Wouxun KG-UV8D Two Way Radio

I love radio,so much so I just bought a newer model the kg-uv9d from TWR.

Appears to be a great radio for the money. The display is a serious issue since my activities are out side and on a boat. Will probably use the voice prompt to toggle between two or three channels I programmed it with the Wouxum cable using Cirp and Windows 10. That went well.

THE GOOD: - Nice large display. - Cross-Band Repeater. - Dual Receive. - Good feel. - Stock antenna is surprisingly good. - FM radio reception sensitivity is very good also. THE BAD: - The radio is frequency-limited by factory default, you need to unlock it with an extra software, but the company warns against it with void-of warranty. - Programming software is horrible as is and the radio is NOT compatible with CHIRP! - Popping, crackling sounds, as well as 'jar-effect' sounds as if you're talking from an underwater tankwith unrecognizable high-pitch noises all over. - Unit got burning hot after a short time use. - Display is invisible, completely blank outdoors in the sun. - With fully charged battery (the 2,600 mAh one!), the Maximum power output on UHF was measured at only 3.3 Watts! - NO Part-90 certification! :( - Side buttons are hard to push and hold. - Sound quality was the WORST I've ever heard! - NOAA weather channel reception is completely distorted. - Since the radio uses SMA-Male antennas, I needed to buy an adapter in order to be able to use my SMA-Female antennas. - NO weather sealing of any kind. - Scanning is very slow! - Battery life, even with the 2,600 mAh extended battery is very short. - FM radio operation is illogical. After activating it, you still can't use the Up/Down Arrows to go to channels, you need to press teh RPT button, then enter the frequency manually. - Squelch shuts off reception, as if it overloads. Whatever causes it, you either get distortions or blank cut-offs. - Display is very soft plastic, you MUST protect it. - Both Transmission and Reception Power Level indicator shows High, even when the battery is low or the reception is very week. - Using plugged-in external speaker-mic, the audio gets even weaker and worse in quality, just to confirm that it is the unit itself! - Stop watch? Really? - Other than the Cross-Band Repeater, there is NOTHING good about this radio! IS THIS RADIO TOTAL JUNK, OR I GOT A LEMON?! :(

The KG-UV8D is a fairly easy radio to maneuver through. Audio on air is very good quality and has outstanding transmit range. For the price I would definitely recommend it!

I love the wouxun KG-UV8D radio it works great and has wonderful audio.

bought this for backcountry communication mostly. I give youth wilderness experience for confidence and self reliance. always have a front radio and back. I am replacing Baofeng radios that have failed before the warranty and they will not respond. These will be put to the test in a week. I have only heard good reviews and only expect quality for the safety of the youth. also ordered 2 more.

after being assured I the unit would go up to 520mhz,it only went to 450mhz. I am thru with this place

Lots of nice feature's scratchy reception is the only drawback for me. I wish I could recommend.

The shipping was quick. I use indoors or at night, outdoors I am unable to see the screen to operate any of the menue functions. Hard to see inside the car during the day as well. Programing software is good, I like the radio but be aware it's almost useless outdoors during the daylight hours. I would recommend this radio with the understanding of it's daylight limitations.

First hand held purchased in many years. Worth the price.

Public safety use. Wish I could set light to go off while scanning. Wish I could continue scanning if it stops on a channel I don't want to hear.

Although still learning all this radio can do (new to the hobby), it is packed with features and has the "feel" of a well constructed, quality radio. The framework of the radio is durable and all pro.

I love the radio. No problems so far. The features are great and so was the price. Programming the radio is simple and the manual is written so that performing most all operations is easily explained. A great product and I love the feature of an FM radio which you can listen to in the field and calls still come in as it mutes the radio. I also like the voice prompter that explains the functions and channel selections. A great color display thats easy to read. I have a friend who has the Baofeng and after looking at my radio and the manual said that the Wouxun is much easier to program and has a much easier manual to explain functions. He also liked the display and compactness of my Wouxun. He said it feels like a more sturdy radio than his. I personally would spend the extra money for the Wouxun because I think you get a much better radio.

I use this radio every day. Great little radio.

Use the UV8D for amateur radio repeaters. Love the many features and small size.

I bought the version of this radio that had the squelch issue. I discovered the issue recently when I read a review mentioning it, several months after my purchase. I contacted customer service via email, thinking it had been too long since my purchase to have it replaced. I was wrong. They offered to swap out my unit. EXTREMELY happy with the service. I'll be buying all the radios I can from these guys from now on if they have them in stock. About the radio. Breeze to program even without using a computer, great looking display, and pretty good battery life (doesn't last for days like the baofeng, but it definitely gets the job done).

Originally bought an older version from here but it had the squelch issue. Even though I had it for a while these great folks swapped it for the new version which works great. I use this for camping/hiking and just all around repeater and sat work. This model is more expensive than many other but here you get a great display that my tired eyes love. I don't have to look for my glasses to use it. Easy to program with CHIRP (very easy!) and a great size. I use it hiking in fringe areas with a Nagoya 771 antenna on the HT and a simple roll up J-pole ant I toss in a tree. The battery eliminator makes using in a car nice which is what I did before I grabbed a mobile radio. All around it's hard to go wrong with this nice radio.

I was a brand new technician class HAM and this was my first HAM radio. I bought the package that included an extended life battery, programming cable and software. Even as a brand new HAM I was able to program it with ease. I Google'd our local repeaters, programmed them into the software, uploaded the radio, and was on the air in an hour-and-a-half or so. After using this radio for awhile I wish the squelch control wasn't buried in a menu - if it were on a knob or if there were dedicated buttons on the face would be nice. Also when I bought I thought the dual receiver would be nice but i'v hardly used it - BUT I'm still very new to HAM radio so perhaps I'll learn to like it.

I use this radio when Im in the woods and out and about. Compact and very solid build gives impression this will take everyday handling.

I use the Wouxun KG-UV8D for fire/ems/rescue. So far no problems to report. The Good...Programming a snap. This is my first time programming a radio and it was easy with the included software/cable. Case feels very substantial, haven't dropped it yet but feels as if it could take a pretty hard hit. Features abound (took longer to go thru menus than it did to program!), nice clear screen, backlit keys, buttons useable even in gloves. Performance wise its great. I can hit repeaters in my area that most other brands can't/won't. The Bad...Sound seems tinny. Its loud but if user on the other end is not speaking clear the sound distorts easily. The channel knob can be touchy sometimes as well, you can't just rapid turn it 5 clicks and be up/down 5 channels, not a big deal, you just have to click 1 ch per second. Would also recommend applying a cell phone style screen protector or case. Overall this radio works great indoors or out, and in all conditions and terrain. As I stated my use is in the fire/rescue service and it works great. On a recent rescue call I was able to hit repeaters in my area that 3 other brands of portables and MOBILES could not. The dual RX/TX feature is great, we use multiple channels a lot and this is like having 2 radios in one. The LED "flashlight" works great as a "here I am" light when doing search and rescue. Yes its not a "big brand" or "US made" but what you get is a great package at a lot lower cost than even a used "big brand" radio.

I have had several Japan HT's over the years and this is the first I feel secure carrying in an industrial setting. all the others I feel I would break, this one you feel you could use as a hammer. The large battery lasts me two days of Work use and ham use on the way home. I originally used the program cable but I can also easily program in the field. I will be buying another no real complaints great value solid rig.

I have an older Wouxun, UV3D, that's still going strong; but when I read the write-up on the UV8D I knew one was in the offing. It's always nice to have a spare on hand for field work since you never know if you or one of your team will need a back-up radio. What I like about the UV8D is that it is a bit easier to program manually than the older unit, although I do most programming via computer. The UV8D display is also larger and clearer. Admittedly I have not run a serious A-B field comparison of both units, so from an RF performance perspective - and I do have comparable Nagoya after market antennas on both - they both are good performers on both VHF and UHF. I cannot tell that much difference between them. These are not the least expensive Chinese HTs, but IMO they are more robustly built. I have used the HT with 2600mAh battery for an all day event and did not need to swap in my spare battery. However, I do recommend having a spare available since it's impossible to know beforehand if you're going to need to do more transmitting for any given outing. I have one complaint: the belt clip attachment. The older Wouxun belt clips are integral with the battery; the newer one is attached to the HT itself. In attaching mine, the head of the first attachment screw sheared off, leaving the body of the screw in the HT. To avoid having that happen, remove the battery from the HT before assembling the belt clip to the HT. I've resolved the issue by using a holster.

I am a radio amateur but use this radio mostly for monitoring local police and fire frequencies. Like many modern radios, programming from the keyboard is possible, but is much easier with the programming software. I love the size and the features. There are two things that are somewhat annoying but are not deal breakers. First, I cannot find a way to disable the green receive light on the unit. Not only does it light solid green when receiving, but also flashes green when monitoring. Second, although the display looks great when backlit, when the light is off it is nearly impossible to read. Most LCD readouts can be read without backlighting, but this one is next to impossible. Otherwise, great radio and I am considering replacing an older mobile radio with one by Wouxun, great value for the price.

Great RIG, does what it was designed for and nothing else. Extended capacity battery is a nice addon.

This radio is so much better than previous radio from Wouxun. The build quality seems as good as any ham radio I've ever purchased. The fit and finish is excellent. The programming software and cable and super easy to use and probably a must if you are going to be programming a lot of frequencies. The receiver front end intermod rejection isn't as good as some other radio I've used, but it hasn't been a problem in the downtown area where I use the radio. It is a great radio at any prices, but it is prices that really makes it stick out. Kenwood, Icom, and Yaesu can't touch the price of this radio. I would absolutely recommend this radio to any ham.

I use this most of the time hooked to 30 foot high J Pole antenna to talk to my wife and son when they are mobile. I am in Texas open space and get good service out to 20 miles.

My experience dealing with Two Way Radios has been beyond excellence. Customer Service has been very helpful and I just sent back a radio for the second time. I was advised there is a problem with the squelch on the KG-UV8D. This is a Wouxon problem but Two Way Radios have helped me out every step through the process. I was also advised if the problem cannot be resolved I'll receive a full refund. Kudos to Two Way Radios for standing behind the products they sale.