I got a Puxing about 3mo ago and I have been more or less enjoying it. It's a PX-328.
The good:
Price $66 to my door. I don't have to worry about losing or breaking it so I use it a lot.
It does everything a modern radio should.
I can hit all the local repeaters.
I get good signal reports.
Transmit Audio quality is clean and clear. ( I have been on the other end)
Sturdy body construction*
Battery life is very good.
Hand programing is actually very easy once you figure out the manual is wrong.
The reasons I will not be getting another one just like it or recommending this model:
It was very hard to figure out how to set it up. Not only was the manual in very poor English (expected) but it contained grievous omissions and outright errors, including diagram that did not match the button layout of the radio. At first I was very disappointed in it because I couldn't get it set up, but after a few hours of fiddling with it and realizing that the manual was only useful as a general guide and could not be trusted I eventually got it to do everything I expected it to.
When a signal breaks squelch it is accompanied by a loud popping sound that is very hard on the ears and drive the wife nuts. There is no dedicated squelch nob and it takes two button pushes, a turn of the nob and then two more button pushes to adjust it. These are meant as commercials so that is understandable but with the popping it constitutes a problem if you are getting a weak signal.
The memories can be saved with a 6 dig name but then the frequency is not displayed with it. The display only has one line.
When setting up Memories you have to figure out the offset frequency as it requires you to enter both frequencies rather than the direction of the offset.
*While the overall construction is good, the display is covered with a very soft plastic and scratches very easily. The buttons are also made of a translucent rubber with a black paint cover that is not holding up well.
Switching between Memory and VFO mode requires turning it off and back on while holding a button.
It is very easy to blank out all memory… about the same number of steps as adjusting the squelch.:Wow1:
The screen will do three colors blue, orange, and purple but it falls back to blue at start up, I like orange.
Overall it is like many have said, “not bad for the money” but that's only true because of the money not because this is such a great radio. I may trade it out for a Wouxun and try those out but, the inexpensive Alincos may be a better deal even at twice the price.
KJ6EUO
73
