Unchained Preppers
General Category => Gear Review => Topic started by: Jackalope on December 19, 2024, 08:30:05 PM
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I acquired a Kenwood TH-D75A several months ago, and it has been used on a daily basis. The Kenwood TH-D75A is a DSTAR vhf/uhf tri-band transceiver. It has a built-in GPS receiver and it handles APRS communications, as well. Out of the box, it transceives on 2 meters, 220 mHz, and 440 mHz. The radio is capable of receiving from 0.1-524 mHz, SSB, AM, WFM and CW. It covers the airband very well.
I?ve found it not to be overly complicated, though I have had to refer to the manual occasionally. This is a waterproof transceiver that is built to handle daily usage in rugged environments. I?ve found the standard lithium battery will typically last me a 12 hour day, and it recharges using a common USB-C cable/charger. The radio has lots of buttons, which simplifies using the Kenwood menu system. The color display screen is bright, and it is not a touch screen.
I?ve had many of the Kenwood DSTAR portables, and they have all performed admirably. I was able to sell a prior TH-D74A for $200.00 more than I originally purchased, so they hold their value very well. The only downside to this radio is the price, which is in the $600.00+ range. However, this is a good example of ?you get what you pay for.? This a quality radio, which can take daily abuse.
If you have DSTAR in your area, this radio will meet your needs. I like having a few DSTAR radios around for mode flexibility. Using DSTAR voice simplex gives some privacy, though anyone with a DSTAR radio could copy your transmissions, it?ll likely eliminate most scanner listeners. And I don?t believe there are many radio models that are capable of transceiving on the 220 band.
So, if you?re ready to graduate from your Baofeng, consider purchasing the Kenwood TH-D75A, but don?t be surprised by the sticker price. This is a radio that surpasses the performance of almost every other portable amateur radio.
Stay tuned for my review of the Icom ID-52A Plus 60th Anniversary model, another top tier DSTAR portable radio.
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What does something like that cost?
Nemo
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Ham Radio Outlet, a major amateur radio supplier, currently has it on sale for $639.95, with the list price at $749.99. It?s one of the most expensive portable radios. The comparable radio from Icom, the ID-52A plus, anniversary model, is listed at $689.95.