Kenwood TK-8360HUK for GMRS Was: Need help..

[Sequan68]

Hello, can any one enlighten me on a issue with a Kenwood y2k 8360 hu-k
I purchased in a yard sale, no Mike or antena, when I power up it said "NEW DAWN". nothing else except for the volume keys.. I'm baffle. I was hopping to use it as a gmrs radio. Thanks for any help..

 

[RBMTS]

You are seeing the alpha name for the channel. What the frequency is would only be known if you had a frequency counter or you pull the programming information via the radio programming software. It's a UHF radio so once you program it with the proper tools, you could use it for GMRS.

 

[Sequan68]

Ok. I understand somewhat. I just don't understand why I can't get any functions to work. So, from what your saying, once I get the programming software and cable I'll be able to access all the functions??

 

[RBMTS]

The reason none of the buttons are working is that they probably aren't programmed. Most likely the radio is setup for a single frequency. You'll need to program the radio, functions, and soft buttons.

 

[Sequan68]

Thank you very much for your help, I'm feeling reassure😊. Although I paid a hot 10 bucks for it... it is a Kenwood and would really be disappointed if it wasn't able to key up... I will purchase all the necessary accessories to get it up an running. thanx...

 

[mmckenna]

So, what you have is a 45 watt UHF analog radio. It'll transmit/receive in the 450MHz to 520MHz band.
It can be programmed to hold up to 128 channels. It will do analog LTR trunking.
While the radio can be programmed for GMRS frequencies, the radio does not have the correct FCC type acceptance for GMRS.

Since these are a professional grade radio, they don't come fully enabled like a consumer CB would. The radios come from the factory with no programming info in them. The radio shop that sells the radio would program the radio with the features needed by the end user, and the frequencies that were licensed to them by the FCC.
Sounds like the customer that purchased the radio didn't need much in the way of channels or features.

KMC-65M is the correct microphone for the radio. You can purchase them on line.
For the antenna, you will need an appropriate UHF antenna that has been tuned for the frequencies you are licensed to use. The type of antenna will depend on what your planned use is.

They are fairly modern radios, and still sold new by Kenwood. List price for a brand new one with the microphone, mounting bracket and power cable is around $450. Interesting that you found such a new radio at a garage sale with no accessories.

So, what do you do with it?
Well, as I said, it -could- be programmed for GMRS and it would work just fine. It is missing the FCC Part 95 type acceptance that the FCC requires for use on GMRS. That doesn't always stop people, though.

If you want to program it, you'll need Kenwood KPG-135DNK programming software and the KPG-46XM (or equivalent) programming cable.

Here's an issue, though.
Most GMRS users utilize wide band FM. This radio, since it's designed/marketed to commercial users, will not do wide band FM. It's limited to narrow band FM. That's fine, and it'll still work, it'll just sound like the audio is really low on a wide band radio. The other wide band radios may sound distorted when received on this radio.
You can contact Kenwood and get a Wide Band license for the software, that'll let you use the wide FM. But you'll need to provide Kenwood with your GMRS license and they may charge a small amount. Just make sure that the software you buy is a legit Kenwood original, and not a bootleg downloaded copy. They'll want your software activation code.

Good find, that's a pretty decent radio.

 

[Sequan68]

Well i was surprised my self when I noticed it on the table, I ask the price and was told $40, shocked! But I offered $10 and got it...
I've been preparing to take the technician class ham licence, brought a couple of beginner ht radios to monitor on, but I've been looking around to find a desant dual band base radio to start with, trying to paste my self at the same time...

 

[mmckenna]

That radio might stretch down into the 70cm ham band, but not very far. It'll complain when you program it below 450MHz, but it'll take it. If you go too low, the VCO will unlock and the radio will beep at you and not work.

For ham use, you'll have a better time with a dedicated amateur radio. Some of the ham features are handy if you are learning. The commercial radios are not set up for that sort of use, so it'd be a bit frustrating.

$10 is a great deal...

 

[cmdrwill]

At least it IS a real Kwoodie......

 

[Sequan68]

Ahhh. Ok, ill keep that in mind. I'm glad to know and will see what I can do with it. Thank you very much.