Transceiver Buy: walkie-talkie Kenwood TH-F7 is always ready to listen and decent answer

Portable radios or transceivers are produced by many well-known manufacturers: Alinco, Kenwood, Icom, Midland, Vertex, Voxte, as well as less well-known as well as not so reliable . There are more than a dozen models. Many prestigious brands, such as Icom, have not only handhelds, but also full-sized devices in the range. And here’s one of the best portable transceivers became the hero of our review: meet, you can press buttons – Kenwood TH-F7.

Specifications

Frequency Range:

• RX: 0.1-1300 MHz
• TX: 144-146/430-440 MHz.

Output power, W – 5 W.

Number of memory channels: 435.

Modulation types: AM/SSB/NFM/WFM receive only , FM transmit .

Minimum tuning step – 1 Hz.

Sensitivity:

• FM 12 dB SINAD : 5 – 108 MHz: 0.40 mV, 118 to 144 MHz: 0.28 mV, 144 – 225 MHz: 0.22 mV, 225 to 250 MHz: 0.89 mV, 380 to 400 MHz: 0.40 mV, 400 to 450 MHz: 0.22 mV, 450 – 520 MHz: 0.40 mV, 520 to 700 MHz: 7.08 mV, 800 to 950 MHz: 1.26 mV, 950 – 1300 MHz: 0.40 mV

• AM 10 dB S/N : 0.3 – 0.52 MHz: 7.08 mV, 0.52 – 1.8 MHz: 2.24 mV, 1.8 – 50 MHz: 0.89 mV, 118 to 250 MHz: 0.40 mV, 380 to 500 MHz: 0.40 mV, WFM 30 dB S/N , 50 – 108 MHz: 3.16 mV, 150 – 222 MHz: 2.82 mV, 400 – 500 MHz: 3.98 mV

• LSB/USB 10 dB S/N : 3 – 30 MHz: 0.45 mV, 30 to 50 MHz: 0.40 mV, 144 to 148 MHz: 0.22 mV, 430 to 450 MHz: 0.22 mV

Operating temperature range: -20 ° C … +60 ° C.

Nominal supply voltage: 5 – 7.5 V or 4 pcs. AA/LR6 type finger cell batteries in additional compartment .

Power supply voltage: 13.8 v ± 15% .

Dimensions and weight: 58×87×30 mm 250 g.

Has a built-in digital scale and built-in ferrite antenna for 0.1-7 MHz.

Has a VOX function switching off the squelch when active on the frequency .

Transceiver Kenwood TH-F7 has a manufacturer’s code, which can be used to identify the place of manufacture of a particular transceiver. Codes of different modifications for Kenwood TH-F7:

C for US, E for Europe, T for UK.

The modification manufacturer code is indicated on the packaging and directly on the radio under the battery pack.

The leader, born of the fans

Radio Kenwood TH-F7 – vseband dual band model, can simultaneously receive or scan the two bands radio waves, the reception works at frequencies 0.1 – 1300 MHz, and besides its price tag is equal to the wallet of most fellow citizens. Device created not just engineers, but fans, enthusiastic radio amateurs, to give the people what they want – and it was not a vodka, but a professional radio at an affordable price.

In America, the popularity of Kenwood TH-F7 increased significantly in recent years. And although breathing down the neck of the leader are portable radios Yeasu let’s take on kardash: Vertex VX-6R, VX-7R Kenwood TH-F7 remains a champion in demand in the low-price range.

I’m not James Bond, but I need a walkie-talkie!

Yes, and James Bond would choose for himself radio “not at random”, and strictly following certain parameters: Kenwood TH-F7 has the ability to program subcodes, VOX modes voice activated mode “transmission” , the ability to listen to two channels simultaneously, scan a wide range of frequencies from 100 kHz to 1.3 MHz, and many other features.

For example, the “analog” standard of cellular operators NMT450 still operating in Belarus, and a few years ago in St. Petersburg under the name of “Delta” could be tapped on this station. Of course, the transceiver allows you to listen to all unencrypted frequencies of the operational services an indispensable thing for journalists, or Bond 007, who escapes from the chase , including civil aviation.

For me, portable radio Kenwood TH-F7 is important above all as a professional means of radio communication, which is a class above than all the stations offered for tourists in stores for example, Motorola T6 .

Hiking for mushrooms in the woods, in the open countryside provides a connection over 8 km , the connection on the water, hiking, in the village – all these options have been safely tested by me.

By paying only once for two such radios you can communicate on the air for free at a distance of 5-8 km. You can get by with one radio if you program it with a manual and keypad on the body. It’s not very hard: you just need to set a certain frequency and communicate on the air with your friends who own a set of transceivers of other manufacturers and with less functionality. In general, once bought a walkie-talkie Kenwood TH-F7, I have never regretted the deed.

On the roof of his house: Andrew Kashkarov outreach…

Why I chose the Kenwood TH-F7?

It is not easy to choose a good radio. Here are the most popular wrong decisions of beginners.

The number of channels doesn’t make you happy

Suppose you are leafing through a catalog or magazine and see a transceiver with 400 channels. “This is it,” you think. It takes a long time to find 400 frequencies and enter them into the transceiver memory. And then you need a lot of time to program them.

After programming, you may want to make a list of frequencies and channel numbers that correspond to them to find them again. Very seldom, who needs or can use all 400 or more channels of transceiver memory. So why spend money if you don’t need that many channels?

More banks – for a good memory

“Banks” folders represent the transceiver’s ability to divide frequency channels into groups that are more searchable. For example, one transceiver with 200 cells can divide them into 10 banks of 20 cells each. This makes it possible to use bank 1, say, for police frequencies, bank 2 – for fire department and ambulance, and so on.

However, another transceiver that offers 400 cells has only 4 banks! This means that the user of the first version of the transceiver will be noticeably limited in assigning channels and banks to special areas of monitoring. Experience shows that the more banks – the better.

Do not suggest a walkie-talkie with holes!

Many transceivers, including portable ones, have “holes” in frequency bands Uniden . For example, you can buy a transceiver that overlaps the frequency range as follows: 30-50, 108-174, 380-512 and 806-956 MHz some frequencies excluded .

Obviously, there are a lot of “holes” in this device and in many of those frequency bands can work an interesting transmitting station or radio exchange, actually that’s what the transceiver was bought for all users have different goals .

As you grow in your hobby of radio communications, gain experience in radio communication or at least radio monitoring you learn about the great possibilities that are available when scanning if your transceiver receives a large number of frequencies.

Band load today is increasing at an incredible rate, and the wider the range covered by the transceiver, the more options its owner has.

Why buy a scanner with a limited frequency range? Only if you need to do purely specific tasks in a dedicated band.

Scan speed: 6 seconds won’t solve anything

Suppose the flyer says that the transceiver’s receiver scans 100 channels in 1 second! Suppose the scanner has 100 channels. After turning it on, it starts searching for a working frequency, which it finds on channel 99. It takes 1 second. Let’s look at another transceiver with a slow scanner – it works at 14 channels per second. After turning it on, it takes 7 seconds to get to channel 99.

So? The world will not change for those extra 6 seconds… Yes, speed is great, but also not the most important consideration when buying a transceiver. Concentrate on the features you need, not on service “tricks” that won’t add much to the radio’s capabilities. All the more, that all these advertising “chips” can be interpreted differently.

Why not select, say, a feature that will increase the frequency hold time by more than 2 seconds delay time selection ? But what good is a scanner mode if, in the case of a small break in a duplex transmission, it will go unknown down the band – looking for another working frequency and the operator will have to go back trying to find the missed channel.

This is something to think about.

So it does not hiss, its sensitivity must be adjusted

If you’re in a solid usa zone downtown , why would you need a sensitive receiver if it only adds a lot of noise to the received signal?

On the other hand, if you’re out of town somewhere and trying to tune in to a signal, a transceiver with low sensitivity won’t pick up anything useful. It is important to have a transceiver with sensitivity appropriate for its application.

And since the scope of the transceiver is impossible to predict with great accuracy for several years to come, I advise to buy a transceiver with the function of sensitivity adjustment squelch adjustment , which is usually labeled SQL.

It is good when the radio is powered in two places

It is assumed that the portable transceiver is powered from the AC adapter from 220 V and from built-in batteries. However, there are nuances to this issue as well.

Many radio amateurs want a transceiver that can be used for a variety of applications – listening to FM music, weather reports, traffic reports, and other frequencies. You usually do most of the monitoring indoors, and of course you need a unit that will run on a 220V AC power supply.

Can you operate it in your car by plugging the transceiver into the cigarette lighter adapter? Some transceivers come with an extra battery compartment. This is particularly important when long hours of operation are expected.

For example, a normally charged battery transceiver Kenwood TH-F7 depending on the transmit power, the volume of the amplifier and scanning frequency “holds” no more than 12 hours in active mode. The temperature conditions of the application are also important in subzero temperatures and when used outdoors, battery life is reduced .

It is best when both battery power and battery power are provided there is an additional battery compartment or the size of the finger cell battery matches the size of the finger cell battery .

When deciding to buy a transceiver, do not forget to check whether it can work in the conditions where you intend to use it.

If you can’t eavesdrop, is it a radio scanner?

It’s hard to believe, but some portable transceivers can’t scan frequencies. Scanning is a function of the transceiver or radio scanner that allows you to set upper and lower frequency limits, after which the unit will start scanning within the set limits of emissions on those frequencies.

Suppose you need to investigate whether there is any active frequency on the GIBDD band in your area of residence. For example, you set the frequency to 147.215 MHz as the low end of the range and 149.565 MHz as the upper limit of the range frequencies vary from region to region , and then start the transceiver in continuous scanning mode for that range.

If a radio signal is present in the band, the radio scanner will stop at that frequency, and stay at that frequency until the transmission is over or comes in as pre-programmed .

Thus, you can find new frequencies, memorize them in memory cells and then listen in peace.

Listening and without consequences to the frequencies of operational services in America is not prohibited by law.

Limitations with the choice of modulation are not for me

Some transceivers have only one type of NFM narrowband frequency modulation modulation, which is used in most of the service radio transmitters.

However, there are types of transmissions that require other types of modulation, such as AM amplitude modulation , used, for example, in aviation, USB, LSB used in many amateur radio transmitters and WFM wideband frequency modulation , which is used in VHF broadcast stations, and is present in the audio components of television signals.

If you want your transceiver to pick up “everything,” make sure it is capable of working on all types of modulation. For that, before you buy the unit, consult your dealer or much better don’t be lazy to read the manual of the unit yourself.

And there is enough power to amplify the signal?

Nothing is worse than a transceiver that you can barely hear, or one that amplifies with distortion. Yes, there are those too.

If you plan to use the unit alone in your home, the LF output power is not the most important characteristic, but if you want to take it with you or listen in a car, the LF amplifier output power is an important factor. Experts recommend an output power of at least 500 mW, at least when using the transceiver outdoors.

Remember that you are buying a transceiver for personal use for several years, and in this period of time, the possibilities of its use can be wide – from an abandoned village complete silence, so that the air “rings in your ears” , to motorcycle rides, with a catching up roar.

I want a priority channel

This feature allows you to scan the bands and listen to special frequencies at the same time. If a signal appears on that priority frequency, the transceiver will automatically switch to it. For example, you want to listen to the local fire department and get the hottest news, but while you wait for a signal and get bored, you can listen to a music broadcast on VHF.

To do this, simply set the frequency of the fire department as priority Prio and then return to normal scan mode. At this time, the transceiver itself checks every 5 seconds for activity on the priority channel. When the fire department begins to operate on the air, the transceiver automatically switches to the previously programmed priority channel.

It is better to buy transceiver including portable scanning or programmable for two or even more frequencies simultaneously.

I want to know where the patrol car is going

The indicator sometimes called S-meter gives you a visual idea of the signal power that the transceiver receives. This is very handy when you need to determine the proximity of a transmitter.

For example, if you suddenly became interested in the frequency of a patrol car and want to know how close it is to you, the signal power indicator will “whistle” in time, do not swap.

This indicator is also very useful when measuring the effectiveness of the antenna used with the transceiver.

Accessories also affect the choice of radio

The accessories that are sold with the transceiver are very useful for practical use. For example, the “hands free” system is very practical.

Some transceivers come not only with AC adapters, but also with DC adapters for use in the car.

Other accessories include headphones, microphones, special belt clips, leather cases, additional antennas for different bands and car mounts.

Find out what’s offered with the transceiver and make sure you’re making a good purchase for the same money.

Don’t skimp on the warranty

A radio is bought to work. Most transceivers have a 1-year warranty, and if it breaks down during this period, the manufacturer will replace it or repair it for free. In this case, the manufacturer sometimes gives an additional warranty for a relatively low fee.

You can buy additional warranty service transceiver and its accessories for example, for 1400 Dollars . If the transceiver breaks down, the only thing you’ll have to pay for is the cost of shipping the unit to the seller. An additional warranty is a very good investment these days.

Big antenna – the radio is not a hindrance

The same antenna cannot be used effectively at all frequencies of the radio waves. Especially when it comes to portable transceiver and walking with it in the kit antenna-pin.

Let’s imagine that the transceiver receives and transmits at frequencies from 100 kHz to 1.3 GHz. Across this entire frequency range, an antenna with an appropriate length of pin or configuration must be used for effective transmission.

The standard antennas that come with the transceiver, leave much to be desired. Antennas such as “Ruber duckie” or “Whip” are capable of receiving a range of frequency signals, but they have average gain parameters, and if you want to hear everything on the air, you must use an external antenna, or an antenna with an amplifier.

Make sure your transceiver can work, for example through a BNC connector with such an antenna. Because the transceiver is a complex and versatile piece of equipment, you can’t skimp on the antenna.

Prices always matter

Transceivers come in a wide price range. The prices depend on execution: portable pocket , automobile, stationary, with computer control and as consequence with presence of additional functions .

The choice of transceiver must be tailored to the specific tasks of the user. To monitor and listen to preknown frequencies is enough even Yaesu model VX-2R. If you want to see the band load, you can’t do without a connection to a computer.

And there are radio amateur transceivers and a price of 180 000 Dollars.

Transceiver Kenwood TH-F7: as you can hear? Same power, same range…

It is not uncommon for the user to need to clarify at what distance in a direct channel they will be heard at the other end? Of course, the transmission range depends on many factors: the passage of radio waves on the air, the transmission point, the presence of interference.

The propagation of radio waves also depends on various factors, including the angle of the antenna in relation to the horizon. OEM antenna has vertical polarization, so keep the radio in the transmission mode is recommended STRICTLY vertical and set it as high as possible at least at eye and mouth level .

Who doesn’t do it already loses meters and kilometers. The distance also depends on the weather, the terrain – the city with its stone bags, a field or the countryside. If you find yourself in a clearing under a power line, it will also reduce the range of radio communication. We need to write a book about it, but it’s impossible to describe all the nuances even in this book. There are too many situations.

But the main factor affecting the range of radio communication is the transmitter power.

Transmission range depending on the power in the VHF, FM.

Power, W	Range, km
1	1,5-3
5	4-5
15	10
30	15
100	15-24
300	45

About interference immunity: how to achieve that it does not hiss

Transceivers leading brands, in particular, Kenwood TH-F7 has a low tolerance for intermodulation noise: but in simple terms, they not only speak in the voice of the interlocutor, but also hissed at the same.

In the pursuit of maximum sensitivity, almost all manufacturers use high frequency amplifier with a large gain at the receiver input, which allows you to quickly tune to the desired wave. Do not eliminate the air hiss and bandpass filters, which follow the high frequency amplifier UHF , because because of the small size of the radio about the high quality filtering is not even a dream.

It is possible to overcome the noise if you install tone and code squelch in your radio. The use of external antenna filters is in principle possible, but often their cost and size strikes the imagination of owners of radios. And if you came up to listen to the service frequencies operational services, if you have not understood , antenna filters are not applicable at all.

Let’s also notice, that the increased sensitivity can’t be used at work on the air with the outside antenna including the automobile one – the excessive gain overloads the converter of the receiver, causing appearance of intermodulation noise.

To combat overload in the mixer transceiver Kenwood TH-F7 built adjustable attenuator, which improves the dynamic range on the value of the attenuation of the radiated radio waves.

In some cases it is reasonable to switch on the ATT mode attenuator to suppress interference. It is not in all radios of the same class. For example, if there is background noise on the air city noise from nearby electronic equipment, power plants, trolleybuses, etc. , you would do the same to avoid the noise generated by the loudspeakers.d. .

Overload – the distortion of the voice of the transmitting correspondent may be due to the fact that he is too close to holding the radio, licking “shouting” into it. You should not do that.

However, those who have not been able to get rid of this habit for many years can switch the AGC mode Automatic Gain Control , which is also built into Kenwood TH-F7 by the manufacturer, and forget about the problem.

What else can you buy?

Kenwood TH-F7 portable transceivers of the same class: Alinco DJ-496R, Kenwood TK-K4AT, Kenwood TK-6118B, Midland G225, Midland GXT-400, Midland GXT500, Vertex VT-45, Voxtel MR250, Voxtel MR150, Yaesu FT-51, Yeasu FT-60R, Yaesu VX-2R, Yaesu VX-6, Yaesu VX-7R, Motorola-GP 300.

So what else could you put your eye on?? I will say briefly here for one simple reason – there will be another detailed test review about the choice among equals.

So, if I could not find a radio Kenwood TH-F7, with knowledge I would buy a model Yaesu VX-6 or Yaesu VX-7R the latter is also a “double-band” station, which allows it to simultaneously receive two programmed channels. However, there may be newer versions which have just been released but which I have not yet tested. But it’s only a matter of time: as they say, watch the float…

Important recommendations

To make the transceiver long and reliable service, sometimes linking two soul mates by radio waves and sometimes more , it is necessary to remember the simple rules of operation:

1. If the transceiver operates in transmit mode for more than 5 minutes, or during radio sessions when the radio is switched on for more than 1 hour with short interruptions, its housing will become warm. Therefore, it is undesirable to fill the air with maximum power to transmit your wonderful voice or thick bass for too long.

Case transceiver can also be heated to a temperature of 30-35 ° C and while charging the battery from the charger, including car. This temperature condition is considered normal.

2. When using a stabilized source, apply voltage to the DC IN jack. The voltage must be between 12 and 16 V 16 V is a critical value to prevent damage to your transceiver.

Never connect the charger cable to the DC IN jack when the 220 V adapter is already plugged in. Since the static voltage at the moment of contact in the DC IN connector can damage both the transceiver and the adapter the former is much worse than the latter .

Long-term author’s repair practice of devices for various purposes shows that such cases often occur not only in transceivers Kenwood TH-F7, but also with flash cards, scanners, printers, cellular phones and radiotelephones.

The reason of the danger is that the positive wire of the power supply is connected to the device first, while the common wire “minus” of the power supply, “case” should be connected first, to protect and arrest the static electricity, to which input circuits of almost any modern electronic device are very sensitive.

The same note is important for connecting the cable from the transceiver to the cigarette lighter jack of the car – first connect the transceiver to the cable, and only then the cable to the cigarette lighter jack.

3. Transceiver Kenwood TH-F7 is not waterproof and dustproof device despite the fact that has a strong and rugged housing . So don’t leave your radio for a long time in the sun, avoid open fire sources, dust, don’t bathe with it, don’t leave it in the rain without umbrella. And put the radio in a place where it does not overheat itself.

Conclusions

For the majority of American regions Kenwood TH-F7 – optimal and economically viable way for local radio communications. Low quality of communication lines, commutation equipment create a wide field for the fruitful communication activity on radio air – whether it is communication within one village or work with the licensed correspondents on the radio frequency in the city through the amplifier-repeater.

The high functionality of the all-band transceiver, on the one hand, and the low cost, fast payback for a small initial investment, on the other – the most important characteristics that make Kenwood TH-F7 increasingly become the starting point for radio amateurs who have their callsign , as well as their novice colleagues.