At 02:15 PM 01/16/08, you wrote:
(big chunk cut out)
The local commercial radio company that takes care of the city,
fire, police, etc has Kenwood repeaters but I don't think they go
down to our frequency, 144.79/145.39. For now the old Icom is working.
Thanks Scott..
73, Mike K9MI
Kenwood repeaters come in two ranges - the so called "K1" version
is for 146-174 MHz, while the "K2" version is for 136-150 MHz.
These are RF hardware design limits, the K1 version does not
perform well in the 144-146 MHz portion of the 2m band and
cannot be "stretched" to get there.
I tell any ham group to buy a K2 version even if their frequency
is in the 147 range as the resale value will be higher.
If you find a second hand one, make sure the unit is a K2, it
has to say so on the label.
There are a number of Kenwood dealers on this list, any one of
them can set you up with a unit pre-programmed for your pair.
I suggest that you let them pop up and state that they are a
dealer, and then contact them via email.
Note that the built-in controller in the early Kenwoods (i.e.
the 720 models) is pretty brain-dead and does not meet
amateur requirements. Those that use those models just
set them up as duplex base stations and use an external
controller.
Mike WA6ILQ
