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Reviews For: Kenwood TM-D710A

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

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Review Summary For : Kenwood TM-D710A
Reviews: 73MSRP: 599.95
Description:
The TM-D710 Data Communicator 144/440 MHz Dual Bander has the following features:
• APRS Ready
• APRS Weather Station ready
• KSS II+ (kenwood Skycommand II+)
• NMEA 0183 GPS I/O port
• Built-in 1200/9600 bps TNC
• Echolink Ready
• High RF Power Output (V/U: 50 watt)
• 1000 multifunction Memory Channels
• Dual Receive on same band (V+V, U+U)
• NOAA Weather Alert/RX (US Only)
• Voice Guidance & Storage option (VGS-1)
• MCP Compatible with ARRL "TravelPlus"

Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00734.2
VE6CNO Rating: 2009-05-30
not impressed Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought four 710's and all have a steady clicking noise transmitted when the head is connected with anything but the Kenwood extension kit. Even with the Kenwood kit if you know what to listen for it is still there. These radios do not like diesel vehicles, one is mounted in a 94 chev diesel with constant intermod on multiple frequencies, another in a volkswagen TDI and has intermod 40 percent of the time usually on APRS 144.390, and a third in a 2005 chev Duramax with intermod on various frequencies. All radio's produce the steady clicking noise on transmit. Green light labs produces a extension cable that they claim gets rid of the noise but it did not work for me, only the Kenwood extension kit did quiet it down but not eliminate it. I own two 700's and have absolutely no problems with them, they are awesome radio's. I would get rid of the 710's in a heart beat for more 700's. My experience is that the 710 is a poor rig and I will never get another although it does have a few nicer features than the 700. The only 710 not having problems is mounted in a old Toyota Landcruiser (gas). I don't think three different rigs mounted in different vehicles having the same problems is coincidence.
N1MIE Rating: 2009-05-14
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Love it. I use it for 2m voice. I use it for 70cm voice. I use it for APRS (almost constantly). I have the output from the data side routed to an AvMap GPS which displays received stations on the map. I highly recommend this product especially those who are interested in APRS.
WB9QVR Rating: 2009-05-07
Too Much Intermod Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When going through the reviews of this radio prior to purchasing my unit I specifically looked for comments regarding intermod susceptibility. I was pleased when I didn't see any negative comments in that regard. I previously owned a TM-D700 and while I was generally pleased with that radio I noted that it did have some issues with intermod. My thought was that if no one was commenting on that particular issue with the 'D710 that Kenwood must have improved the receiver design.

It turns out my assumption was decidedly incorrect. After purchasing and installing the 'D710 I was greatly disappointed in its intermod rejection. In fact it seems that the '710 is actually worse than the 'D700 in that regard. I am hearing commercial land mobile users as clearly in the ham bands as if I was listening to them on their own frequency. I can also hear noise from a UHF TV station on much of the 440 band. At times the intermod is so bad that the radio is nearly useless on UHF. One might expect those issues in the Chicago Loop or in Manhattan but I live in a relatively small city so there's really no reason that a receiver should perform this poorly in my area.

The kicker for me writing this review occurred this morning. A service vehicle was parked in front of my home as left in my vehicle. About two blocks away from home I heard the person in that service vehicle contact his dispatcher on his commercial two-way. I heard him as plain as could be on multiple ham band frequencies on my 'D710. There's no excuse for a receiver to pick up intermod from a relatively low-power mobile transmitter that is TWO BLOCKS AWAY on a frequency at least 10 MHz apart from that of my receiver!

I will give Kenwood high marks for the feature set and overall design of the radio. I do appreciate the improvements to APRS and the user interface. I also like the ability to upgrade the radio's firmware in the field (every radio built today should have that capability). If I were to rate this radio based solely on these merits I would give it a '5'. However, if the receiver folds up then none of the features really matter. As the old saying goes, "if you can't hear 'em you can't work 'em".

I have noted serious intermod issues with the current Icom and Kenwood dual-display VHF/UHF rigs. For some reason the manufacturers seem to be concentrating on features and are ignoring basic performance. Both manufacturers used to produce dual banders with practically bullet-proof front ends. They seem to have forgotten their roots. Yaesu has a notable exception - the FT-8800R. It seems to have one of the cleanest receivers around. Granted, it doesn't have the feature set of the 'D710 but if a person wants to communicate under less-than-ideal interference conditions then the '8800R is a better choice.

I really wanted to like this rig. I will probably end up trading it for something else. I'll miss the features of this radio but will be happy to have a radio that doesn't 'squawk' with noise or pick up signals across the spectrum.
KF4ULD Rating: 2009-05-02
I should have bought this sooner. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had this for about 3 months now and it is time and of course my duty as a ham to write my review. This radio replaced a Yaesu 7800, a Byonics Tiny Track 4 TNC, a Yaesu VX-170 and a bulky GPS V from Garmin. This radio is an outstanding product worth every penny. I thought I'd peice-meal an APRS station together in my Grand Cherokee with the above equipment and still be able to talk but it totally cluttered my dashboard and center console. It looked totally messy even by my standards. I thought I'd save money with the piece-meal plan but it ended up costing me more. It reminds me of the saying "The cheapest person always pays the most.". I sold/am selling every bit of it and have replaced it all with the 710 which does every single task better than the above "conglomeration" of electronics. The smart beaconing is a great addition over the 700 as I track around corners nicely and could not be happier with my "bread crumbs". Track me at http://aprs.fi and use KF4ULD-7 to check it out. 50 Watts on UHF has a profound difference over Yaesu's 35 watts also, getting me into my home repeater from where I work. My Yaesu FT-8100 (that the 7800 replaced) that I'm using as my base station will get listed on EBay tomorrow and guess what I'm replacing it with? You got it, a Kenwood 710 as it'll do TNC stuff, Echolink, dual band and more than I'll probably ever use. I was apprehensive at first at the small volume knobs and that I'd be annoyed (like I get with the Yaesu 8100) at trying to make small adjustments but I think the internal "gearing" or "spindling" on these knobs have been designed perfectly to avoid this problem. The only nit-pick items I have are 1. When adjusting the power the low beep tone corresponds to the highest power setting and the two higher beep tones correspont to the lower two power settings. 2. On the POS (position) page I'd like to see the heading indicator always point forward, as that's where you're headed, forward. I would like the compass to rotate around the pointer and the heading number be displayed above the pointer or some scheme very similar to that. It's not intuitive when you're driving (forward of course), and your pointer is pointing back to the right and a heading number is on top telling you what your heading is. I'll recommend this to Kenwood but I'm guessing they probably read these reviews and adjust their firmware accordingly. I've stuck with Yaesu since getting my license back in Pensacola in '96 and have been apprehensive in switching brands but Kenwood has totally impressed me with this radio. I love it and that's why I'm buying another one. KF4ULD / Matt-Seattle, WA
KJ4AQT Rating: 2009-02-21
Great Radio Awesome Features, Needs Better Software Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought one at the Orlando Hamcation last weekend, I absolutely love this radio, APRS, Crossband Repeat, Nice Big display, clear audio both TX and RX
One issue is the free software,and importing travel plus, if you do an import it wipes out all the menu settings, this is more annoying than anything, but does a decent job.

KF4HR Rating: 2008-12-03
Nice Rig! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I replaced my three TM-D700's with three 710A's. Great radios and much improved over the 700, especially when linked to the AvMap G5 GPS. Kenwood enhanced the APRS data stream between the rig and the Avmap GPS allowing the GPS to go into the "tactial mode", meaning you can lock on to a single APRS station and track that stations progress (speed, altitude, etc) on the G5's screen. I have only two minor gripes. First, the Tactial Mode reverts back to the standard GPS screen after a several seconds automatically and I'm not sure why - doesn't make sense. And second, it would have been nice if Kenwood had provided the option to plug the GPS in at either the body of the rig (like the 700) and also on the radio's head, depending on where you want to mount the GPS (or just a GPS sensor) in the vehicle. Other than that, it's a great radio. Display and button functions are easy to see and activate, even for fat fingers, and the menu's are easy to navigate. Being able to program the memories and other information with free Kenwood programming software is a nice plus too and even the microphone feels and looks better than the 700's mic. Kenwood hit a home run with this rig!
K2QY Rating: 2008-08-18
awesome! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had this rig for about 3 weeks and I understand it better than the D700s I had for several years. It programs much easier and the PMs are as if you are programing a completely different radio (in other words ALL settings can be different, some are not lost or need seperate adjusting going from one PM to another). I purchased the AvMap G5 as a combo, it is truly the way APRS should work. On long trips I can glance over at the GPS and see stations as they come within range, especially the mobiles. I have the A side running VOICE ALERT as Bob Bruninga recommends (100hz tone on both TX and RX) and the B side is either scanning a few favorites or simply .52 when on the road. The possibility of another D710 being "tuned" by simply hitting a button is a very slick idea. I hope that as more and more of these get out there we find more hams using VOICE ALERT. Upgrading the software is easy, but it did take me a minute to realize that the head unit is upgraded seperately. It appears as though the modem is more compatible with Packet too, although I have not tried this yet. Kudos to Kenwood on this one!
KE5TZJ Rating: 2008-08-07
Corrected Info from past review KE5TZJ Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The default USA APRS frequency is 144.39 - NOT - 144.9 - - the cat walked across the keyboard :)
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Finally, my likes: I have Band A (volume usually down) set to 144.90 (default U.S.A.) for APRS, and Band B scanning 2M & 70cm MR (My Memory Channels) - What's so cool you ask? I'm transmitting & receiving APRS information & scanning my favorite frequencies from both bands -2M & -70cm at the same time... oh yeah, transmitting on Band B without interrupting my GPS/APRS data flow. :) I think it's cool, hope you do to :)
KK8ZZ Rating: 2008-07-26
Great radio, and updates available! Time Owned: N.A.
This sure beats the old 700a... much nicer display, easier to read, and easy setup with the optional cable. Recent updates downloadable from the internet from Kenwood even expand current features! Great to see software-updates for our radios! The TS-2000 and TS-480 were the first.... congrats to Kenwood for pioneering software updatable radios! Easy to read while mobile, maybe a little large for some installations in very small cars, but all in all, a very desirable rig for most hams.
WT0MM Rating: 2008-07-24
Great, But.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have has the radio for 2 monthes, and I received it for the purpose of APRS Digipeater and Echolink node.
The radios Tx and Rx are outstanding, the APRS side is great as well, but the claims of APRS and Echolink working Simultaneously has issues. Using all the documentation supplied, the 710 still doesn't decode DTMF tones (while working the Echolink SYSOP Mode) or send them to the Echolink software. That is the only problem, and I have been battling this for a month. Trying to find an answer for the whole issue has and still is a bear.