• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

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    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

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programing kenwood tk-290

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SCPD

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hi i have a kenwood tk-290 now is it hard to program.
i got the the software off ebay for $35.00 the software
 

SCPD

QRT
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hi there

hi i got my kenwood tk-290 form my friend chris clancy when he
gave it to me. he found it in a camp ground in oregon. he told me it was on
a dumpster in the camp ground. so i bouth a charger for it witch was $59.00
and a speaker mic, serial programing cable, and it works good.
also i want to program it to transmit to my motorola mt 500 railroad radio,

also if you want to see my friends web site go too,
MILWAUKEE SOUTHERN RAILWAY LINES - MSR901
 

mrweather

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There are Windows and DOS versions. In either case, you enter the frequencies on a spreadsheet-like page and write to the radio.
 

burner50

The Third Variable
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How do you know the radio "Works Good"?

I seriously doubt you bought legal software off of ebay for $35. What is the version of the program you bought from eBay? That could be the major problem right there.
 
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ramal121

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QUOTE=burner50;1216356]How do you know the radio "Works Good"?

I seriously doubt you bought legal software off of ebay for $35. What is the version of the program you bought from eBay? That could be the major problem right there.[/QUOTE]

If a seller had a ligit original disk and case that they bought from Kenwood, could they not resell that on Ebay for cheap? Need to really read the the license agreement to see where this stands. If it's a copy, as Gomer says, "shame shame shame".

Anyway, with the correct software and cable, one should be able to read the radio, make changes and write it back. If it's a DOS version, it will require a real DOS computer with windows 98 or earlier OS and a real serial port and can only program version 1 radios. Windows software will work on newer computers and program all TK-290's. Will need a USB to serial adaptor if the computer has no serial ports.

The thing is, there is no tutorials (I know of) that explain how to program a commercial grade radio. If you have a background in radio setup, then the use of the help files will guide you through the process. I have seen posts where questions are asked about repeater splits or ctcss tones. These are a given for basic radio programming, although it seems some don't have a clue. I shutter for the fact that someone is configuring a transmit capable radio when it's obvious they have but a hint of what they are doing. This is not a scanner and misprogramming a radio of this type could lead to interference that ultimately may result in prosecution and hefty fines.

I don't mind helping someone with a new piece of software or getting a specific option to play right. The way this thread poster comes off, they cannot really focus on a specific problem area and makes me think they should enlist the help of someone that can set up the software and radio properly and explain to them what was done so they may learn.

I cannot do that myself in this forum and this is my last post on this thread.
 

n7maq-1

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hi i got my kenwood tk-290 form my friend chris clancy when he
gave it to me. he found it in a camp ground in oregon. he told me it was on
a dumpster in the camp ground. so i bouth a charger for it witch was $59.00
and a speaker mic, serial programing cable, and it works good.
also i want to program it to transmit to my motorola mt 500 railroad radio,

also if you want to see my friends web site go too,
MILWAUKEE SOUTHERN RAILWAY LINES - MSR901

Did you or your friend try to find the owner of this radio? You did say it was "ON" the dumpster, not IN, so I would assume it was left there by mistake. That would be my main concern, Oregon state uses a lot of Kenwood radios and if it was in a state park it very well could belong to a state agency, including OSP. I hope you at least called the local LEA. It is not your radio, you need to do the right thing.

There are laws in Oregon that relate to found property ( theft of lost, mislaid property, which is a misdemeanor), and no it's not yours to keep. Just ask the Lincoln County Deputy that found $60.00 cash in the casino, he was arrested for finding property and keeping it. ( Deputy Accused Of Theft At Casino - Portland News Story - KPTV Portland ) So you have basically admitted to being in possession of a stolon radio in a public forum. I would not be surprised if you are contacted by a LEO now.


Jim
 

ab3ai

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What I find disturbing is that he/she wants to program the radio to talk to a MT500 RR radio. So, are we going to program and TX on RR freq with out a license?
 

Gezelle007

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Don't really know how I stumbled upon this, but that is pretty unsettling... someone finds a high grade radio in a random park, sells it, of course to someone who has no regard for the laws of FCC.
 

garyh9900

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I have a TK-290. I used it when I was EMT about 10 years ago. I've been issued 2180's, 3180's, 380's, motorola's, and now the new nexedges. I handle the comms for alot of the agencies I work with(so I have most of the software and cables), I have find a old computer to program a tk-290 , I'm not aware of a updated version of the software that works with anything newer than windows 2000.
 

garyh9900

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Don't really know how I stumbled upon this, but that is pretty unsettling... someone finds a high grade radio in a random park, sells it, of course to someone who has no regard for the laws of FCC.

BTW, I would hardly call the TK-290 a high grade radio. You can't even sell them on ebay successfully for a $100 anymore. They where nice when they were new, but they are just way outdated today.
 

Gezelle007

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BTW, I would hardly call the TK-290 a high grade radio. You can't even sell them on ebay successfully for a $100 anymore. They where nice when they were new, but they are just way outdated today.

I meant as compared to a Bubble pack walkie talkie which you are way more likely to find at a park lol.
 
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