Disadvantages
NX-5000 radios are solid overall, but they have their share of drawbacks, including bugs, quirks, unfinished features, and other annoyances. For whatever reason, JVCKENWOOD rarely communicates with end users or collects their bug reports, and it acts as though it has no competition. As a result, many known and confirmed issues have remained unresolved for years. Unfortunately, it looks as though many of them may never be fixed :(
If you're thinking about buying an NX-5000, keep this in mind. Make sure you understand the risks and read through everything below before you decide.
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Issue
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Importance
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Status
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Notes
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Weak analog modulation and poor frequency response
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Medium
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Not resolved
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No pre-emphasis or de-emphasis controls
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High
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Not resolved
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Equalizer does not work in analog mode
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Medium
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Not resolved
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Unusual DMR scan behavior: stops on any CAI activity, ignoring GID, CC, and other criteria
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High
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Not resolved
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Still not fixed in firmware version 2.50
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No zone sorting or reordering
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High
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Not resolved
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No channel sorting or reordering
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High
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Not resolved
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|
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Incompatibility with Quantar in P25 mode
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-
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Not confirmed
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ADP/RC4 encryption support for APCO P25
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High
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Added in firmware 4.50. Read the announcement.
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6-digit password limit for Bluetooth
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Medium
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Not retested since firmware 1.xx
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No FPU data export: data cannot be exported for use outside the FPU
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Medium
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Not resolved
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Lockups in DMR and P25
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High
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Probably fixed
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|
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Unusual P25 scan behavior: stops on any CAI activity, ignoring GID, NAC, and other criteria
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High
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Resolved
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Apparently fixed around firmware version 2.40 or 2.50
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Recording filenames are difficult to identify and lack descriptive tags
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Medium
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Not resolved
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RX AGC clips and distorts the signal when enabled, making the feature unusable
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High
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Not resolved
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Identical factory tuning values across radios, rather than individual calibration
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Medium
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Not resolved
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An unusual issue we have not encountered before
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No direct support for end users; support is available only through dealers who can be slow to respond and poorly trained
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High
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Not resolved
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No online support portal, such as MOL, offering files and documentation to end users
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High
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Not resolved
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Soft plastic housing and display cover that scratch easily
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Medium
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Not resolved
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Spontaneous radio reboots
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High
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Probably fixed?
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Not yet confirmed; more reports are needed
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Missing feature descriptions and detailed release notes
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Medium
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Not resolved
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Typical Kenwood style: very little documentation.
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DMR RC4 / Enhanced Privacy
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Medium
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Implemented
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This is a newly implemented feature, not a bug.
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DMR Auto Slot Select (similar to Hytera pseudo-trunking)
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Medium
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Implemented
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This is a newly implemented feature, not a bug.
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No low-band mobile radios
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Medium
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Not resolved
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An announcement was expected later in 2018
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No 100/110 W VHF/UHF mobile radios
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Low
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Not resolved
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An announcement was expected later in 2018
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Most radios and accessories are out of stock, with backorders of about two months
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High
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Not resolved
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Kenwood attributes this to a large volume of orders
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No Status, Group Status, or Individual Status features in P25 conventional mode
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Medium
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Not resolved
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Listed in the user manual but not implemented
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No group or individual Short Message service in P25 conventional mode
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Medium
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Not resolved
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By design
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No Page (paging) feature in P25 conventional mode
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Medium
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Not resolved
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A standard Motorola feature that is missing here
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Inconsistent DMR/P25 menus: the same features are accessed in different ways
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Medium
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Not resolved
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By design
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All of the above information is valid for NX-5000 "K" market radios running firmware version 5.23 and programmed with KPG-D1N version 5.20.
This is not a comprehensive list. It includes only the issues currently known to our team and community. The list is "live" and is updated as new information becomes available. Feel free to report any new issues or suggest updates to existing entries. Just drop us a few lines via the feedback form.
One more thing to keep in mind: birdies. Although they are not unique to this radio, these internally generated signals occur in modern radios and can make certain frequencies unusable. Make sure your operating frequencies are not among those listed below:
- 144.0000
- 147.4560
- 153.6000
- 172.0325
- 172.8000
- 384.0000
- 403.2000
- 422.4000
- 432.0000
- 441.6000
- 460.8000
- 480.0000
- 499.2000
- 518.4000
- 864.0000