[OZAPRS] Feedback on VX-8

[Jack Chomley]

Joe,

I have had a VX-8GR for a few months now, it seems to work OK  on APRS, WHEN the GPS locks on.......this can sometimes take a few minutes. The screen is very small and is hard to read the APRS information, but that is what you get, with a compact radio :-) 
Battery life while running APRS is not very long, as you cannot run the RX in battery save mode, or you will miss incoming data, transmitting Beacons every 3 minutes etc will see you get about 3 to 4 hours from the standard battery which is only 1100mAh, if you are lucky. I ended up getting the optional 1800mAh battery. 
The radio has many menu items for APRS and has Smart Beaconing too, reasonably easy to drive. This radio does not have a TNC, so it's not able to be used on Packet, like the Kenwood D7.
RT Systems have a software package to do the frequency file editing to load the radio with your chosen frequencies, no APRS settings are loaded with this software.
My biggest complaint with this radio is the audio on voice comms receive.
IF you run a high volume setting, the radio gets a feedback squeal in the speaker on receive and this drowns the received audio, whilst you are trying to listen to a station.
To fix this, you need to to run a lower volume setting or........when you are receiving a signal, put your thumb over the microphone "hole" on the front of the radio! Seems to me that the mic audio must somehow be enabled all the time, even when receiving.
You do need to run the volume rather high, as the audio level is not all that loud, far less than a VX-7 radio. Maybe a remote speaker/mic would solve the problem, but I have not tested one.
As a compact APRS radio it works well for what it is, if you can accept slow GPS lock on. 
As a voice radio.......it's a junker, only because of the receive audio feedback problem and low volume.
HTH

73,

Jack. VK4JRC  


Sent from my Apple iPad Tablet PC


On Sep 28, 2010, at 11:47 PM, Joseph Burford <joseph at burford.me> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I'm looking at getting a VX-8 for use out walking etc.
> 
> I've been specifically looking at the GR version with GPS built in.
> The DR is the version with the optional GPS unit, but also does 6m and
> wideband RX.
> 
> Anyone got any feedback on these units, good or bad?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Joe
> _______________________________________________
> OZAPRS mailing list
> OZAPRS at aprs.net.au
> http://lists.aprs.net.au/mailman/listinfo/ozaprs