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Reviews For: Kantronics KPC-3 Plus

Category: Packet TNCs & Digital Multi-mode Controllers

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Review Summary For : Kantronics KPC-3 Plus
Reviews: 27MSRP: 179.00
Description:
VHF/UHF TNC
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.kantronics.com/kpc3+.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00274.2
AD5KO Rating: 2017-01-07
Very Good! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just recently purchased a KPC-3+ from HRO.

It is an excellent TNC and smaller than the KPC-2 which I have owned for many years. It is small enough for mobile or portable work and can run on just a small battery. But not to small for the shack.

I payed $199.95 with free shipping and HRO was very helpful with any questions I had.


ZL4AX Rating: 2015-09-10
Platinum Standard, I'd say!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
No review can do justice to the greatest stand-alone packet radio unit ever produced. We all know the spec: 100% reliability, tiny size, microscopic power requirements, immense capabilities on all systems. You only need one. (although I have a dozen or more!).
I've been running these for over a decade, and ran old-model KPC3's before that.
True USA excellence that no other manufacturer has gotten close-to. If I wrote a 20 page detailed review, it would all be 110% good, but there isn't room.
Like others however, I'm sad that Kantronics seem to have slowly lost interest and enthusiasm for their brilliant products as the years have passed. The current KPC3plus should have gone to USB connectors by now, but still uses old 9 and 25-pin serial plugs. And the current V9.1 firmware has two bugs in it that I've found and reported to Kantronics over a ten year period, but they haven't fixed. Come on guys, get up to speed - you've been the 'industry standard' all this time, don't turn your backs on us now !
But don't be put off - this is THE tnc to buy and enjoy. There is nothing in the same ball-park. It's the 'Swiss Army Knife' and 'Space Shuttle' of Packet Radio. Never been beat!
KA3YAN Rating: 2015-07-23
The Gold Standard in 1200 baud TNCs Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Form, fit & function...the KPC-3 Plus cannot be beat in today's market. Of course there are things that I'd like to see improve with the KPC line of TNCs, but that doesn't change that the KPC-3 Plus is without a doubt the "gold standard" for 1200 baud VHF TNCs.

I have two KPC-3 Plus units. One device is at my home station running a Winlink 2000 Packet RMS and the other has been modified to add a built in GPS receiver for APRS. It also has a 9V battery connector in case I want to operate on battery power only.

I'm not going to use this review to evaluate Kantronics customer service. Based purely on the KPC-3 Plus hardware, there is very little bad to say about it.
K1RI Rating: 2014-11-09
Disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nice unit, been a Kantronics user since their 1st model. KPC-3 Plus works fine but I am very disappointed in the digital manual. At the price they get for these units a booklet would be nice or possibly a option of say $5 when purchasing a new unit.
K2MFW Rating: 2014-06-13
15 years and still ticking Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my KPC-3 for 14 years without any problems at all. I also have the KPC-3+ since they first came out and am running 9.1 in her. I've never ever had a problem with the KPC's and both have been through numerous Firmware upgrades. I couldn't ask for a better product with such amazing reliability.
KK9H Rating: 2013-10-07
Still the standard Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's hard to believe that I wrote a review of this TNC almost 13 years ago. Since that time the packet DX spotting stations have come and gone, but I have become active on APRS. We also have WinLink and regular packet radio activity in the area. My KPC-3+ has been updated with the 9.1 firmware and I have added the additional memory capacity chip to it. I feel that the KPC-3+ is still the standard for packet radio TNCs available today.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KK9H on 2000-10-25

After many years of faithful service, my trusty AEA PK-88 died for no apparent reason. I have been active in packet radio since the early 80's and I tried everything to revive the PK-88 to no avail. Being somewhat of a DX junkie, I knew I couldn't live without the local DX PacketCluster for very long, so I purchased a KPC-3 Plus. Admittedly, my demands on a TNC these days is modest at best, but I was on the air again within a half hour of opening the box. One very neat feature is being able to adjust the transmitter's audio with a numeric XMITLVL command rather than having open up the TNC and try to find a small potentiometer somewhere inside. Once the cables were made to connect the TNC to the radio and computer, getting the thing on the air was a snap. Kantronics includes a terminal program that you can use with your computer and it works quite well. Setting the various TNC parameters to my preferences was easy and quick. I was getting DX spots in no time. While I do not have much use for the 128K of RAM in the KPC-3 at the moment, who knows what the future might bring. I have used many different TNC's over the years and the KPC-3 Plus was by far one of the easiest to get running. I would gladly recommend it.
AE6ZW Rating: 2011-06-18
Sensitive, Remotely configurable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this units at work several years ago. used in commercial applications with 12.5 khz , +/- 2.5 khz deviation. it worked pretty well. I liked the fact it can be remotely configurable. and it is quite sensitive on receive, regardless of input audio levels. I believe this design is at least 10 years old, but it works well.
IK8TEO Rating: 2011-04-18
Simply the best 5+++++ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I Have 2 of them, version 8.3 and 9.1. bought many years ago. They works perfectly the first time and for years. One is mounted in the mountains and is a digipeater aprs, always on without any problems, even at very low temperatures. Great achievements, indestructible. I hope to share in the other early.
Are they timeless?
I have tried many others, starting with AeA, but the versatility of Kantronics is unique.
Remotely adjustable everything, including audio levels of transmission and precision of internal clock. Others do not do this!
Best 73 to all de Francesco IK8TEO
WD4INS Rating: 2008-06-01
They just can't take lightning! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
These units are great. I've dealt with every firmware version except 9.0, even the older non plus versions and they've all worked great. Used them for straight packet, APRS stations,trackers and dipipeaters without a hitch. The only one that went belly up took a lightning strike but you cant blame Kantronics for that. I've tried MFJ and the Kantronics TNC's blow them in the weeds in all respects. When I need another TNC it will be a Kantronics!
AE7RS Rating: 2008-05-19
Ok hardware - lousy support Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Unit put into service about 6 months ago. Hardware works ok, but firmware needs help. Found this on the Kantronics support web page ...

Kantronics has recently become aware of an anomaly in the version 9.0 software for KPC-3+ and KPC-9612+ units. The anomaly is only in APRS DIGI applications. In the APRS DIGI application, UIDUPE, UIDIGI, UIFLOOD, and UITRACE did not provide duplicate checking for APRS packets as originally designed.

Kantronics is offering a new version of the KPC-3+ and KPC-9612+ software, version 9.1, to address the problem. The new version is available for KPC-3+ and KPC-9612+ modems for $40 per unit, plus $5.00 for shipping and handling.

Pretty amazing, they screw up and expect their customers to foot the bill. I sent an email saying I would apply that $45 towards another brand TNC.