I bought the A16B but kept up with updates to the Wouxun. Since they “fixed” the squelch issue, I picked up another. I wish I’d have just kept the first one. Can one really have too many radios? 
I bought the Bluetooth version of the A16 which connects to my Lightspeed headset without cables which is nice. That would be a cool addition to the Wouxun!
Thanks. I went ahead and ordered a Wouxun.
Thanks everyone for your help. I received the radio on Friday and put it to use for a couple of hours over the weekend. It will primarily stay with my drone kit to be used when I fly in LAANC approved airspace. Mostly for listening, except in some really rare situations. The audio is quite clear, usability is straightforward, nice little size, and appears well made. I think the price works out well for my occasional use. The other thing I like is USB-C charging. All my drone related stuff uses USB-C charging and it will be really nice not to have to carry an extra proprietary charger.
Hello! Could you share the firmware for Wouxun KG-S74A. Both the old and new versions? I can’t communicate with Wouxun, they ask for a photo from the back, I send them, they are silent. Then I write again, they ask for a photo again, I send it, and it’s been like this for a month. Then they replied that your radio station does not need firmware.
Why do you want the firmware? It’s already in the radio.
Edit: I would like to issue a correction and apology to Sergei for providing incorrect information to him and the community regarding firmware upgradeability. Yes, the KG-S74A is indeed firmware upgradeable. Although there are some radios that are not intended for firmware upgrades by the end user, this model can be upgraded.
Sergei also posted instructions for checking the firmware version and the performing the upgrade procedure. There is an article on our blog from 2024 titled Wouxun KG-S74A Firmware Updates that outlines each step of the procedure in detail. It may or may not be where his instructions came from, I don’t know. What I do know, and also forgot, is that I wrote the article.
The thing is, I’ve created a lot of content on BTWR over the span of 15 years, and we have so much of it on our site now that it is easy to forget some what is there. So please forgive me if I don’t recall it all. If you need info on a radio we’ve carried, chances are it’s probably already there somewhere, and I probably wrote it. It’s a lot to track.
So Sergei, I apologize. Yes, the tirmware is user upgradeable. The only thing is that as far as we can find, we no longer have the original firmware available to us, so the chances of rolling it back to an older version may be slim at best. Wouxun may not have it anymore either, which may be why they haven’t responded to your direct request.
As for the “noise suppressor”, are you referring the squelch level controls? If so, I can offer a simple fix for that, without a firmware rollback. In the only and current update at this posting, the squelch level was assigned to the PF1 and PF2 side keys by default. It allows you to raise or lower the squelch level by using the side keys instead of having to do it through the menu. This change was, as I recall, requested by users, so we asked Wouxun to implement it into their firmware update.
Some like it, and I guess some don’t. If you don’t like it, there is an easy fix. All you need to do is re-assign the PF1 and PF2 side key functions to something else, like the flashlight, recall function or any other available option. The keys can be easily re-programmed on the fly directly from the menu or through programming software. The instructions are on pages 49-51 in version 4 of the owner’s manual, which I also wrote and updated.
Well, why doesn’t it release it? There are at least two versions for sure. The second one has a noise suppressor that can be adjusted on the side buttons. It can be easily updated via cable. So I’m looking for the previous version and the latest one. I don’t like how the noise suppressor works, it clicks. Other radios don’t have this. I want to try the previous version.
I suspect the manufacturers are just treating firmware as something to do with currency, not something they even really like users playing with. Even more important with products that are not just hobby products. Aviation and Marine products get used for life critical circumstances and when they issue firmware updates it is with the purpose of improving or solving issues. Ham radio types love swapping firmware with abandon, to experiment and explore. Firmware changes on products can also cause huge issues when the new version impacts on the software. One product I sell occasionally come with older firmware, by accident when the production line makes a new batch with the wrong firmware. I have 4 different versions of software for one model that I have to swap to program them. I even have four of one model that wont program at all, because english windows has a character missing from the chinese version. It means i cannot program them at all! My experience with firmware is that I never assume you can go back. Just always a gamble.
Hi Rick!
No problem, Rick, I was just clarifying your answer, and I’m all for the pursuit of truth.
Yes, thank you for writing about the squelch level controls; I know that’s what the side buttons do. But I was trying to solve a different issue. Let me explain.
When I bought this radio, I immediately noticed that the squelch level controls wasn’t working properly. When it triggers after receiving a signal, it closes with a click. It’s jarring, even if you listen for 10 minutes. I didn’t expect such a poor level of implementation in a far from complex issue of squelch level controls. And they market this radio as a professional, expensive one…
I checked the signal with an oscilloscope—that’s exactly it: after the signal level drops, there’s a positive pulse, and that’s what makes the clicking sound. Even the cheap $30 Quansheng UV-K5 (99), which has aircraft radio reception, doesn’t have this;
the squelch level controls closes smoothly. All of this can be easily fixed with software. I tried writing to them, sending them videos, but they simply ignore me. They probably don’t want to improve their products.
Another problem: in professional aviation radios with amplitude modulation, the squelch opening and closing levels differ; the difference should be 1–1.5 dB. That is, if the squelch opens at, say, 1 µV, it should close at 0.8 µV.
There needs to be some kind of “loop” to prevent the radio from “buzzing” on the squelch at weak signals. This isn’t implemented either.
So I put it aside and listen to it on a $30 Quansheng UV-K5.
