frequency wont take

[billdozer]

I just got my tm-281a. im using kw software. when i enter my frequency (154.1450) it says its rounding to nearest freq. Whats the deal here. radio has mars cap enabled. I need to tx and rx on this freq. what am i doing wrong?? I tried adjusting step but its not take. Im a firefighter and thats why i need the setup to work.. please dont give me the fcc rules on using this radio for non ham purposes please. Any info greatly appreciated

[cdknapp]

Is this radio narrow band capable? If it's not, it's to round up to the closest 'wide band' frequency. While this would be okay monitoring, transmitting is probably going to be a problem. If it is narrow band capable, make sure your frequency steps are set to 12.5 mgz, not 25.

[billdozer]

thanks for the response.. the radio has an fm narrow selection.. i did get freq to take using the 5hz step... Would there be a problem using this step?? the freq is just how i entered it but only using the 5hz step. I know absolutly nothing about steps. thanks

[cabletech]

The TM 281A is a North American Amature radio and is designed to only operate in the 144-147.995 frequency band.

Yes, you can do a mars mod that will enable you to go a little lower or higher but is not legal for use on ANY commerical frequency requardless of the agency.

As for the xx.0123 being abled to be programed in AND to work, the radio is NOT designed to do that.

Yes, it does have a FMnarrow selection, but that was put in based on the potental of ham frequency's doing some narrow banding.

Just remember that if you are using the radio in the public safety service you are libale for any interferance and are subject to fine and having the radio taken away from you.

All I can say is good luck

[mmckenna]

Originally Posted by billdozer

please dont give me the fcc rules on using this radio for non ham purposes please.

OK, obviously you are already aware of the FCC type certification issues.

So, in an effort to save money, you purchased a radio that, in addition to the FCC issues, won't work correctly for what you need. The options you have are:
1. use it on your fire department frequency where it will sound like crap because it's off frequency. You will get complaints and drive everyone nuts with your transmissions. The agency holding the license can be held responsible for your violations if they are aware of you using a non type accepted radio. Adjacent frequencies that have law abiding users, maybe even other public safety agencies, can receive interference from your radio. If that other agency is a fire department, you would be putting your own fellow firefighters lives at risk. If it's the paramedics, you could interfere with their transmissions causing risk to someone in need of their services. If it's a PD, then you are putting officers lives at risk. All this so you can save a few bucks.

2. You can go out and purchase a proper radio and hope you can sell your Kenwood to an Amateur radio operator, who can use it legally.

I know, this isn't what you wanted to hear. You were hoping for a cheap and easy fix, I understand completely, but please, listen to what people are trying to tell you. I run radio systems for a state agency, including a fire and police department. You really need to have the correct gear for what you are trying to do, and trying to get a cheap solution isn't going to work here. I can tell you what will likely happen. You will transmit with this radio. The dispatchers or another unit will hear the crappy sounding signal and complain to whoever maintains the radio system (someone like me). That person will get raked over the coals because "your system is crap". The radio tech will likely spend a bunch of time going through the system looking for faulty equipment, misalignment, etc. When the tech has completed all that and realized that all the gear is working correctly, he'll start asking questions. The trail will lead back to you. You will then have to answer some pretty hard questions, likely involving your chief, the radio shop, your captain, etc. Probably not what you are wanting to happen.

I fully understand wanting to save money, been there, done that. This isn't the place to do it. You can find legal and suitable radios many different places for likely what you paid for the amateur radio you now have. There are a lot of people here, including me, that would be more than happy to help you identify the correct radio based on your needs and your budget. Make use of those resources and save yourself a lot of headaches down the road, not only for you, but those you work with, please.

[cdknapp]

Originally Posted by billdozer

Im a firefighter and thats why i need the setup to work..

mmckenna is right on spot. Another consideration is safety if you are using it in ANY operations. It sounds like you are simply not going to get this unit to do that narrow band frequency.

I may have a workable option for you; PM me if you are interested.

[billdozer]

mmckenna.. I did not realize all that could happen. I dont know a whole heck of a lot about radios yet but im trying to learn. Thanks for pointing this out.. If anyone can help im looking for a field programmable vhf radio. at least ten channels. preferably under 200 dollars or at least in that ball park. I have a couple motorola vhf radius but there only two channels. Plus the cost of programming is outrageous thats why i would like a field programmable radio...

why does the sales places such as antenna farm offer the mars cap mod on these units if there illegal and could cause interfierence.. THanks for all the help and input.

[billdozer]

and i forgot to add that i prefer a radio with at least 45 watts.. my location to the dispatch is 30 miles with hilly terrain... plus my town has a lot of dead spots

[towertech]

While I do not condone use of non type-accepted equipment on Part 90 frequencies, the TM-271 / TM-281 will operate on 154.1450, with no problem. The programming software allows selection of 2.5 Khz. to 100 Khz. step sizes for using the VFO, and the transceiver does operate in narrow band (+/- 2.5 Khz. max deviation).

The TM-271 appears to have a RF chassis similar to the TK-7160, the TM-281 to the TK-7360. The main differences are in the control head & microprocessor features.

One of the features which is absent in the Amateur radio version is audio companding. If companding is used on the other radios, the Amateur radio will receive somewhat distorted RX audio.

As a commercial 2-way tech, I use a TH-F6A and a TM-271A as frequency & tone agile test radios for troubleshooting customer's repeater systems several times a week with no problems. It's a lot cheaper than getting a TK-2180 or TK-3180 with the Tactical Feature Set.

The transceivers exhibit no more spurious emissions than their commercial counterparts, though the RX bandpass filtering & dynamic range on the F6 portable leaves a lot to be desired.

Bottom line: Will the TM-281 do what you want? Yes.

Should you use a non type-accepted radio on Part 90 Frequencies for daily use? Definitely not.

[mmckenna]

Billdozer,

Thank you for taking my post in the manner it was meant, not to scold you, but to inform you. It's unfortunately pretty common for people to perform these modifications to amateur radios as a way to save a few bucks. Unfortunately, the flip side of that is the possibility for interference. I don't know of any firefighters or police officers that would willingly do this. It's OK not to know this. As a public safety professional, you know that laws, codes and rules are put in place for a reason. It's not to force people to spend more money, it's their to prevent issues for others.

Finding a mobile radio that that meets all your needs is going to be difficult due the requirement for field programmability. One of the FCC rules says that the operator of the radio can't make adjustments to the radio, it's supposed to be done by a technician. This is to prevent unknowing users from causing interference to others. If you have a PC, or a PC laptop, programming your own radio can be easy and not too expensive.

Inexpensive pretty much rules out any Motorola gear if you want to use legally obtained software.

Icom, Kenwood and Vertex are some of the others that I'd suggest looking at. 45 watts, VHF, 10 channels and $200 bucks or less isn't a big deal either. I'm thinking that you'll get some help on this site, you could follow up with CDKnapp up above and see what he can do.

I personally have a 50 watt Motorola CDM-750 that I'm looking to get rid of. Only issue is that it's only 4 channels.
I don't think you are going to have an issue finding what you need.

As for Antenna Farm, are they selling the radios modded already, or just providing the info on how to do it?
Owning a modded radio isn't illegal. Modding a radio isn't illegal. Transmitting with one is if you are outside the ham bands.
The MARS/CAP mod is sort of a moot point. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) supposedly doesn't allow their people to use modified ham radios. MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service) does. There really isn't much of a need for amateur radios to be able to do this any more, but it seems to still be something that's out there.
Overseas, some of these radios are legal this way.

Anyway, you are on the right track, and you are doing the right thing, and I thank you for that! I hope you find a radio that meets your needs for a good price.

And, thank you for what you do. I had to learn basic shipboard firefighting while in the Coast Guard, and it scared the crap out of me. I really gotta hand it to guys like you. No way you get paid enough for that sort of stuff.

[mmckenna]

Originally Posted by towertech

As a commercial 2-way tech, I use a TH-F6A and a TM-271A as frequency & tone agile test radios for troubleshooting customer's repeater systems several times a week with no problems. It's a lot cheaper than getting a TK-2180 or TK-3180 with the Tactical Feature Set.

Yep, I know guys who do the same thing. I use a Kenwood TK-290 with the front panel programming turned on.

Originally Posted by towertech

The transceivers exhibit no more spurious emissions than their commercial counterparts, though the RX bandpass filtering & dynamic range on the F6 portable leaves a lot to be desired.

I've never put one on the bench, but I've heard the same thing. I've seen where the RX sensitivity is crap on some of the older ham rigs.

Originally Posted by towertech

Bottom line: Will the TM-281 do what you want? Yes.

Should you use a non type-accepted radio on Part 90 Frequencies for daily use? Definitely not.

I've seen where in some countries they are legally allowed to use these radios in the opened up mode. It's pretty common in some area. Unfortunately some of the people who set them up don't always know what they are doing and can cause issues.
Thanks for not encouraging this. It really irks me when amateur radio operators will encourage people to use the hacked ham gear instead of the correct stuff.

[billdozer]

MMckenna, thanks for acknowledging my services.. We all appreciate hearing that once in a while..
Antenna Farm sells the radio and they do the mars cap mod for an extra fee.. $30?? i think.

How much would you sell your motorola for and is a programming cable available? Most motorolas ive seen or own(ed) you cant purchase the cable. THats a major downner for me cuz the closest dealer that programs is around 50 miles away and they charge like 30 bucks for ten channels i think. I just dont want to and really cant afford to spend that money for the gas programming and all that you know.

Please pm me on radio details. Thank you

[mmckenna]

That's really disappointing about Antenna Farm doing those modifications. While I'm sure there is a legal loophole, it's just not the right way to do things. I've never purchased from them, likely never will. Much more likely not when I read things like this, but that is my own personal opinion.

[rapidcharger]

I had to see this to believe it.
The Antenna Farm puts them in a category called "amateur/ civil service radios" and they do sell an unlocked version for an extra $35. Unbelievable.

Anyway, the best bet for Billdozer is going to be something like the Icom 5011 or 5021. The price for a new one is under $250. Used, I'm sure they're well below $200. I just bought a used 5061*d!* for $200.