The Radio Information Board

If your going Kenwood to Kenwood, you can use the Fleetsynch ID or the DTMF ID. If you're looking for MDC-1200, you'll need an aftermarket board from somebody like Transcrypt or Cimarron. However, the aftermarket boards I've seen will only encode MDC-1200 and transmit it to a base unit that has a de...

I'm not aware of anyone who makes a stock extension cable. I've made one by taking an old desk microphone cable with the male connector on it and soldering the female (radio side) connector to it. MACOM uses the same mic connector for the 500m, the Orion, the MDX and the M7100, so you could try cros...

Hmm, I'm not sure if Kenwood made a version of this radio that was user programmable. I've always just programmed them with the PC programming software. I know Kenwood has a newer model that can be programmed through the PTT key, and some of the versions of the Motorola Spirit could be, but I never ...

I have a chart somewhere, but from memory, MPA's, Ranger's, PCS's and a few early Prism models cannot be reprogrammed for narrow band because they don't have the hardware. The Prisms have a programming issue that doesn't allow them to go down low enough in frequency. I'll see if I can locate the cha...

I think you are limited to one set of tones, IE A, B, and C tones. The paging function is rather limited, and they more or less included it only as a courtesy feature.

Are you holding the key in long enough? I think you might have to hold it in for a couple of seconds.

I don't believe the 260 is narrow band capable. Generally speaking, the G series radios were all narrow band capable while the non-G series were not. This holds true for the TK-730/830, TK-250/350, and the 260/360/760/860 series. There are probably exceptions, but the G-series were always the narrow...

If I remember correctly, if you read a TK-3100, you'll get a list of 8 itinerant frequencies. Clear all the frequencies but one, type the desired frequency in channel 1, set the channel by using one of the F keys (F2?) It will tell you at the bottom of the screen. While you can pick from the list of...

You will need a new programming cable. The 90 series programs through the microphone connector. It's also different software. The cable is availabe for about $120 from Kenwood; likewise for the software. You can probably find a knockoff on Ebay, but you'll still need new software.

Yes, that's definitely a hack, and not a standard Kenwood connector. You should be able to remove them without any problem.

I've seen this happen to TK-730's where the radio's CPU will not boot up due to bad programming/firmware or an issue with the CPU itself. The micro is being held in reset. If IC108 is the firmware chip (40 pins, left front of the radio topside) and it's missing, the radio will have no firmware and w...

Try New London Technology

http://www.newlondontech.com

They're a good source of obsolete GE/Ericsson/MACOM parts.