I also posted this on the myGMRS Forum – so please forgive me if it’s a repeat!
My Wouxun Q10G receives weather on WX channels but doesn’t receive anything on CB Channels. I haven’t tried to transmit yet but even when I go to the freeway to listen to truck traffic, I receive nothing! When I bought it, I understood it was already programmed for CB channels and when I turn it on, it appears to be programmed for those channels but I still hear nothing! When I look at some of the forums, I see guys asking about programming their Wouxun Q10G radio’s. I have another radio (TYT TH-8600) that I’ve programmed and never hear any GMRS channels on it locally and I know it receives just fine because I use GMRS channels on it when I ride in UTV/SxS groups – so trying to see if I can receive GMRS on this radio locally won’t tell me anything as I’m not planning on riding with those groups anytime soon!
Should I be looking at programming software – or – how do I fix it on my Wouxun Q10G!
There are a few reasons why you may not hear anything on the Q10G when tuned to CB channels, and we need more information to determine what the issue is.
Are you listening to CB in AM or FM mode? Most truckers are still using AM, as FM is still new to CB.
It is quite possible there simply may not be any radio traffic on CB in your area. Some areas have a lot of traffic on CB and GMRS, and other areas have next to none. It’s sort of the luck of the draw on that.
Are you constantly scanning across all 40 CB radio channels for traffic, or are you listening to one specific channel?
If it is the latter, which channel? You’re more likely to hear traffic on Channel 19 than most others.
What antenna is on your radio when listening to CB? Is it the stock antenna, or an after market antenna?
Are you listening from inside a completely closed vehicle using the radio with a handheld antenna attached, or is the radio inside the vehicle and connected to an external antenna outside the vehicle?
Keep in mind that the Q10G only receives on CB. It does not transmit on that service. This is required by the FCC for type acceptance as a GMRS radio.
1 - I’m listening in AM mode.
2 - I sat beside a freeway at a fairgrounds for a week-end and had the radio on both CH 17 then on Ch 19 for hours in the evenings. My experience is when I traveled the nation in a motorhome that had a CB in it, was that truckers are on the CB quite frequently talking to each other. I can’t believe there were no CB transmissions while I was there!
3 - The radio has a non removable antenna – so it was the stock antenna!
4 - While I sat beside the. freeway, I was in a motorhome with the radio next to the window side of the freeway. The motorhome was closed up but I could see truck traffic while the radio was on.
5 - The radio has what its called an A and B area. I had the radio tuned to either CH 17 or CH 19 on both A and B at one time, in case the CB can only receive on one of those area’s.
6 - When I mentioned that I hadn’t tried to transmit yet, I forgot that this radio doesn’t transmit on CB.
I find it odd you haven’t put a call out, there could be twenty people all listening? Don’t you have an friends with a CB? Or maybe find a car or truck with the antennas, and just ask them if they can test it for you? Most are quite helpful in this way?
AM mode is only available on Area A, so you are correct that you can only listen to CB in AM Mode on one area. Although the antenna is non-removable, some users have been known to break off the antenna by force to install a different one, which is why I asked.
If you call our support at 1-800-584-1445 from 9 AM to 6 PM ET weekdays, our tech will be happy to assist in troubleshooting the issue to get it resolved.
I do not have the said radio so my comment is based on description and quite a bit of experience. Wouxon Q10G is a very wideband receive radio with CB (27mhz HF) rx, VHF/UHF rx and GMRS(UHF) tx/rx. CB radio frequencies are in the HF part of the band. A 1/4 wavelength antenna( a basic antenna for any radio) is 108" for CB while the same 1/4 wavelength for GMRS is 6". The non-removal antenna is most probably tune to the GMRS band since that is the TX frequencies. Look at the length of the antenna on your radio. For CB it’s acting more like a dummy load than an antenna. So to receive a CB signal, you’d have to be very close to the transmitter…Add that you have the radio in the car that acts like a partial faraday cage(Cuts radio signals…), you have little chance of getting much radio traffic…While the radio has many interesting functions, personally I would go with separate CB and VHF/UHF radios since you can get appropriate antennas (which I have done…)
Your comments are quite interesting. Since I recently bought one, I’m beginning to think that I made a poor choice. NotaRubicon in his YouTube video review of the radio, easily and quickly unscrews the antenna and connects his power meter to it. The manual clearly states the antenna is NON REMOVABLE. As you clearly stated, the included antenna is virtually useless at receiving 27 MHz. My radio has also yet to receive ANY CB transmissions.
I’m afraid that this is a classic case of false advertising‼️
Buy two way radio.com should gladly accept any returns as a result.
It’s a VERY nice radio, but the antenna issue is something that must be addressed‼️
Sorry, you want a non removable antenna? My guess is that to satisfy the US rules, the blob of glue wasnt quite enough. If it panics you, glue it up. The accidental unscrewing allows better antennas and like you say power and vswr monitoring. If there are local people transmitting you cannot hear, then maybe there’s a problem, but CB is local, whatever people claim. A few miles. I also understand the radio is only moderately sensitive in the CB band. If you didn’t like it, does the US have a return within so many days like we have in the UK? We get 14 days for an online purchase, for any reason, including didn’t like it.
I did not say I WANTED a removable antenna! I merely stated that the owner’s manual clearly states that the included antenna is NOT removable, yet at least one YouTube video shows the antenna being easily un-screwed so that a power meter could be connected to measure actual xmit power.
In all probability, the Federal Communications Commission imposed that restriction for the purpose of making that walkie-talkie compliant regarding xmit power.
Sigh. You said you had bought one (with the fixed antenna) but are cross one video shows the antenna being removed, and this is false advertising? You are correct in that it should indeed be fixed, but instead of making a permanent fixed antenna, they just glue them in. It’s fixed - with glue. If you don’t want removable, then don’t remove it? You’ve merely discovered other people took the chance and gave it a wrench and lo and behold, it unscrewed. My van says it’s limited to the speed limit. It was. Now it isn’t.
Rick, as the seller, I find it interesting that you would ask the buyer what antenna he is using on his radio when the manual clearly states the supplied antenna is NOT removable❗️
Am I correct in saying that it is perfectly ok to remove a non removable antenna AND what effect if any, will it have on the warranty❓
Thanks
Tom WRQE346
Tom - that’s putting rick on the spot. A very high proportion of any retailer’s customers will do very strange things with their purchases. The minute they receive them working 100%, they slap new firmware into them. Some put in firmware from different brands and models because they’ve been told on the net they are the same thing. Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. Some get returned as faulty. Most dealers are very happy replacing genuinely faulty items and less so with items that have been damaged by the customers even accidentally. If you remove and antenna from a radio that has under the seal, an SWA or SWB connector, that on some ‘fixed’ or ‘locked down’ radios will break the little dab of superglue that stops casual unscrewing. They then use it on a different or external antenna. If it breaks down during the warranty - most decent dealers will know what you have done, but if the radio is really faulty through nothing the user did, a warranty repair is fine. If they get it back with graunch marks from an over zealous antenna removal, or prised out no-removable battery then expect a different response. If you know that 90% of your customers will probably unlock a locked radio, or fit aftermarket or external antennas, what you look for are where people have accidentally or deliberately abused the product. Most dealers I know give the benefit of the doubt to the customer.
I think you have to understand that manuals and sales blurb MUST toe the legal line. They have to say the antennas are not removable, even if they know they are exactly the same model as one advertised with removable antenna. It’s like people selling scales for weighing very light ingredients and powders. They cannot advertise them as Cocaine scales can they? I’ve now refunded customers on radios I am 99% sure they destroyed with the wrong firmware. Sometimes faults you guess are going to be VSWR related - like sticking CB antennas on UHF higher powered radios. Customers do daft things, but to diagnose you need information. Not sure why you’ve got such a bee in your bonnet (British term) about this antenna thing - most sales of ‘fixed’ antenna radios that people speak about on here are not being used for short range, only chat with friends/colleagues type use.
Paul pretty much summed it up. I’ve done tech support for decades, and it is certainly a challenge, partly from the tech itself, but more often from the tech owner, and for exactly the reasons Paul mentioned. Sometimes the customer will provide all the information needed, but most of the time it’s what they don’t tell you that helps the most. A lot of the time they don’t know what information they need to provide, and sometimes it is withheld for various reasons.
A good tech is going to go through a full checklist of items, all logical questions, and all in a logical order to troubleshoot by the process of elimination. This is not done to accuse anyone of intentionally misleading the tech, but to simply check all the possible failure points from a technical perspective.
And yes, I can tell you many, many stories, most of them from my days doing tech support for major PC manufacturers, of customers who have omitted details, most often unintentionally, that could have shortened a half day of troubleshooting down to a ten minute phone call, had that information been disclosed from the beginning.
Paul, I don’t have a “bee in your bonnet (British term)” about this particular radio at all. Let me be perfectly clear about that! I simply asked about the conflict between the owner’s manual AND the YouTube videos. NOTHING MORE‼️
Please don’t “read” something into my posts that is not actually there.
I simply thought it was an interesting topic for discussion. Definitely not something to create arguments or dissension about. This post has NOTHING to do about my particular radio❗️
Since neither you nor Rick care to wander out onto the warranty limb, so to speak, this discussion is closed.
Have a great weekend
This warranty is limited to the repair and replacement of the defective components and is not valid if the radio has been tampered with, misused, abused, used with unapproved accessories, subjected to unauthorized disassembly, unauthorized repair, replacement of unauthorized parts, unavoidable conditions, human destruction, water damage or environmental damage. This warranty is void if the serial number is defaced or altered.
There isn’t a conflict between the youtuber videos and the manual. It clearly states on page 25 that the antenna is not supposed to be removed to comply with the FCC rules. Yet the youtubers were circumventing the FCC requirement by removing the antenna anyway. That isn’t a conflict, it’s a willful disregard of its intended use as prescribed in the manual.
Some customers have indeed broken their radios when attempting to remove the antenna. That isn’t covered by the warranty, because they weren’t supposed to do it, and were advised against doing so in the manual. How is the dealer or Wouxun liable for that?
That’s like buying a new car, entering it into a demolition derby after watching videos on TikTok, then taking it back to the dealer for repair under warranty. It isn’t reasonable and doesn’t make sense.
I initially didn’t say anything because I didn’t think anything needed to be said.
Rick,
Did I even mention “dealer warranty”? NO! I really wish people would READ what I post instead of reading what they THINK they read.
To repeat, I merely asked a hypothetical question about FACTORY WARRANTY when a buyer possibly chose to remove the attached antenna for the purpose of improving reception, as an example.
Nothing more. I’m beginning to seriously wonder why I post anything here, if it’s just going to bring out all this negativity❗️
