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Reviews For: Kenwood TH-D74A/E

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : Kenwood TH-D74A/E
Reviews: 50MSRP: 649$ USD
Description:
This Tri-Band Amateur radio is packed with convenient features and the
advantage of a digital transceiver with D-STAR, APRS support.

Featuring colour transflective TFT display that offers excellent visibility in day
or night. Plus, built-in GPS and Bluetooth support, as well as Micro USB and
microSD/SDHC this radio is ready to harness the exciting developments in radio
communications.

Compatible with the APRS communication protocol, which allows real-time two-
way data transmission by using packet communications. This stand-alone
device provides enjoyment of communications that make use of a variety of
features, including sharing of local and GPS positional information and message
exchange.

Compatible with D-STAR, the amateur radio communications network that has
both voice and data modes. Both local and international communications are
possible through diverse operations including simplex communications, single
repeater relay communications and inter-repeater gateway communications.

Wideband and multimode reception
Built-in IF filter for comfortable reception
IF output mode
High-performance DSP voice processing
Tough weatherproofing meeting IP54/55 standards
Easily understandable pop-up screens
Built-in GPS
Product is in production
More Info: http://kenwoodcommunications.co.uk/amateur-radio/vhf-uhf/handhelds/TH-D74E/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24504.5
K1VFR Rating: 2023-02-26
Good HT, but I'm looking forward to Kenwood's next radio. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Not much to add from what others have said about this radio. Its a good radio, and using it to learn both APRS and D-Star has been fun. I give it 4, instead of 5 stars for the common complaints: The price is a bit high, and the lack of full duplex means I carry 2 HTs at times if I want to make Satellite contacts with my arrow antenna.
I use this radio often while flying my plane, and I've made a few 80+ mile simplex contacts with it. The TX audio of this radio really shines. I've tried other HTs and an FT-817D in the plane, but the background noise makes copy difficult for those I'm contacting. This radio (all radios tried with a noise cancelling speaker mic) is better than anything else I've used in noisy environments.
I've recently heard rumors that a new Kenwood deluxe HT is on the horizon...hopefully Kenwood reads these reviews to upgrade a good radio to great!

Tim -- K1VFR / 1970 Piper Arrow N1010Y
K6ELV Rating: 2022-11-21
Feature-packed and best HT money can buy. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this radio mainly because I wanted to delve into digital and I wanted a radio with 220mhz capability as there is some 220mhz activity in my area.

APRS function is fantastic and was pretty easy to setup for someone who has never used APRS before. The performance absolutely blows me away. I was able to pick up a packet from someone 130 miles away using only the stock rubber duck inside my house! Receiver has excellent sensitivity. I can also see myself on APRS.fi every single time I broadcast a beacon. This radio made me fall in love with APRS! I find myself using it a lot now even though I never really cared about it before.

This radio has good audio especially on digital. On many digital radios, the audio sounds robotic and hard to understand, but not on this radio. The voices when listening to D-Star on this radio sound pretty natural to me. It is also perfect for hotspot use with the extra-low power setting.

This radio is intuitive and easy to use. The menus are easy to navigate and understand and the buttons and layout make sense.

I also love the wideband receive capability of this radio can basically receive DC - daylight and all modes so it can be used as a shortwave receiver.

A few complaints - you pay a hefty premium for this radio, yet unfortunately it does NOT have full duplex capability. The predecessor model to this radio, the TH-D72, does have full duplex capability. Oh well, you cannot have everything.

Second problem is the battery. The battery life is terrible when using D-STAR with GPS or APRS. You would be lucky to get 8-hours out of it. I guess that is to be expected with all those features crammed into one little radio. The other issue is the self-discharge when the radio is not being used. If you have this radio sitting for more than a couple months or so and you try to use it, the battery will be completely flat to the point where the radio won't even turn on. At least they have a AA battery pack accessory, you will definitely need one.
Also on my Yaesu VX-6, it displays the voltage of the battery when you power it on and there is also a way to go into the menu and show the battery voltage. On this Kenwood, there is no indication of the battery voltage. It only has a colored bar that gives you an approximation.

All in all there is no other radio out there like this one that has so many features. I still have not used all the features this radio has to offer. It is bummer Kenwood discontinued it.

One final thought, I would only purchase this radio if you actually have a need for most of its features as it is expensive, otherwise it may not be worth it, but I would say you do get what you pay for with this radio.
KC2FYA Rating: 2022-09-24
Expensive, but Good! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased the D-74 about five years ago and it still performs well. It is still an expensive tri-band HT. I really only use on the 222 MHz band now for I am reluctant to take it in the field due to the flimsy design. The battery life is great especially with the 50 Mw or half-watt setting.

The display is good, a lot of information on such a small color screen. I need my readers to see the icons. There is a lot of user settings and a menu driven setting system, really need the manual for more complex settings.

The audio quality is actually loud and crisp even on analog when outdoors. I do wish the speaker was a little bit bigger. I opted to get a Diamond Tri-Band gain antenna which works very well on distant repeaters. The D-Star is nice, but complex in setting up your local repeater.

I was hoping that a higher capacity battery would be available by now. Though the supplied one will last especially on low power settings. I would suggest this radio to my friends only if they want 222 MHz, APRS, D-Star, and a true dual band receiver.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by WX2WMU on 2018-03-31

I have the 74 for over a year and it still performs well. The battery life is still good and it works well with the Diamond 144/222/440 Gain Antenna SRH320A. I don't plan to part with this radio, I wish there were more D-Star repeaters local to Central NJ.

The settings took some getting used to. It is a complex menu layout.
KG7AV Rating: 2022-01-21
Spendy, But a LOT of radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Update Jan 2022 - Just over a year in using this HT and I stand by everything said earlier. The bluetooth TNC capability has been a game changer in field ops. I'm saddened that the factory fire in Japan in 2020 resulted in withdrawing this unit from the market, but very grateful I was able to get one when I did.
---
Nov 2020 - I don't know if there is anything like the 'perfect' HT, but dang this thing comes close. I got it primarily for the APRS / KISS functionality, and to begin the foray into D-STAR. As a field-expedient packet TNC for a bluetooth-equipped laptop, it works great. APRS functionality is also solid. Basic analog performance also great, as is the usual Kenwood sound quality. The wideband receiver supporting CW, USB, LSB, and AM works pretty well, especially with a clip on longwire antenna. So high marks as an all-around situational awareness HT. Still delving into the digital side, but initial trials with a local D-STAR repeater look good. Unit is very well built and has real heft. Once again Kenwood means good quality, lots of features, and $$$. Cons - the manual should be three times as thick as it is. In so many areas it just skims the basics. Thankfully there are a lot of videos and threads from others who have 'been there and figured it out'. The free programming software from Kenwood is okay, but comes up lacking in some basics when programming memory slots. You might want to shell out the extra $39 for the RT software, or hope that the CHIRP gang adds compatibility soon. Overall, this truly looks like the last HT I'll ever need.
W9MT Rating: 2021-12-18
Great Radio for anytime... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Update 12-17-2021:

I still use my TH-D74A. I still like it a lot. Like others have said, just when one gets comfortable with it, you find new functions to explore that you didn't use before.

I often see D74A's with a handful of accessories listed on the swapmeet sites at $750 and sometimes more. Many of them actually sell for that kind of price. The cancellation of this Kenwood product due to that October 2020 fire at the Japanese custom IC facility was the main reason for its exit from the new product market. It was also a leading factor in the cancellation of other manufacturers' products and their replacement with "new models". (e.g.: Yaesu FT3DR going to FT5DR, and Icom ID-51 Plus 2 going to ID-52A). It's sad when a single point of failure in the supply chain can cause such havoc.

It's also a rationale for why the ID-52A is introductory priced at $649. If a used Kenwood can command "north of $700", why not $649 for a new Icom flagship D-Star HT? The only sad thing is that the TH-D74A is still more feature rich than the ID-52A. The D74A includes a Bluetooth function and already has a color display. But it also does wideband receive from "HF to nearly blue light", even on SSB, CW, et cetera. It also covers the 220 band on both transmit and receive. But with the exception of that color display, standard Bluetooth, and maybe better waterproofing, the ID-52A doesn't seem to be much more than what the the ID-51A Plus 2 was.

I still feel the D74A was a "disruptive technology" radio that was THE leader in its class---and still IS, some 3 years after my earlier review. For now, I'm keeping mine and keeping my 5 Star rating for it.

(BTW, I'm not an Icom basher, nor hater...I'm still keeping my ID-31A, ID-4100A, IC-746pro, IC-706Mk2, and IC-706Mk2G. They're all great radios. I just feel Icom could have stretched a bit further and surpassed the D74A, if they had really wanted to.)

-----------------------------

Original 2018 review:

Bought mine used with a lot of accessories.

For DSTAR it is joining/replacing an Icom ID-31A. It is a much superior radio, albeit I do very much like the Icom radio's form/fit/function (FFF). The Kenwood's dual banded DSTAR performance is seamless. Its menu system for calling up DSTAR functions is "pack leading".

I've used it on analog on all 3 of its bands and find it to be a stellar performer on 144/220/440.

AM/FM radio performance is good. I have yet to seriously try it out on HF SSB/CW reception. It's quite deaf there with the supplied antenna. Being in the sunspot basement of this solar cycle, I'm not really expecting much.

Honestly, I find this radio and one of my trio of DMR radios to be where nearly 100% of my hamming ops are occurring. The 74A makes operating a joy. Audio on t and r is much sweeter with the internal mike and speaker than with an external speaker/mike. I continue to work DX stations all over the globe with this radio without breaking a sweat. They all sound like they're in the same room with me. I really don't care whether they count for DXCC or not. I'm having fun.

The supplied rechargeable battery works FB. AAA cells in the optional dry cell pack should only be used in a pinch. They don't last long at all.

Overall, Kenwood hit a home run with this radio.
WD4MSM Rating: 2020-12-14
A Radio Worthy of Your Consideration! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the TH-D74A for three years; I purchased it shortly after it was introduced.

I was a longtime use of the Yaesu series of HTs. I owned the VX-5, the VX-7, and the VX-8. All of them were well-made radios that performed with zero problems. I took them around the world and operated in every type of weather imaginable.

But the Kenwood TH-D74A was more than just a replacement for the Yaesu series HTs! The D74 is a major step up in both performance and capability. It is indeed a complicated little rig; that needs to be said at the outset. To set it up and use it on the local UHF/VHF repeaters is easy enough. However, to fully take advantage of all of its features will take some time and effort. In a way, that’s what makes this rig worth the money!

As time goes by you will realize that there is always something else the radio has to offer. It’s a wideband scanner (emphasis on the wideband). It can listen in to almost any mode (AM, SSB, CW, FM, D-Star). With the proper HotSpot, it is also easily able to handle DMR and Fusion. It is fully featured for APRS, unlike many cheaper radios. There are lots of shortcuts available and memories that make APRS enjoyable; the GPS unit is addressable directly if you wish to record your track at any time. The D-Star mode is especially useful; it also is fully featured with lots of depth to explore. The broadcast FM (with a separate built-in antenna) works beautifully when you want to exit “Amateur Mode.”

Because the speaker is larger than the Yaesu series radios, the sound quality and volume are exceptional. The Bluetooth used with AirBuds is a treat. Do you want to record your QSOs? The TF card storage and recording feature work like a charm; a large TF card will record many days worth of contacts with perfect clarity. The TF card is also useful to store setup features or anything else you want to recall at a later time.

The screen is sharp enough to contain quite a bit of information, especially when you operate in a digital mode. The colored backgrounds alert you instantly to extra information (i.e., the color is not just for show – it aids in transmitting information).

With the standard SMA antenna connector, I change antennas to suit my needs; an 18” Maldol works when hiking in the bush, a short 2.5” stubby antenna works best around town and connected to a “brick” amplifier in the car with a mag-mount antenna I have the perfect mobile rig.

Paired with the RT Systems software used to program the radio, it’s quick to change configurations as the seasons and your locations change. Every past configuration can be saved for future use; it takes only seconds to download a new configuration into the radio.

Get a good Cordura radio pouch and take it everywhere.
Based on many years of entertainment, this is an inexpensive radio!
N2QGV Rating: 2020-12-02
It has all been said, but... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For almost two years now I have been enjoying this HT. I have only two issues, everything else I could say has been very positively reviewed.
1. A single memory position will not allow a split using frequencies in two different bands for Satellite use.
2. I rarely unplug or mess with the rubber, or what ever it is made of, piece that covers the accessory access ports on the right side of the HT. However, the piece seems to be growing in length and the covers no longer stays in place but just wobbles around interfering with holding the HT. Sent e-mail to Kenwood for their comments and solution.
Would I buy it again?? No question, absolutely.

Update, Kenwood replies within a day with several authorized part suppliers where the cover can be purchased from. Also gave step by step instructions. Replacement part ordered and mailed to me same day,
Another *****'s to Kenwood.

KD8MJJ Rating: 2020-11-01
VERY IMPRESSIVE HT!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have always been partial to Kenwood Radios, and this one has been hands down the best HT I have ever owned.

I always wanted to get into D-STAR, but there wasnt a D-Star Radio out there that peaked my interests until I came across this one.

I downloaded the memory program from Kenwood and was able to fill the memories up with bluetooth. One less cable necessary to program the radio. And the software was free.

APRS is great with this unit, especially with the built in GPS.

On-Board KISS modem for packet operations! With AGWPE and AGWTERM I was able to cruise around Nodes with just a HT and a laptop. NO CABLES NEEDED!

WINLINK can be used with the KISS modem as well.

The one drawback this radio has is it doesnt have DPRS abilities at the moment, but maybe someday a firmware update will correct that issue.

ECHOLINK Memories! Just a couple buttons presses to connect to my favorite nodes.

REMOTE CONTROL DTMF Memories for DTMF controllable Radios (V71-D710) No having to memorize the commands to control DTMF remote controlled Kenwood Radios (Cross-band Operations)

Can Save the names of people you have had contact with on DSTAR.

The XYL likes i can listen to the radio with a BT headset, can hide the radio under a coat and not look silly while grocery shopping.

Built in Shortwave Receiver with CW filters! I enjoy that I can monitor my output on HF wearing a BT earpiece! Great when adjusting your EQ on the HF Rig!

Kenwood is well noted for its sound! Can adjust TX/RX Equalizer levels!

All around a great lil rig if you take the time to read the manual! Would recommend to an experienced user. I have elmered new users that wanted the best radio as their first.
N4ZTA Rating: 2020-10-25
About the best amateur HT out there Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'm on my 2nd D-74, most recently acquired on used for a good price from a reputable local ham.

This is about the best amateur HT one can buy. Solidly built, advanced tech like APRS, D-Star and Bluetooth, and full power on 220. The radio has excellent performance, pretty good battery life considering what's going on under the hood DSP and display wise, and solid audio on the air.

It isn't cheap, but one gets what one pays for. The radio is a cinch to program with the FREE MCP Kenwood gives away, some prefer the RT Systems route, but I would try the MCP first. It's a breeze. Kenwood hit a home run with this. Would love to see a mobile companion based off this radio.
KE7MU Rating: 2020-09-11
Great Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I finally got the device set up to use a hotspot and ground repeaters. Perhaps they should ship the radio in only one language, and better instructions. I shouldn't have to use YouTube videos to learn how to do things. Very poorly documented. On the other hand this radio does so much, that I think it's not just the most complex, but the most useful radio I have, and I have 14 different handys. Mostly Yeasu, first kenwood. I have no issues other than purchasing a radio that needs an immediate firmware update that is behind two versions. At least they stayed with free software as it's almost impossible to program with out the software. They should should include DMR with the next version of firmware.
This radio is better than the ICOM dstar handhelds.

Well time has past, and now have several more handhelds that include C4FM, and DMR. The kenwood D74 is by far the most sophisticated, if you can't afford it, don't buy it, go get a Chinese radio for the price of a burger n fries, but remember, you get what you pay for. Now some radios cost allot but don't perform as advertised, Kenwood radios are top notch.