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You can
write your own review of the Kenwood TM-V7A.
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N0POM
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Rating: 2/5
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Mar 25, 2007 19:06
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Not transmiting
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Greetings to the forum. I bought V7A new. Other than the infamous vertical lines on the display it has worked satisfactorily until now. All of a sudden it will display garbage like aaaaaaaa underscored by dots on the display where the freq should be and it does not transmit. I have checked the obvious. Different antenna, mic, and detaching cable (mounted head back on radio) it may transmit ok once and then resorts back to the garbage. Has anyone else seen this on theirs? If so what was the problem and what did it cost to fix? I wish Morotola made a dual band radio!!
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W0ACE
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Rating: 3/5
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Feb 12, 2007 18:49
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Better than some, but not the best....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this rig since they came out new. Its always worked fine as far as Tx/Rx, but the mic switch has broke twice. Now part of the display has quit. Other than these things, its always worked perfect. I like it, and have used it ALOT over the years, including X-band repeating.
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N0WYO
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 22, 2006 22:00
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Still going strong!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I originally wrote a review on this radio back in July of 2004. I've had the radio now for two and a half years and it has preformed well. Most of it's life it's been in the house though, since the display IS very hard to read in the sunlight.
Crossband and remote control functions give the radio alot of flexability in it's operation. A very good radio.
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KB3KAI
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 14, 2006 17:29
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Overall good performer
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Receive, transmit and audio quality is excellent. Communication range is exceptional on my base antenna. After several months I had to send it to Kenwood for replacement of the driver transistor; it would no longer transmit on low or medium power. A year after repair and it's still transmitting fine.
Functionality and programming requires a learning curve; details such as CTCSS programming are not intuitive. Cross-band repeat works but is a bit tricky. Keep a cheat-sheet handy! Programming frequencies with PC software and the additional cost data cable is very simple.
The only drawback is the white-on-blue display screen. It never was a problem in the house but it is often barely readable in my car during the daytime, even with brightness and contrast adjusted. Night time use requires an entirely different setting or it is too bright and distracting. If a high-contrast amber display was available I would give the radio a 5/5 rating.
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K5THR
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 1, 2006 21:32
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A Great Base Rig, Besides The Microphone! Please READ!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I would rate this rig a 5 ceps for the worthless MC-53DM Backlit Microphone, I've owned 2 rigs with this same Microphone and have had the same issue with the PTT (Push To Talk Button) on both, the small spounge material inside when its been keyed up many times tends to wear and you either have to restretch it out again or replace with a small pencil eraser or something on that order I was told. I am happy that they have came out with a newer version of the same mic which they claim is better which is the MC-58, I maybe getting one soon. I really do love the rig, Its my one and only at the base now, and tend to keep it forever, It has great recieve/transmit along with great audio on transmit and recieve. I purchased this second hand In September of 06, and I'm really enjoying, I wish they would have never discontinued this rig, I regret not purchasing a brand new one before they got discontinued. I wouldnt mind having one brand new.
73!!!
Joseph / K5THR
San Antonio, TX :-)
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OM8ARK
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 24, 2006 17:45
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Remote Control ?
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Is there someone who could explain me - how can I use the Remote Control Function? Please write to om8ark@cnet.sk Many thanks in advance! Martin
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K4MJK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 6, 2006 02:47
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I Love It
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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i have had this radio for a few years now had it in an expidition and an explorer with no problems i use the remote head kit and have no problems with the display this radio has gret recieve and is very easy to use i have not used it for data but i might try it with aprs very soon i will update when i figure out the aprs
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KA3NXN
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 5, 2006 17:44
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Complicated operation
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Like another post here I too had mine installed in my Ford Explorer. That is where the similarity ends. I NEVER once had any of the current drain issues with the rig in the car. I would leave it on for days at a time without running the engine, and it never drained the battery. My biggest complaint was the programming and menu operations, even with the step by step manual, it was very complicated.
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AD9DX
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Rating: 0/5
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Jul 5, 2006 17:06
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MISTAKENLY, I BRIEFLY OWNED ONE
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Priding myself on careful investigation prior to purchasing most items owned by me, I hate to admit it but I did not do my homework before this acquisition, and the accompanying unfriendly BITE-in-the-A$$ still hurts.
I was the 2nd owner, got it as part of a swap, (for which I gave a considerable amount of quality gear) as I expected a company as large and prolific as this would warranty-repair a KNOWN DEFECT - that being lines in the display which render the readout impossible to navigate.
When I called Kenwood I was told "NO WARRANTY TO YOU...$150 to repair" as I was foolish enough to be honest and tell them I was the 2nd owner, purchased used, no receipt.
FAR OUT, COOL & GROOVY! - Only $200+ (including 2-way shipping) to fix a KNOWN DEFECT on a used radio, worth maybe $250 in A-1 condition on eBay... Wowee Zowee, I'm soooo happppyyy!!!
~GRRRRRRR~
Now, IF you are the ORIGINAL owner, AND you still have your receipt, THEN they will warranty this KNOWN DEFECT.
I dunno, I would've expected what once WAS a major player in Amateur Radio to sell *carefully designed* & *well tested* rigs from the beginning and NOT problematic offerings, but hey, what do I know, I'm just a dumb consumer... silly me.
Now, I can imagine if FORD, CHEVY, or CHRYSLER had a KNOWN DEFECT which rendered the windshield blurry, cracked & unusable but said "No" to a no-questions-asked repair...
Well, we would certainly be saying "So long" to one of the big three!! ...and the fines & settlements, I can't imagine the number$$
- BUT -
This has certainly helped in my decision making process with regard to which new rig I'm purchasing for the Shack.
I had considered several rigs including the Icom IC-756 ProIII, Yaesu FT-1000 MkV, TenTec and the Kenwood TS-2000.
With regard for OLDER Kenwood gear; I LOVE my trusty old TS-520S boat-anchor which I keep on hand as back-up for my Icom IC-751A.
But after this truly disappointing and aggravating experience with Kenwood's disinterest in making right a wrong done, I now find I have only 3 rigs up for my consideration, can you guess the rig & manufacturer in which I have no further interest?
(Hint; the one with UHF)
Way to go there # F-O-U-R, you're now FAR BEHIND Yaesu, Icom & TenTec in my book.
- Oh, did I mention that this has one of the least intuitive, most frustratingly confusing menu systems I've ever regretted owning?
- Also, did I forget to mention the receiver died on the 2m side, and apparently for no reason?
In 39 years of radio-ing I've NEVER before lost a receiver in any of my other rigs, by Icom, Yaesu or `other`.
I guess I'm now a "Man", as I've discovered what it is to HATE. (Braveheart, Robert the Bruce' Father)
...sold for parts rig, lost my A$$ on this piece of $#!t.
- For me there is no longer the big 4, only the big 3.
MOVIN`-ON, NEVER AGAIN, NO WAY, NO THANK YOU!!
Now remember, this is just MY experience-based opinion, and when considering the other reviews of this radio / company which mention memory problems, more warranty problems of this nature and others, and the other types of odd problems encountered with these rigs, I can't see why everyone shouldn't rush right out and grab THREE!!
73, & good LUCK with yours!
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N6ATF
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 5, 2005 15:19
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Mac is to Blueface as PC is to anything else
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I got mine new in a trade for my used Icom 2100H and T7H, and the trader got it right before AES ran out - it was too valuable for his company to insure in the car.
I have had no problems with this radio running in a "mobile base" configuration. The manual could use some work, though. Don't be surprised if you have to ask around about the key sequences for things such as DTSS coding or enabling crossband repeat mode. (Hint: hold the band select button when turning on, not off, the radio)
Note: if you get one in a box with the lavender colored lettering, it was the last revision Kenwood put out, so you shouldn't get any display issues like the original series had.
Having the speaker on top is good for tabletop listening, rather than some other mobiles that have the speaker on the bottom. Though, front-firing would probably be better for the mobile configuration. I eventually decided to put it through my mixer and headphones or external speakers for flexibility and less jack wear.
As far as crossbanding goes, people have not noticed a difference between me talking on the radio itself versus talking through a remote radio (in my case, my Moto GP300 channel 1 on the bandplan frequency).
Wish I could use it to it's full capacity (data) but I would need to spend more $$$! Having one connector works well for my dualband Elk Antenna LP, no need to have a duplexer and coax for each band.
So harking back to the summary, this radio is a pleasure to use just like Macintosh computers, all the rest pale in comparison like PCs.
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