QYT KT-9900

[VK2CSW]

I have been toying with the idea of replacing the ageing FT-7800 in my ute with something new.

The QYT KT-9900 is of interest because it is a remote unit with everything on the mic.

Additionally, the price point is good.  In a couple of days Aliexpress is having a sale and a couple of sellers will have the radio for around AUD$125.

As I dug around looking for a genuine FTDI based programming cable they would come in at around AUD$90 including delivery.

Seems odd that a programming cable would end up almost the same price as the radio...

Maybe I'll just leave the FT-7800 be. It hardly gets used around here anyway.

[VK4ADC]

Colin

I am not familiar with the QYT-KT9900 but I did pick up a KT-8900 at a Hamfest a year or two ago and it was probably developed along the same philosophies.  The cost : the princely sum of $10 - probably because it was 'too hard'.  Realistically you need to keep a printed copy of the command structure on hand to do much of the set-up.  With Chirp, you develop the table of frequencies, offsets, tones, power level, etc.. and then upload it into the radio. Done..

I have Chirp'ed a full set of 2M and 70CM frequencies plus CTCSS tones on transmit  for my geographical area and installed it in the family car but it gets little use. Even being able to set the squelch level is a matter of going into a setup screen, unlike a normal amateur-series radio where you had a rotary squelch/mute control knob.  There is no quick save-the-frequency-on-the-fly option either, lots of screen/keypad operations typically required. You can do it but with far greater difficulty than many users would put up with.

The radio itself does produce about 25W on 2M TX and about 20W on 70CM TX, and that is used with a Diamond dual-band mobile whip, but I haven't really ever used it in anger. I suspect that the tech specs aren't real great on TX/RX but if I don't test them then that won't be preying on my mind !  Then again, for $10 what can I expect ??

Your comment about $90 for a programming cable fell on my deaf ears - I used a small USB/TTL serial PCB 3V/5V (FTDI-based) [from eBay at about $6] (and from memory) a couple of resistors and a 3.5mm stereo plug to make mine 'talk', and here is the BUT, but you need to turn the volume on the radio to maximum when in programming modes. { Just like the Baofeng UV5R's ! ) I know it doesn't make sense but it is obviously the signal coding paths used in the design.

They really only have one thing going for them - they are CHEEEEAAAAPPPPP.  Good if you just want to monitor a 2M or 70CM repeater in the shack, and it stays on one channel, but otherwise I will hark back to my initial comment - they are "too hard" !!

Doug VK4ADC

[VK2CSW]

Cheers Doug.

The use case would generally be local repeaters, however as I said, there isn't much action there which lowers the attractiveness of the whole exercise.

Which follows on to the effort of making a program cable vs. buying one. For other radios I have just shelled out for a cable as they were in the $40 range. This one I am not sure it makes sense either way!

Still, the mic controls form factor is intriguing. If I had one for 2m/70cm and a UHF CB in the same form factor it would declutter the dashboard...

[VK2CSW]

Hi Doug,

One question, were you using the TTL at 3.3 or 5v?

Or does it not really matter?

[VK4ADC]

Colin

It was a few months back that I did the cable but I recall it as set at 5V via the onboard jumper.   If I recall the callsign correctly, I think there is info on the KC8UNJ web site that might help.

Doug

[VK2CSW]

K3NXU (John) has some useful info on his site too:

https://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_ProgrCable8900.php