By far, the best mobile amateur radio I've owned in 15 years. The sheer number of features may seem overwhelming at first, but it's not impossible. I figure, if you are in the hobby, you shouldn't expect everything to be effortless, anyway. The unit is sturdy and is what I would consider on par with a commercial rig. Programming is easy and it has plenty of channel memories since I use this primarily as a scanner. It also one of the new amateur rigs that is capable of a true narrowband FM mode -- which is also good for those who take advantage of the extended RX mode.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This is a great rig for the money. The front firing speaker is a huge plus. The menu is easy to learn and utilize. I love that the mic is small and simple with only the DTMF and PTT buttons plus 4 programmable buttons. It's not all cluttered up with a bunch of menu buttons like another of the big name manufacturers does. It feels right in my hand. I have bought many brands of 2 meter mobiles over the years and have been satisfied with most but, for me, this simple yet powerful Kenwood will always be my go to rig because of the few simple thing I've just mentioned above. Get yourself one. I believe that you'll be quite satisfied too.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As a commercial truck driver, I rely on a VHF radio to keep in contact with other drivers, and most importantly, ever-changing road and traffic conditions. I was so impressed with this unit, I bought...THREE of them! (My commercial rig, and both of my personal vehicles.) It's USER PROGRAMMABLE (you may need to perform a slight "mod" on it) which is a HUGE bonus! (Non-programmable radios require that you take it to a licence radio shop to have it programmed, at a fairly hefty fee) This feature alone is worth the price of admission. It has several SCAN options, as well as a priority/call channel feature. It will accept up to 200 channels (100, if you wish to alpha tag them) Once programmed, all functions can be accessed from the numeric microphone keypad. (With the exception of volume control adjustment) Pair this unit with a good quality antenna, and you've got yourself one kick_ss radio, for not a lot of money! NOTE: You MUST wire the power leads DIRECTLY to the battery. (Accessory/cigarette lighter outlets do NOT provide sufficient power to allow the radio to transmit, although will work fine in receive mode)Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I purchased the Kenwood TM-281A and it was very new and clean radio. This however is on a 2 meter radio and in my opinion is a minor draw back as a Ham TECH class operator. The front speaker is a plus if you only have little room to set up a radio station. A very compact radio. The other draw back is not being able to adjust the power output of the radio. It is either 25 watts or 65 watts! Other then that, the radio was worth the cost being brand new!
I bought this for my vehicle (Ford Escape) works amazing. I used to have a small Uv-5R in the car connected to a Tram 1185. Able to receive spotty transmission from over 100km away. In a good spot (on a little hill) I can get it clear receive from a repeater over 100km away and with a better antenna you could get even further.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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