TK-272G-1 Hex Editing?

[CatLover1234]

I was given a TK-272G-1 which I know is only good for 150-172MHz. Is there a HEX edit or something to make it useable down to 146MHz? If not, I still have a use for it albeit even less. Just hoping there's a way to make it slightly more useable. I know the model 2 of these radios natively supports 136-150MHz but I'm not that lucky.

 

[tunnelmot]

Have you tried the "enter enter" trick?
On my Kenwoods, I can enter an out of band freq, then get a prompt warning me it's out of range, then simply hit enter again and the radio takes it. Almost all my Kennys work fine using this method.
I don't have a 272g, but just seeing if you tried that.

 

[thedanderzone]

You can also trick the radio into believing it’s a different model. I have chosen the TK-270 (I believe, I can’t remember exactly) and then been able to use many more channels than the 32 it says it allows.
I’ve also gotten amateur frequencies in, I believe by simply using the trick mentioned above. It will give you a warning, but click enter and it should work. I used a 272 for amateur frequencies for a long time.

 

[Vern]

Just keep in mind that most of these radios will only work 'out of band' just so far.
I have an older NX-300 that has the "450 and up" channel split. It will accept some 70cm ham freq's below 450 using that "enter, enter" menthod, but not all of them. I can enter some 445's in it won't go down to 440.xxxx. "Your mileage may vary" as they used to say on TV ads. I think the techs refer to this as a "VCO Unlock Condition" and the radio won't function at that freq.

 

[CatLover1234]

Yes, the enter trick worked. I saw another thread about changing the radio to the TK-270 model, I will have to give that a try. I just need to add a few ham repeaters around 147MHz, I will see how the radio behaves with that.

 

[CatLover1234]

Finally got the radio programmed but it has very low receive audio. I tried an external speaker mic and the issue persists.

 

[mmckenna]

Did you retune the radio? Moving them out of their spec'd band usually puts them on or outside the filters. A trip to Mr. Service Monitor can sometimes perk them up, especially on a radio old enough to be carried by Marconi himself.
Also, make sure you have your deviation set correctly.

 

[CatLover1234]

Did you retune the radio? Moving them out of their spec'd band usually puts them on or outside the filters. A trip to Mr. Service Monitor can sometimes perk them up, especially on a radio old enough to be carried by Marconi himself.
Also, make sure you have your deviation set correctly.

This is my first Kenwood radio, is there a seperate service software I will need to obtain?

Even on in band frequencies the received audio is very quiet. Beeps generated by button presses don't have volume issues, so it probably needs a trip to a service monitor.

 

[mmckenna]

Make sure you have the deviation set correctly for all your channels. There should be two options: wide and narrow.
Wide is 5KHz deviation, usually 25KHz channel spacing
Narrow is 2.5KHz deviation, usually 12.5KHz channel spacing.
Most VHF radio services in the USA outside of amateur radio will be running narrow. If you are set to wide, it's going to sound like really low audio.
On the ham bands, it's common to run wide.

If that is all programmed correctly, it's may be worth getting it aligned. That might be a bit expensive, maybe $100 or so if you pay a shop. Not something you can do yourself unless you have a spare $40K service monitor sitting around.

 

[wd8chl]

My first suspect-ceramic filters in the receiver. Those are known problems in nearly every brand of radio of that vintage.
Also, I have a 372G that I told to be 370E to get it to take 440-470, and it covers that ok, but not much beyond.

 

[CatLover1234]

The radio is programmed correctly, it probably is a hardware issue.

 

[mmckenna]

The radio is programmed correctly, it probably is a hardware issue.

OK, then as wd8chl said, probably the ceramic filters. But a tune up wouldn't be a bad idea. It's an older radio and likely due for an alignment anyway, that is if you can find a shop that has the software/cables and willing to do it. Better if you can find a ham that will do it cheap/free.

If you can't find a shop that'll do it, consider a more modern radio. Easier to find someone to align it, and more likely to be in good shape. The TK-290 is a good option, plus can be set up to do FPP.