Radio to radio variances
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:56 am
Hello all, you may find my experiences interesting, so I thought I share.
I bought a GD77 on Amazon about two weeks ago.
I was not impressed by the LCD left row of pixels not being visible (when looking straight on the screen) so I returned the radio for an exchange.
That first (returned) radio had two other issues:
1. The (short) antenna had a malformed base so I had to shave it off in order for it to fit into the hole as otherwise it would not go in at all
2. The charging circuit stopped at 8.2Volts (with green LED coming on), with the software inside the radio giving the same voltage (8.2 and 94%) what my voltmeter gave when measuring the actual voltage. So two ways to check the voltage - same result.
So today I got the new radio and I am comparing:
- The screen has the exact same issue - I guess I have to live with that (this is purely cosmetic)
- The antenna is also malformed (a bit less, so I can force it in): I will use an SMA to BNC adaptor so not an issue
- The charging circuit works now perfectly (when I measure the battery just after the charger turns green I get 8.39V), however the radio internal voltage display gives me 8.6V (and it gave 100% starting at 8.4V internally indicated voltage) so 0.2V more than the actual measured voltage.
Two radios: two shared issues (left pixel row not visible and malformed antenna) and two differences: on the second radio the charger hardware seems to be working well but the voltage detection software is not totally accurate (while it was on the first radio)...
I guess this is the level of consistency one can expect for a sub $100 radio?
Still: overall I am looking forward to using the amazing OpenGD77 and I am sure I will have questions as I learn it - I hope you do not mind.
Thank you!
I bought a GD77 on Amazon about two weeks ago.
I was not impressed by the LCD left row of pixels not being visible (when looking straight on the screen) so I returned the radio for an exchange.
That first (returned) radio had two other issues:
1. The (short) antenna had a malformed base so I had to shave it off in order for it to fit into the hole as otherwise it would not go in at all
2. The charging circuit stopped at 8.2Volts (with green LED coming on), with the software inside the radio giving the same voltage (8.2 and 94%) what my voltmeter gave when measuring the actual voltage. So two ways to check the voltage - same result.
So today I got the new radio and I am comparing:
- The screen has the exact same issue - I guess I have to live with that (this is purely cosmetic)
- The antenna is also malformed (a bit less, so I can force it in): I will use an SMA to BNC adaptor so not an issue
- The charging circuit works now perfectly (when I measure the battery just after the charger turns green I get 8.39V), however the radio internal voltage display gives me 8.6V (and it gave 100% starting at 8.4V internally indicated voltage) so 0.2V more than the actual measured voltage.
Two radios: two shared issues (left pixel row not visible and malformed antenna) and two differences: on the second radio the charger hardware seems to be working well but the voltage detection software is not totally accurate (while it was on the first radio)...
I guess this is the level of consistency one can expect for a sub $100 radio?
Still: overall I am looking forward to using the amazing OpenGD77 and I am sure I will have questions as I learn it - I hope you do not mind.
Thank you!