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Reviews For: Kenwood TM-G707A

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : Kenwood TM-G707A
Reviews: 114MSRP: 350
Description:
Dual-band 2-meter and 450 mHz FM mobile transceiver
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.kenwood.net/indexKenwood.cfm?do=ProductDetails&ProdID=5012&Group=5
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001144.5
N3TVQ Rating: 2002-03-04
Fine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
the rig itself works quite well on both bands using my J-pole as a FM base station. The display is huge. Kenwood spent all their design effort on the rig and forgot that a decent mic is part of the rig too. The mic looks and performs like a kids toy. It takes about 500 ft/lbs of pressure to press and hold the key. I took the mic apart to look at it was saddened by the poor design. There is a fix, but it is a cluge at best. I give the radio a 5 and the mic a 1.
KB9YEM Rating: 2002-01-29
1 Year update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Operating as a mobile in 2 different vehicles now for over one year without the slightest hint of troubles. All reports continue to be excellent. Remote mount head and external speaker in current vehicle has made operating easier and safer. Head is mounted right next to stereo controls for easy viewing and within easy reach while driving. Auto dimming feature is great. With main radio mounted under seat nothing is visible for thiefs to notice and wiring is clean. I still recommend this radio as a very good choice for low cost mobile operating on 2M and 75cm. I would buy again.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KB9YEM on 2000-12-27

What a wonderful Christmas present. Took the radio out of its box and had it working within five minutes. Compared to my FT-50RD Yaesu this radio is so simple to program that I don't want to stop changing things. Reports are full quieting at low and medium power using a Radio Shack broad band discone antenna. Five lighting levels for display fits any environment and the big display is just what I needed. So far I have only the highest praise for this product and would recommend it to anyone wanting simple, low cost dual bander for mobile or base.
K4UFT Rating: 2002-01-28
Good rig. Good value. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've had mine for about 5 months now and really like it a lot. Will probably buy another.

The receive sensitivity for 450-470 MHz and the Aero band is very good. However, it's deaf as a post above 147.995 MHz and below 144.000. I put it on a service monitor and confirmed this. Is there a mod for this?

As with all mobile rigs, an external speaker makes it sound like a whole different rig.

I like the receive RF attenuator option for downtown areas of high intermod probability.

Can't store crossband splits in the memory like for the FM satellites. No big deal since you can go to VFO split.

Was kinda surprised when I opened the box to read the note from Kenwood saying that no extra faceplates are available.

Really like the large display.

Anybody have a diagram for the programming cable? $30+ is a bit pricey to me for the factory cable.

73
Ted, K4UFT
Keller, TX (near Fort Worth)



WA7ADK Rating: 2002-01-12
Outstanding Product 5 stars Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very nice radio. I especially liked the front panel. It is easy to read at all angles. I installed the remote kit and mounted the front panel to the front side of the ash tray in my Camry. Very good instructions throughout. Programs easily. I used an external Motorola cell phone speaker and it works very good, lots of audio. Today I chatted mobile for about 30 minutes on high power and as soon as I parked I felt the heat sink and it was not even warm. I would recommend this radio to anyone. I drove this rig in an area of Salt Lake City which used to raise all kinds of heck with my Yaesu FT-530 handheld, and absolutely no intermod. Very pleased.
MIETI Rating: 2002-01-10
Happy Chappy Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the UK version, basically the same radio. What attracted me was I already own a V7E (bigger brother). The sole purpose of the radio was for mobile use. Having tried the TM241 and the Alinco 150, the 707 kicks ass. The superb and easy read display is a massive plus, from any angle. Control is exceptionally easy. Build quality is A1 and connection/mounting was as expected, simple. I am a bit of a Kenwood follower, so I suppose my remarks may seem biased, but having tried most duel banders, I find KW to be the best, both in ease of use and performance. BTW, yes, it does get breakthrough from packet and cellular in built up areas, but, so do the rest just the same. KW have an excellent advantage in the AIP which when activated, practically eliminates 100% of this problem. The AIP does affect signal slightly on RX, but, I have seem very little loss of RX audio:-)...Great, and well chuffed, and a very happy UK Chappy. 73s
KS5D Rating: 2002-01-03
A Fantastic Radio at A Fantastic Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I did quite a bit of research on eHam.net before purchasing a mobile rig for my truck, especially since folks like myself can't afford to just throw money at anything. This rig lives up to its reviews here. It has a large, clear display with excellent contrast. It has a user interface that is more intuitive than most. It has a learning curve that cuts through the bells and whistles and gets you on the air fast. Coupled with my antenna (Diamond 7500) and a $12 external speaker from MFJ (which works extremely well, by the way), this rig delivers everything promised and more. The only drawback to the rig is that it only has one VFO, so I can't monitor the local 2m and 440 at the same time, which is a sacrifice I gladly tolerate given everything else.
KC0LPX Rating: 2001-12-27
Built like a Cadillac ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my radio since November of 1999 and for the most part it has served as a mobile unit in my truck. It has seen dead cold weather of 8 degrees all the way up to 140+ degrees in the summer (closed windows) and it works like a champ. It outperforms three newer radios I have recently bought, and sent back. I am currently using the Kenwood as my base and it is the cat's meow !

This 707A is a real winner and I would recommend it to anyone who wants Cadillac quality in a dual-band radio. Yeasu could definitely take lessons from Kenwood in this regard. I'm so impressed with the 707A that I am now awaiting the arrival of it's bigger brother, the TM-V7A. I will use it as a base station with it's x-band capabilities and dual receive.

Want a great radio ? Look no further than the Kenwood TM-G707A ! Happy tx'ing !
AJ4AA Rating: 2001-10-25
Lived up to eHam ratings Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I read the reviews on eHam before I purchased this radio and it lived up to the average rating it has received. I can't think of a thing I'd change except its scan speed. If it scanned as fast as its little brother (G71A HT) it would be perfect.
former_W9FE Rating: 2001-10-13
Great Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I thought I had already wrote a review after reading W2CZ's review.I got this radio after returning a Yaesu 7100M to AES because of its noise and intermod, Hey this radio is just the opposite! It gets practically no intermod and to date works great out of the truck. The display is large so it really helps for those of us who don't want to take our eyes off the road too long. Only negative thing I might say is the
scan is pretty slow. It has a lot of features
for the price.
W2CZ Rating: 2001-10-13
Solid!!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got this radio after returning a Yaesu 7100M to HRO because of its noise, Hey this radio is just the opposite! It gets practically no intermod and to date works great out of the car. The display is large so it really helps for those of us who don't want to take our eyes off the road too long. Best of all the price I think makes it a "Best Buy".