Kenwood TK-2180

[Radio 1275]

Looking to buy kenwood tk-2180 how well does radio work will be useing on 2 meters Ham band and fire radio... looks like good radio !!

[n9gik]

Ummm...you do realize that you can't legally do both at the same time? You can set it up for amateur or fire dept, but both are not permitted ... except possibly in an emergency. I think this becomes a gray area then.

[ka7wnf]

So are you saying that a radio can't be used for amateur and public safety even if it's type accepted for the latter?

[Radio 1275]

Yes radio can be used Ham and type for 136-174 MHZ !!!

[westcoaster]

Yes radio can be used Ham and type for 136-174 MHZ !!!

Sure, the radio will permit you to program ham and fire frequencies in there at the same time. That doesn't mean the law will allow you to do that.

Either you are using the radio for ham, OR you are using the radio for fire frequencies. Both are different licensing and you can't legally have both in the same radio.....

[ai4ui]

"Both are different licensing and you can't legally have both in the same radio....."

What rule or law do you base that statement on?

If you have a radio that is type excepted for VHF LMR, and the documentation provided to the FCC by the manufacturer when the radio was type accepted shows that the radio is designed to operate in a frequency range that includes the ham band, then you can put into that radio any frequencies that you are authorized to operate on including ham frequencies. If you are a FD employee and have authorization from the licensee to have the FD frequencies in your radio and you also happen to be a ham, then you can have both in your radio. On the other hand, if you do not have authorization from the licensee to have said FD frequencies in your radio, then you had best not have the transmit frequencies in your radio. Also, if you are not a licensed ham, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to have ham frequencies in there either.

If you have a valid ham license and have ham frequencies programmed into a radio that by design & acceptance covers the ham band, then it is perfectly legal to have authorized commercial/PS in your radio as well. Now, if you take something like a GE MPA and ham flash it, a BK EPH radio & run green eggs & ham, or the shift method for older /\/\ radios like a MT1000 then that modifies the radio to operate on a frequency that is outside of what the FCC type accepted. If this is the case then you cannot have your FD frequencies in that radio because it is no longer type accepted for the LMR band but you can ham it up all you want.

A radio that has spent it's entire life as a ham radio cannot legally transmit on the commercial LMR or PS band. It's not type accepted and it's not okay. Even the often quoted "emergency only" clause, doing so will bring a lot of attention to yourself.

Of course there will always be contrasting points of veiw, that why we all love rules debates.

Robert

[Radio 1275]

Thank you very much I'M a license ham N3JTN and in SAR for Fire Dept for tha County in Maryland Kenwood can be used for Ham and VHF LMR, this is a cool radio Kenwood TK-2180 Got all programed up 512 chs 128 zones

[KF6OWC]

i use mine for just that it works great. remeber hams get to build there own equipment, so we can use commercial stuff. i work for CDF and am a ham. i used commercial equipment for all of my HT's and mobiles, much more durable than the cheap ham rice boxes. the 2180 is a great radio with lots of featrues. i put all the 2 meter rptr splits in it in one zone. that way i can bring up a repeater so long as i have the right pl stored in the tone selection.
j

[N6EY]

...with OST enabled, you can select the tone on the fly.

[kingpin]

I use mine for ham and police work. It is an excellent radio.