Programming Kenwoord TK-380

[citrin_1]

Hi all,

I am fairly new to radios. I am glad that I have found others like me on this forum. But I have 1 simple issue.I have purchased a TK-380 on ebay. I tried to program it on KPG-49D. It programmed successfully, but I have a small issue. I cannot receive nor transmit. When I attempt to transmit, the red light comes on and the radio restarts. I also sometimes receive static on certain frequencies. Have I done something wrong?

Please inform me if I have made an error. Have a good day

 

[AA4TX]

A weak battery will give you those same symptoms on transmit.

 

[DJ11DLN]

A weak battery will give you those same symptoms on transmit.

X2, that was my first thought. Get a decent battery with a full charge and see if it improves. IIRC those were pretty foolproof radios, at least the 280s were.

 

[mmckenna]

The radio restarting when you transmit means that the battery is weak and cannot provide enough juice to power the radio when it goes into transmit mode. The voltage drops and the radio can no longer function. It when it does that, the radio stops transmitting and the radio powers back up.

Sounds like you need a new battery. It's circling the drain. Might be good enough for receiving, but it's on it's way out.

Static on certain frequencies sounds like your squelch is set too loose. I don't have the programming software in front of me, but there is a way to adjust that.

 

[citrin_1]

Hello all,

Thank you for your replies, I have charged the battery overnight to see what happens. On transmit, the radio is now outputting a red light only. I still cannot receive any messages on frequencies.

 

[mmckenna]

I suspect a programming issue.

Charging the battery overnight might solve the issue for a short term, but on a radio that old, expect any used battery to need replacement.

 

[citrin_1]

I will get a new battery soon.

How would I fix this programming issue?

 

[mmckenna]

How would I fix this programming issue?

Depends on how it's programmed.

You'd need to give us some information to work with.

Start with channel 1 on the TK-380, tell us what is in these fields:
-RX frequency
-TX frequency
-RX DEC
-TX ENC

Then do the same for the other radio you are using. Likely you'll find something doesn't match. Understanding the terminology and how to program the radio takes time. It is not uncommon to make a few mistakes the first few times around.

 

[citrin_1]

Here is channel 1 information.

RX: 461.625
TX: Same as RX
RX DEC: 103.5
TX ENC: Same as RX DEC

I might be doing something wrong here.

 

[citrin_1]

About the squelch..

is there a certain number I should set it at? Which number is the most optimal?

 

[bharvey2]

The radio shutting down on transmit sure sounds like a battery problem. With regard to the programming issue, do you know what band split your radio has? I think there is one version that is outside of your programming frequency I'm going from memory but I think one is either 470 or 480 mhz to 512mhz. The model numbers will usually have a K1, K2 or K3 after them that denotes the band split.

 

[mmckenna]

Here is channel 1 information.

RX: 461.625
TX: Same as RX
RX DEC: 103.5
TX ENC: Same as RX DEC

I might be doing something wrong here.

OK, is the other radio programmed -exactly- the same way?
What brand/model is the other radio?

 

[mmckenna]

About the squelch..

is there a certain number I should set it at? Which number is the most optimal?

It will depend on your radio, your local noise floor, and what you are listening to. You'll need to set it to what works for your particular situation.

I'm a bit rusty, but I know on the TK-390's there's a way to set up a button to adjust squelch without using the software. You may have to dig through the help files.

 

[mmckenna]

With regard to the programming issue, do you know what band split your radio has? I think there is one version that is outside of your programming frequency I'm going from memory but I think one is either 470 or 480 mhz to 512mhz. The model numbers will usually have a K1, K2 or K3 after them that denotes the band split.

TK-380-1 450-490MHz
TK-380-2 470-512MHz
TK-380-3 400-430MHz

 

[bharvey2]

TK-380-1 450-490MHz
TK-380-2 470-512MHz
TK-380-3 400-430MHz

Thanks for the assist MMcKenna, that's just what I was thinking about. Hopefully the OP doesn't have a radio outside of his desired freq range. To confirm the programming issue, maybe checking the bandsplit, programming inside it and key up on a dummy load to confirm?

 

[citrin_1]

TK-380-1 450-490MHz
TK-380-2 470-512MHz
TK-380-3 400-430MHz

I have the TK-380-1 band split.

If this makes any difference, the numbers under the antenna say 420-470MHz

 

[bharvey2]

Your radio and antenna appear to be correct for the frequency you're using. Next should be to confirm the information that MMcKenna suggests in Post #12.

 

[hill]

If I recall the x80 models don't have any setting for squelch to a button. Unlike the the x90 models that have a setting in the software to assign the squelch to a button function.

The only thing which you can do on x80 models is assign like one the side keys for squelch off.

Going forward I really like x90 models better, even with less channels and smaller display. They are much heavier duty radios and the top display works great for me. I wish more radios in my price range had top displays.