS feed information. If you are interested, you can then navigate to the full article or website of the feed for further activity. It couldn't be simpler.

If you don't want to provide your regular email address, that is no problem, just give them an address that can forward to you automatically. You may want to setup an address (think GMAIL !) just for this purpose.

BTW, even this blog has an RSS feed and email notification service - just scroll to the end to try it.

Great Service #3: lifehacker

What can I say about lifehacker - that site was my inspiration for this blog and it continues to be my favorite daily read. It's much easier to have you visit the website rather than explain it. But here goes anyway --------.

The lifehacker website by Gina Trapani, is a repository of useful and valuable information about many things in life. You can find tips on the best study habits, the latest FireFox plug-ins, the best way to interview for a job, or the best available software. Gina, and her editors, select the very best from the net and create their own articles too.

The website has a search feature that works very well. If I want to restore a drive, check on available webcam utilities, or maybe find some DVD authoring tips, searching lifehacker is my first step and I am usually rewarded with great articles or at least some links to follow.

Oh yes, I find the reader comments to be great as well. It seems that good articles spawn good comments.

That's a hint folks. Let's see some comments from all of you!

Searching for People on the Internet

When looking for a person on the Internet, Google is fine but there are a few services that are made to perform people searches better.

Here are three sites that can be valuable when looking for an online presence:

• www.pipl.com

• www.123people.com

• www.zabasearch.com

• www.linkedin.com

The more you know about someone, the more your search will be productive. Think about these items when planning a search:

1. Does this person belong to any clubs or associations?
2. Do they have a hobby that may result in some Internet presence?
3. Can you focus on a location?
4. Do you know their approximate age?
5. Would this person be using job search or job networking sites like LinkedIn?

If any of these sites turn up an address, you could always then try YAHOO People Search, a telephone search site, etc. to get a valid phone number.

Give them a try. Start by using yourself as your first search target. That should help you to understand what each of these sites is capable of - and not capable of - when planning future searches.

Good luck!

30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software for Windows

From December of '06 by the folks at SimpleDollar.com:

30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software for Windows

This is a pretty good list. It has everything from word processor to money management to email clients to photo editing. Many of the listed 30 software apps are still going strong today.

At least this is a good starting point if you are interested in free software for Windows.

Please share with our readers your experience, if any, with any of these listed apps. Or, share with us some alternatives if possible.

Regards, Joe

I need a boot disk! (Windows)

Bootdisks - floppy, CD - whatever the case may be, at times, whether its to revive an old PC or laptop, you need a good boot disk. Where do you get it if you can't make your own?

Here: www.bootdisk.com

Be sure to check out the entire web site. Lots of PC support and "essential utilities".

Cheers, Joe