WARNING: Kenwood TK3207

[SPL]

Someone I know through another biking group has been having no end of problems with a "bargain" Kenwood radio bough on the web for bike-to-bike coms.

Below is the response he got when trying to get it sorted, so watch out, as the bargain may not be as good as it looks...

I am now getting calls from TK3207 users for repair and reprogramming. It seems the build quality of these radio, chargers and batteries are very poor and unreliable. Batteries don't charge or last. Radios do not have CTCSS programmed so interference is a problem.

Even worse many of them are fakes. Try a Google search for 'fake tk3207'. Also search for the TK3207 you will discover it is not a UK, let alone European product, is not type approved and it is illegal to use it in the UK.

It is not supported by Kenwood or any Kenwood dealers.

Please Note:

* Repairs: cannot be made to TK3207's as service manuals and spares are not available.

*Reprogramming cannot be done because software is not available.

*Genuine Kenwood parts such as earpieces, chargers or batteries are often incompatible.

Consider buying a genuine TK3201 or TK3202. it may be more expensive but you will get full warranties full dealer support and best of all probably the most reliable two-way radio ever made.

[Wiz]

Hi Steve

I have a lot of experience with these radios and so can give you the full low down.

First the bad news: You are right, they are fakes. Not just some of them, all of them!. Actually the quality of the copy is astonishing. Even when you have a real one and a fake one in your hand together (yes I have both) you cannot tell the difference. The way you can tell is that if you hook them up to your PC with the Kenwood software and try to program them. Many of the functions do not work. For example the button lock and the voice scrambling. From a legal point of view, even if you have a UK GBL, they aren't legal. Approved radios have to be within a 12.5 kHz bandwidth of the permitted frequencies and the fakes are well outside that. On the genuine ones, you can trim the frequency accuracy in the software but on the fakes you have to take the back off and twiddle some little pots to trim them.

The good news is that they are good quality and the range on them is excellent. You can program the CTCSS privacy codes fine and they work when off the bike, however, the fakes have a problem with regard to the Autocom lead which the genuine items don't suffer: Autocom have used a mono plug on their lead when they should have used a stereo one. With a genuine radio, it doesn't cause a problem but with the fakes, it interferes with the programming poll on the chip. This causes the CTCSS system to stop working (it only works with no CTCSS set) and it also sometimes wipes the channel programming causing that channel to stop working and emit a high pitched tone.

There is a solution, you can modify the Autocom lead so that it doesn't short out the terminals on the fakes and it works fine. You can see how here: http://www.bikersoracle.com/vfr/foru...5&page=4&pp=15

I suppose the best thing to do is to buy the real ones (3202's) and a UK GBL (£60 for 3 years). You can then transmit a 5 watts perfectly legally. But that'll cost you the best part of £500 as the hand sets are £200 each alone. The fakes offer great value for money and with a modified lead work really well. You can get even better range and clearer transmissions by adding an external antenna which you can get here: http://www.ken-godwin.com/product_in...roducts_id=830

I've got a very good set up now for use when we run the tours and it's very clear for up to about 3 miles in a built up area and 15 miles in the open. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.