A year ago we launched the Wouxun KG-805G GMRS radio. Its popularity confirmed for us that there is a market for high end, professional grade GMRS equipment. We're taking the next step and applying the principals that led to the KG-805G to a mobile radio. Today, we're announcing the Wouxun KG-1000G Professional Mobile GMRS Radio.
When we started the process that led to creating the KG-1000G, our goal was to end up with a GMRS mobile radio that didn't require any compromises. Looking at other GMRS mobiles that are available, it seemed that no matter what, choosing one feature means giving up another. We think that what we ended up with in the KG-1000G has it all, and we truly believe that it is now the best mobile GMRS radio in the world.
Let's take a look at some of the key features of the KG-1000G.
Power
Power is, of course, a key component of any radio as it directly contributes to the range of the radio. The FCC has set limits within the GMRS defining the maximum power for each channel, and it was important to us that the KG-1000G be able to deliver the maximum power allowed. Maximum power is also not always necessary, so the flexibility to switch to a lower power output when necessary is key.
The KG-1000G will transmit at up to 50 watts on high power and 5 watts on low power. Medium power is adjustable and can be set to either 10 or 20 watts.
Display and Installation Options
A current dilema with GMRS users seems to be, "Do I select a lower powered radio that is smaller and easier to install in a vehicle, or a full size high powered radio that's more difficult to mount?" No doubt vehicle installation options are a big concern, as newer vehicles in particular are leaving fewer options for clean installs.
The KG-1000G provides the best of both worlds. It's a high powered, full size radio but has a detachable faceplate. The faceplate can be removed from the radio and mounted in a remote location. This allows you to, for example, hide the radio body away in a trunk or under a seat while mounting the display within view of the driver. A remote display extension cable is used to connect the faceplate to the body and is included with the radio.
The flexibility of the KG-1000G display doesn't end there. The angle of the display can be adjusted even when attached to the radio by using the included adapters. By default the display is angled upward at around 30 degrees. This can be adjusted to have the display face straight ahead, or downward at 30 degrees.
Dual Display and Dual Watch
The display is divided into two separate areas, essentially making the KG-1000G two radios in one. Each side of the display can monitor a separate channel or frequency, with its own volume control and settings. Each side can also perform other functions, such as a channel scan, so you could monitor a channel on one side while scanning on the other. There are other radios that offer this feature, but the KG-1000G makes it simple and intuitive to use.
NOAA Mode
When we made the decision to offer NOAA weather channel support, we wanted it to be easy to use. Other radios may require weather channels be added as just another channel in the channel list. This is inconvenient, as you have to tune away from your primary channel. The KG-1000G has a NOAA weather mode. Simply hold the BAND key for a couple of seconds and weather mode is activated, instantly tuning your last weather channel. Hold BAND again and you're back where you started.
Wide RX Range and Frequency (VFO) Mode
As a GMRS radio, the KG-1000G is only allowed to transmit on the frequencies that are part of the GMRS. However, that does not limit the frequencies that can be received or monitored. The KG-1000G can receive on any frequency in the following ranges: 50-53.995, 108-179.995, 320-349.995, 400-479.995 and 700-985 MHz. Included in that range are airband frequencies where AM is often used, and the KG-1000G can even auto-detect and demodulate AM!
With such a wide receive range it would be a shame if non-GMRS frequencies had to be programmed in as channels before they could be accessed. The KG-1000G supports Frequency Mode to allow you to use the channel knob to tune a frequency directly. If you find a frequency that you want to save for later, a channel can be added and named directly through the menu. Up to 999 channels are supported.
Repeater Channels and Tone support
Of course the KG-1000G has the 8 GMRS repeater channels built-in, but if you use multiple repeaters with the same frequency and different tones you can add additional repeater channels. You can even do it directly through the radio without using programming software.
Full CTCSS and DCS support is provided, including custom tones. You can assign a different tone to receive and transmit, commonly referred to as "split tones". Even better, the KG-1000G supports CTCSS/DCS tone scan, allowing you to detect the tone of incoming transmissions and automatically set the tone on the current channel to match.
Repeater Mode
Two KG-1000G's can be paired to become a fully legal GMRS repeater! Link two radios using a repeater cable (included) and you're running your own 50 watt GMRS repeater! This is great for those who need an occasional repeater while on the go, or even for those looking for a more permanent repeater at a value price.
Full Featured Hand Microphone
The hand microphone that is included with the KG-1000G is backlit, includes a loud speaker with separate volume control, and provides quick access to many radio features.
Classic Circuit
Wouxun says the KG-1000G is built using a "classic radio circuit", but what they mean to do is differentiate their products from many lower quality radios being built today. Often radios are built using "radio-on-a-chip" technology that makes them inexpensive to produce, but often inferior in sound quality and receive sensitivity. The KG-1000G is a "real" radio, with a superheterodyne receiver, built in the same way as expensive professional radios made by large manufacturers.
Legal For GMRS
The Wouxun KG-1000G is FCC approved for both parts 95E (GMRS) and 15B (scanning). The FCC ID number is WVTWOUXUN20
Availability
The KG-1000G just received it's FCC approval last Friday (11/20) and we are expecting our initial shipment to arrive during the week of December 7-11. We are accepting pre-orders at this time. Our first shipment is limited in quantity. If our orders exceed the number of units that we are expecting in this shipment, we will stop taking orders until the date of our next shipment is more certain.
We recommend pairing the KG-1000G with a Nagoya NL-770G GMRS Antenna and a Nagoya RB-MJPL Strong Magnetic Mount Base, although there are other antenna options available that will work fine. The Wouxun KG-1000G is available for pre-order at $319.99. Click here for full details, or to place an order.
Can I flip the faceplate so the speakers are facing downward?
How long is the faceplate extension cord that comes with it?
The faceplate extension cord is approximately 15 feet in length.
Will the CA-2X4SR work with this radio? I know the repeater channels won't work with this antenna, but it should work with the non-repeater channels, right?
The Comet CA-2X4SR is a dual band antenna and covers the 2m and 70cm ham bands. We've never tested it with the KG-1000G, but according to the specs of the antenna it is tuned for 430-465MHz. The GMRS is 462-467MHz, so the operating range of the antenna is at the fringes of the GMRS. While it may be possible to use it on the simplex GMRS channels, performance would likely suffer and there is no guarantee it would work very well in that range, if at all. It certainly isn't tuned for the GMRS repeater channels. Therefore, we do not recommend using this particular antenna with the KG-1000G.
Is there a recommended cable and antenna sold here for the Wouxun KG-1000G on a mobile installation?
If you click on the Accessories tab on the KG-1000G product page, you will find several recommended options for mobile antennas. One popular option is the Nagoya NL-770G antenna and Nagoya RB-MJPL Strong Mobile Mag Mount Base with RG-58 cable.
Get it working with CHIRP and I'll probably buy one!
That sounds great, Patrick, except we have no control over that. CHIRP is a third party application, so neither Wouxun nor we have any say in what radios CHIRP does or does not support. We've offered the Chirp developers free radios and we're willing to be of assistance in any way possible, but ultimately it's a team of volunteers and someone has to be willing to take on the project. Keep in mind that they likely receive numerous requests to add a lot of products to their list of supported radios in CHIRP.
If you would like CHIRP to support these radios, the best option is to contact the CHIRP development team directly and submit your request to them. If there is enough demand, they may take it under serious consideration.
In the meantime, the Wouxun KG1000G programming software is quite capable and very simple to use. In fact, it is tailored specifically with the KG-1000G in mind, and even includes the default codeplug to return the KG-1000G to its original factory configuration if needed. If and when CHIRP supports the KG-1000G, it may not provide that option. This is an advantage of using the programming software from the original equipment manufacturer.
When used in Repeater set up, will two antennas need to be used ? If so, what is the minimum distance from each antenna ? What is the amp draw at 50 watts? Thank you!
If you connect a duplexer, only one antenna is needed. When using two antennas, the distance between them will depend somewhat on whether the power level of the transmitting unit is set to low, medium or high, and on the tuning of antennas themselves. On low power you may be able to get away with a spacing of 6 feet, on high power they may need to be spaced considerably farther apart. It will take some experimentation. When calculating amp draw, you will need to total the draw from both radios and factor in several other things. This article titled Choosing the right size power supply for your radio explains how to calculate total amps based on these factors. We generally recommend a 20-30 amp power supply for a repeater configuration.
I'm wondering if the ANI-ID is universal. I mean if I transmit an ANI-ID to a Kenwood or Motorola, will they be able to see it or is the ID just usable with another Wouxun KG-1000?
I live in New Jersey and I travel up and down the coast can I put 20 repeater pairs in that radio.
What is the limit for repeater Paris ?
Nice to see this, good job! Does the KG1000-G have a built-in auto IDer for repeater use? Looked at the manual and no mention, so am guessing not. Someone noted an R-Pi for CW, any thoughts on how to easily auto ID with voice?
Hi Doug, although the KG-1000G does have the capability to send a radio ID on transmit, it is a numeric radio ID only. You would likely need to add a repeater controller to the mix. This is not uncommon, and there are products that will do this.
Can a radio channel be programmed for *mixed-codes*: e.g., encode DCS but receive using an analog CTCSS code? Many repeaters are using this configuration today.
Standard and non-standard CTCSS tones and DCS codes can be set independently for transmit and receive.
Can you customize the alpha numeric display with your own names for GMRS repeaters?
Yes.
Hope to see this review on ham radio 2.0
Someone asked about cw for repeater use, a raspberry pi can be configured to send an ID at specified intervals! If you can find a repeater owners group on fb, you can find people that make them. Google can always help to.
Will the Radio be provided to Chirp developers so they can create a driver that supports this radio?
If I can find a Chirp developer who is willing to add support, I'm happy to send them a radio. I'll email Dan once our first shipment arrives and see if anyone has time to work on it.
Can this radio scan/decode the CTCSS and DCS tones?
As it is stated in the article, yes.
Can you confirm that the radio firmware is enforcing FCC compliance and not the software used to program the radio. For example, if the user were to enter a frequency using VFO that is not exactly a FCC GMRS frequency, will the radio prevent transmission on that frequency? Similarly, if the radio where to be programmed with factory or third-party software, will the radio prevent transmission on non-GMRS frequencies, perhaps similar to the KG-UV9P?
Yes, the radio firmware enforces compliance. The TX frequencies and the maximum power, for example, are enforced in all radio modes regardless of how the frequency was programmed (software, VFO mode, etc).
I don’t know who authored the manual, but the manual is leaps and bounds better than any other Wouxun manual I have seen. If it was BTW, congratulations for a job well done.
In reviewing the manual, it appears that different radios are depicted throughout the manual. May I suggest that only images of the actual radio the manual serves are included.
We did write the text of the manual in-house, we hope it is useful. We used illustrations from the Wouxun's ham model that this was based on. The illustrations for the front panel buttons and screen layout are correct, but the ones for things like mounting/installation, where the front panel isn't so important, show the other model.
Will BTW be selling any accessories that will allow for CW or voice announcement of call sign when the radios are paired for repeater use?
We've discussed developing an interface cable for a controller, but at the moment we're focused on getting the radio out. If it turns out that people like the repeater mode function and are using it frequently we will certainly need to come up with something.
Will BTW be offering free firmware updates when the invariable bugs are discovered during the initial release of the product?
The firmware is not user upgradeable. If you're concerned about bugs it may be advisable to hold off on purchase for a month or two. The good news is that the KG-1000G is based on a platform from a tried-and-true ham radio model, so hopefully we'll avoid issues that you might see with a brand new model.
Ham Radio 2.0 on youtube should be doing a review on this soon. I'll hold off on buying one to see what he says.
All in in, if this radio is a good as it seems to be. It'll be one heck of a good GMRS radio!