Wouxun KG-UV950P review - Part 8 - The volume controls

Dual concentric volume controls
are on the right hand side of the control panel

The volume controls, as there are two of them on the KG-UV950P, are appalling. Wouxun seem to have not paid any attention to the criticism that it has received both in the press (RadCOM Sept 2014 and internet forums).
The positioning of the controls are fine. They are dual concentric controls the rear larger one controls the VFO B and the smaller forward one controls VFO A.
The criticism is that it is impossible to fine control the volume especially at low settings.

Let me explain.

• The controls appear to be rotary encoders with end stops at either end to "feel" like a conventional volume control. There are no click stops like a conventional encoder reinforcing the suggestion.
• There are 16 steps reflected in the display. When going from Vol 0 to Vol 1 the output to the internal (and external) speakers is quite frankly too high. If you are operating at night time you WILL disturb others.
• Maximum volume appears to be reached at about Vol 4 or Vol 5. The other settings are unnecessary.

I know this rig is intended to be used inside motor vehicles where the ambient noise is loud anyway but most other manufacturers (that I am aware of) have no issues of giving continuously variable volume settings.

Dear Mr Wouxun,
Please fix the volume control firmware setting as it is annoying and drives this operator mad.

G8YPH

Incidently when you turn the rig to FM RADIO mode (broadcast radio) the volume is at a more acceptable and controllable setting.

Adjusting ALC on the FT-450D

The ALC meter on the FT-450D is a little confusing. The manual is not much help either. However I think I have worked out how to set the levels with an soundcard connected to the digital data socket on the rear.

Your setting will be different than mine but here is how I set mine.

I am using the DM780 module of Ham Radio Deluxe to operated the digimodes. The output of a cheap sound card is connected to the rig via a dedicated data lead.

• Set the rig at 35 watts power output
• set the rig to D TYPE
• Set this to USER-U and exit
• Tune the rig up to a digimodes frequency (21.070 MHz for instance) on USB Data

• Press the F key for more than one second to enter MENU mode
• Rotate the DSP/SEL knob until D TYPE appears
• Press the DSP/SEL button

Configuring eQSL on Ham Radio Deluxe

I had joined eQSL.cc also known as eQSL.net and had manually been sending eQSL cards to contacts I had been making. Then I thought I wonder if it is possible to send them automatically from HRD Logbook. To my surprise it is!!!

To configure it there is a two stage process.

• You need an eQSL account and then make sure you are running HRD Logbook.
• Then go to Tools>Configure>eQSL.cc

You are then presented with a dialog box that you should fill in your Username, Nickname (if you haven't configured that in eQSL leave it blank) and password.
You can put in a QSL message.
Also make sure you check the box Upload every time and entry is added to the logbook,

Automatic uploads to eQSL.cc

Ordinarily you would think that is all you have to do. In practice I found that didn't work and after a little fiddling around found that the 2nd stage of the process is this:

DM780 on 10m

DM780 is the audio module part of Ham Radio Deluxe. It decodes digital modes and morse. It also is used to transmit too. I was playing around with it on 10 metres yesterday and the FT-450D rig was not showing anything on the S meter. I also was listening on the audio feed and couldn't really discern anything. However DM780 was displaying loads of stations on the PSK-31 section of the band around 28.120 MHz

The computer display was showing South American stations (28/04/2015) at around 15:20 UTC. The 10m band was open,
I managed to work a few stations in Argentina and Brazil around 7000 miles away using just 25 Watts into my end fed dipole.

I think this software is astonishing.

EchoLink on IOS

It must be user error on my behalf but when trying to connect to a local VHF repeater in Malta using EchoLink over the internet I can do it from my iPod (yes the music player) but not from an iPad Air. The same version of IOS the same version of app.

More reading of the non existent manual I think or the FAQs on the Echolink website.

Digimodes on the Yaesu FT-450D

This is how the rig is connected to the computer:

• The rear panel has a 6 pin data socket that I have connected to the PC using a custom cable. The cable has 2x 3.5mm jacks and a USB connector (this has a serial port inside) - COM3 but this is not used to control PTT in this implementation. HRD does all the PTT switching via the CAT connector below
• The rear panel also has an RS232 connector for the CAT control (including PTT) that I connected to the PC using another custom cable. This one just has a USB connector with another serial port inside - COM5
• The jacks are fed into a USB sound card. - The transmit I have labelled in Windows as "TX to FT-450D" and receive is labelled "RX from FT-450D"
• I fed the output from the front of the rig (headphone connector) into another sound card using a 3.5mm jack to jack cable - this time a video capture card with audio inputs.

FT-450D set in datamode on 20m ready for PSK-31

Antenna erected and working

The antenna is an end fed dipole (essentially a long wire of 20m with a 9:1 UNUN). I bought this from Martin Lynch Ltd in the UK and it is sold as their Mydel 80-6m end fed dipole (see here).
I also decided to invest in some decent coaxial cable and connectors so bought 25m of Messi and Paoloni Flex 7 cable and their matching Messi and Paoloni PL259 connectors. These are unlike any coax connector I have ever seen before.

Flex7 PL259 plug

Flex7 PL259 innards

The connector part that looks like a top hat slides onto the copper foil covered inner conductor and slides in between the cable sleeve and copper outer sheath. The black piece is actually rubber and the clamping gland compresses this and is supposed to make a hermetic seal. I used some self amalgamating tape over the entire assembly.