Shoulder mic not working?

[upper49th]

Hey Guys,
I'm new here and I will probably need more help than others, but here goes...

Our Department just got Kenwood TK-5210 transceivers and other than PTT capabilities, they didn't come programed with anything. We are in Alaska and the radio shop we got everything (transceivers,batteries,antennas,shoulder mics, and a few other accessories) through is a few hundred miles away. In the winter especially this is not a drive were wanting to do unless we have to!
So here is the issue all 6 radios aren't getting sound from the shoulder mics but they do transmit. Radio guy says they are plug and play and that possible we got a bad batch of mics? We have looked for software to program the radios, but still haven't come across the one we need specifically. Question is are the shoulder mics needing to be activated through the programing software or is there something we can do otherwise to activate them?

 

[mmckenna]

1. DO NOT SKIP STEP 5.
2. Open KPG-95 programming software.
3. Connect one of your radios.
4. Read the radio
5. IMPORTANT! save the file to your computer before making any changes!
6. Under "Optional Features 1", "Common Page 1", make sure "external speaker" is selected. If it's not, check it and then rewrite to the radio and see if that fixes it.

If that doesn't fix it, let me know.

 

[upper49th]

1. DO NOT SKIP STEP 5.
2. Open KPG-95 programming software.
3. Connect one of your radios.
4. Read the radio
5. IMPORTANT! save the file to your computer before making any changes!
6. Under "Optional Features 1", "Common Page 1", make sure "external speaker" is selected. If it's not, check it and then rewrite to the radio and see if that fixes it.

All we have are the radios for the time being, no programming software came with them. We have purchased a two way Radio Programing Cable, but have not been able to find the KPG-95 software yet.

 

[mmckenna]

All we have are the radios for the time being, no programming software came with them. We have purchased a two way Radio Programing Cable, but have not been able to find the KPG-95 software yet.

Software is available from you Kenwood dealer:
KPG-95DGNK, list price $628.00
KPG-36XM is the Kenwood branded cable, list price $158.50

You -should- be able to purchase for considerably less than "list" price.

If you are that far removed from your dealer/service, then this should be something you have. In fact, I'd recommend it for all your radios. Been a long time since I lived in Alaska, but I know down here in California, frequencies are always changing. I probably have to make additions/changes to our public safety user radios once a year. I will not take on a new radio unless I have the software, cable and service manuals. I know the cost may be prohibitive, but having to rely on your dealer for everything, even one 200 miles away, can be an issue. If you stick with these radios for a long time (and no reason they shouldn't last you) it'll pay off.

 

[upper49th]

Yes, that is approximately the price we were quoted by the radio shop we purchased from $685 for the KPG-95DGNK. We have purchased the Programing Cable already and now, were just shopping around for a better price for the software. We are not going to purchase the software for the price he is quoting us, its unfortunate, but I am sure I can find a copy of it somewhere for cheaper
Back to my original question, do the P25 series radios, in particularly the TK-5210's have to be programmed to accept the shoulder mic?
It is still our primary goal to get these shoulder mics working as quickly as possible.

 

[upper49th]

Does anyone know where to start looking to price out the KPG-95DGNK software. I really would like to get the software at the absolute cheapest rate that I can find. I would love to believe that there are options aside from my radio guy's retail prices that he has quotes us.
I have been looking around and can not seem to locate the KPG-95 software for sale anywhere. Just other copies for different model receivers.

And back to the original question. Is it the programing and lack there of, which is keeping our shoulder mics from working? Our radio guy, whom we purchased through is adamant that he tried a mic out on the radios and they left the shop working?

 

[mmckenna]

Back to my original question, do the P25 series radios, in particularly the TK-5210's have to be programmed to accept the shoulder mic?
It is still our primary goal to get these shoulder mics working as quickly as possible.

I'm back in my office…

I just updated my TK-5210 to the latest firmware and updated my KPG-95 to the latest version.

I programmed it with the "External Speaker" function that I mentioned above unchecked. I tested and the receive audio ONLY comes out the radio speaker. No audio comes out the speaker mic.

I then programmed it with the "External Speaker" function checked, and audio comes out the speaker mic ONLY.

Removing the speaker mic restores audio to the radio front speaker.

Mic is a KMC-41. Radio is a TK-5210 Version 3 running G6.13.00
KPG-95DKN is version 8.30

So, this is a programming error by the shop. Easy fix if they were local, or you had the software. Based on this, it might be worth calling the shop and telling them what's going on. They owe you a fix. That fix could be send a tech out to your location, or send you a deeply discounted (or better) KPG-95 software. Either way, looks like they need to fix this.

 

[mmckenna]

Does anyone know where to start looking to price out the KPG-95DGNK software. I really would like to get the software at the absolute cheapest rate that I can find. I would love to believe that there are options aside from my radio guy's retail prices that he has quotes us.

Only legal source of the software is from Kenwood or a Kenwood dealer. There might be other sources out there, but you should be cautious. Not only the copyright issues, but also version issues. Often older software versions will not work with newer firmware. Also, the source of the "free" software can be questionable. Downloading stuff from other countries can come with all kinds of exciting features that may not make you popular.
But, that's your choice, not recommending it, and it doesn't sound like that's what you are looking for.

Kenwood has two price lists. There is the "LIST" price, which is kind of the MSRP. Then they have a "Dealer" price. Big difference between the two. Unlikely you'll get anything close to dealer price, as that's where the dealer makes profit.
If your agency can purchase under the WSCA (Western States Contract Alliance, NASPO Home Page ) you should be able to purchase at a flat 30% below list price from Kenwood. That's how we purchase our equipment.

You can start calling around to other Kenwood shops and get prices. A list of Kenwood dealers can be found here:
http://locator.kenwood.com/usa/com/

A good price to look for would be the list - 30%. Most dealers don't have an issue with WSCA pricing for most gov. agencies.

And back to the original question. Is it the programing and lack there of, which is keeping our shoulder mics from working? Our radio guy, whom we purchased through is adamant that he tried a mic out on the radios and they left the shop working?

Yes, see above post. Directions to fix it are in Post #2.

Sounds like the tech is confused. With the speaker mic attached and the "external speaker" box unchecked, the transmit audio from the speaker mic will work fine. That's probably what he is referring to. Probably he didn't notice that the RX audio wasn't coming out the speaker/mic.

 

[mmckenna]

Sounds like the tech is confused. With the speaker mic attached and the "external speaker" box unchecked, the transmit audio from the speaker mic will work fine. That's probably what he is referring to. Probably he didn't notice that the RX audio wasn't coming out the speaker/mic.

I can't edit this and I need to clarify, I made an error above…

Should say: With the speaker mic attached and the "external speaker" box unchecked, the RECEIVE audio from the speaker mic will NOT work. The tech is probably referring to the TRANSMIT audio. The mic part will work with or without the "external speaker" box unchecked. The "external speaker" option just controls where the audio goes.

Easy fix, if it wasn't for the distance involved.