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write your own review of the Kenwood TH-7E.
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DG7JX
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 1, 2005 10:40
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Average
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Sold it after two weeks of intensive use because of the poor receiver! TH-G71 was way better. Also the TH-F7E (TH-F6A in USA) is too small, its "cubic" shape makes it difficult to operate, especially with one hand. Antenna is bad, too.
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ZR1PJA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 27, 2005 10:29
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Great Tool
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is not just a HT, it is a compact all in one radio,scanner,wfm receiver, am receiver, etc, etc, etc and an excellent travel companion.
There are many alternatives if you just want a vhf ht, but this has it all.
73
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SM6VTT
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Rating: 3/5
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Nov 19, 2004 16:53
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Ok
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Its a ok radio. I didn't get along with it to 100%. Its a little bit heavy. Poor physical quality. The "paint" of the buttons disapeard very fast on the lowest row.
My opinion is that it can't compeet with Yaesu Vx-5 and Vx-2. Ok, SSB recive is nice. But how offen do you use it?
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M3XEM
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 30, 2004 23:14
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A great radio from Kenwood.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Kenwood F7E £249 www.mlands.co.uk
I give this radio a 5 because of the simple logical ease of use I found using it. Ok being honest you have to nerd the instructions but only beacause it does so much. If anyone in the UK or USA who had ever had to deal with the old "Kenwood TH78E" will know what a pain it was using/programing it, in short the instructions where a direct translation from Japanese. Although I found the F7E instructions to be excellent. There is room for improvements though.
Cons: No Dimmer Settings for [LAMP], ext'd menu mod might fix this.
http://www.ham.dmz.ro/kenwood/th-f6a-external-service-menu-reed.php
Cons: No 1.5watt or 2/3watt for LOW power setting.
ext'd menu mod might fix this.
http://www.ham.dmz.ro/kenwood/th-f6a-external-service-menu-reed.php
Cons: The PC lead is £43 plus postage. good news is the software is free. You can make your own but is its realy complicated, wanna try?
http://www.geocities.com/azkoza/projects/pg4p/g71cable.html
Cons: The Li-on Batterys are expensive in the UK, well i did find one link that does them for $39 US (dont think they ship to UK :( and they do a charger holder for $39 dollars US to! so some good news :) someone sell these to UK cheap please!
http://gallery.bcentral.com/GID4864400P1591300-Ham-Radio/packs/KENWOOD/Li-ION/PB-42L-battery-pack.aspx
Cons: The Blue Ink used on the casing could have been a Bright Flouro Orange or Green, for easyer viewing in dark, but is a small gripe because its easy to learn.
Cons: You can't use Ni-MH batterys in the optional extra battery pack. although i've been told you can(menu set to Alkaline on Low power) but it's not selectable in the menu and maybe it could be in a future model.
Cons: Compairing it to the TH78E the F7E cant scan the same amount of memorys on each VFO or A B setting in DUAL recieve mode, There are some different RX TX mods that will change this , how much i dont know as I havn't modded mine,yet.
Cons: Speaker Mic out jack will NOT go in your pocket with a headphone adapter socket without possible damage to radio.
Pros: Speaker Mic SMC-33 works very well!, and has headphone port! still needs adapter but is better located, it has 3 program buttons, i've set mine to A/B , DUAL, & MR/SCAN.
Pros: to many to mention, wide band recieve , SSB! on 16ft of wire!
DTMF makes it Wires compatible with Yaesu.
Also the best mod site for Kenwood F7E!
http://www.ham.dmz.ro/kenwood/th-f7e.php
some great mods here R.I.P. www.mods.dk !
from Dom M3XEM - Brighton UK
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KD5SRL
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 11, 2004 19:29
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Owned for 2 yrs - (5/5 here's why)
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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First of all, as mentioned in my title, I've owned this HT for over two years without one problem. Programming software that one can download from Kenwood.com works flawlessly and simple for the average user. RX / TX is good for the 144 / 440 bands, however, in all honisty no one can expect to recieve short wave with a rubber duck... get real! I get local radio stations AM /FM should I need to.
Secondly, the dual channel recieve / scan is one of the best features, not to mention the display is nice. Back lite on the display is very good and will serve the purpose for the average user. Keep in mind though, the back light does use battery power but the 7.4 Volt 1550 mAh Lithium Ion battery (largest & most power in the industry) is awesome!
Here is a list I copied from the Kenwood website that states it much better than I can why I would buy this hand held radio over and over again:
4 Selectable Transmit Power Levels.
Backlit “laser-cut” keypad for durability.
MIL-STD 810 for vibration, shock and light rain.
Built-in CTCSS Encode/Decode / DCS Digital Coded Squelch.
10 DTMF Auto-patch memories.
1200/9600 bps TNC ready (no adapter required).
Single High Performance Antenna (no switching required).
AM Aircraft Receive.
TOT Time Out Timer.
Weight with PB-42L Battery 8.8 oz.
First Ever Compact Amateur HT with Built-in VOX.
435 PC Programmable Memories (over twice the competition.
3 Call Channels plus 20 for programmable scan.
Special (10) Channel Weather station mode.
Best HT ever for Satellite operation (including AO-27).
FM/FM – W/FM – N/AM + USB & LSB / CW.
0.01~ 1300 MHz RX (widest transceiver in the industry).
Built-in battery charging system during DC operation.
Battery Voltage Level Indicator.
LARGE FONT mode for easy reading.
Multi-Scroll Key for easy menu access.
1750 Hz Tone Burst.
Visual Scan to monitor adjacent channel activity.
Automatic Simplex Checker.
Built-in Ferrite Bar antenna for AM receive (0.1 ~ 7 MHz.)
Wireless Remote Control.
APO Auto Power Off.
Optional BT-13 Alkaline Battery Case for Emergency use.
Dimensions (W 2 5/26) x (H 3 7/16) x (D 1 3/16) inches.
Hope this helps with your decision on this hand held purchase.
73,
Paul - KD5SRL
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MM0BGQ
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 10, 2003 13:53
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A GOOD RADIO
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned and operated the F7E for 15 months now. A useful scanner/transceiver covering all the bands I want to hear. Mine DOES work on the UK milair freqs. Most handy on HF SSB as well. I use 16 feet of wire into an SMA plug as a rx antenna for HF and the reception is superb! I use the radio constantly. My set has been modded as on the mods.dk site and this makes the A VFO operate over a much wider range (only on FM, enabling the set to be used as a PMR446 handy (at Extra Low power only to prevent PA damage)if local laws allow this. Additionally with a wire HF aerial fitted and the TX disabled the set can be used to monitor VHF and HF simultaneously enabling reception of VHF marine coastguard traffic and HF maritime traffic at the same time.
Two gripes. The buttons are oh soo small and the main beef is that the Li-On battery can ONLY be charged when it is fitted to the set thus rendering the F7E effectivlyout of action as a portable for the duration of the charge. Spare Li-On batts cost £60!!!
It is however a set that I have enjoyed owning.
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PA3GMP
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 14, 2003 16:06
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Great little handheld!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I've soon grown very fond of my TH-F7E. It's small, it's light, it sings and dances, I take it everywhere.
My (Dutch) version has continuous RX coverage from 0.1 to 1300MHz. Versions purchaced in different countries may have some frequency ranges blocked according to local regulations.
The ability to monitor/work the local repeater and receive broadcast, air traffic or utility stations at the same time is wonderful. I have no complaints about sensitiity, and selectivity and high-signal behavior is what you can expect from such a small unit. (Read: don't connect a big antenna to it, that just won't work!)
My only problem: my F7E only puts out 3W on 'H' power setting. I hear that other F7E's do put out 5W so maybe I should turn mine in for warranty servicing.
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UT5UIL
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 9, 2003 10:17
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Great portable, not for base use
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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+ Two bands (why not three as TH-F6A does?) in a small lightweight body, numerous functions (and understandable user’s manual), excellent LCD… This rig has very ergonomic and intuitive menu and function access logic so it is easy to operate with the keypad where each key have more than two or three functions. The display and the keypad both have backlight. LiIon 1550mA/h battery needs no comment. The receiver’s sensitivity is great. This TRX has an unique receiver that covers 100kHz – 1300MHz (100kHz – 470MHz ALL MODE!) and includes built-in ferrite bar antenna for frequencies below 10MHz (you can choose internal or external antenna). Rig is MIL-STD 810 certified.
- The receiver overloads when you try to connect a HF antenna to it and built-in attenuator cannot help. You should use a very short antenna (better with high-pass filter) to listen HF bands. Big sensitivity will help you. High gain VHF collinear vertical antenna is also not recommended in a big city where 1kWt pager transmitters are present. You can easy scratch keypad if you carry your HT in a pocket – case is strongly recommended.
Resume: the best handheld I ever seen. I carry it with me everywhere. To enjoy it use it only with its rubber duck or maximum ¼ wave on your car’s roof. Case is a first need accessory for portable users. And do not try to use it on a base. I’ll buy a new one if my will SK.
P.S.: I was warned not to transmit far away from HAM bands so a leave my rig not opened.
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LC2AAT
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 7, 2002 11:36
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Many features!
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Time owned: months
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My TH-F7E cover all frequencies betwen 100 kHz and 1,3 Ghz, also those who the guy below claims it don't cover. (Yes I have checked!)
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G4WIE
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Rating: 4/5
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May 29, 2002 06:58
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Wideband RX
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have had two of the european versions.I like to listen as well as transmit.According to the specs they are supposed to recieve from 500hz to 1.3gig hz.What they don't tell you is that at about 235 mhz up to about 350mhz ( UK mil air frequencies)they actually do not receive anything and are not capable of doing so. I checked this out at a recent rally with kenwood uk. The response I received was "OOOPS" I think we missed out on that.
Otherwise not a bad radio. But mods should be made to the radio or amendments to it's advertising. Anyone else have any comments?
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