TK-5220 wideband firmware

[N9MGR]

Hello all, I'm new to the discussion board but not commercial equipment. I started my commercial journey with Kenwood equipment 20 years ago, then got pulled over to the Motorola side as some of the things I now have access to are Motorola proprietary. I'm trying to make my way back into Kenwood as well & finding it a much different experience.

I recently obtained a 5210G & 2 5220's. After many headaches it was concluded that the 5210 was beyond redemption & locked in narrow band jail. I was able to obtain a wideband serial for it so that is finally resolved (kind of). The 5220's are still free but severely outdated at firmware versions 1.01 & 1.04. I've been working with an acquaintance who is a Kenwood shop tech, but his shop deals mainly in business equipment. These types of radios are few & far between for him. So I'm hoping the knowledgable people here can answer this question & help us both out.

What is the last wideband safe firmware version for the 5220? I'd like to get them as close to current as possible without having them end up in narrowband jail as well. The 5210 was enough of a headache to correct, I really don't want to do it again. If I can just find out what I need, I know he can help me obtain it. I know someone could say to just leave them be then & I can't completely disagree. However, this firmware is so old it's almost beta. I know things have likely been fixed & added since then. The PD equipment upgrade these came from makes me wonder if they were upgraded because they let them get so out of date...

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[kd4efm]

5220 is vhf, and anything below 149 will wide band.
2.24 is the last firmware for the 5x20 models. Those upgraded nx700 being they do analog and p25.
KPG112DN 2.33

The wideband key for 112 is pretty expensive however.

 

[N9MGR]

Correct, the 5210 was the same way. However, that knocked out the last 2 channels of MURS & the entire marine band. I really don't want carry 3+ radios when 1 setup right can cover it. I often end up having to carry 2 as it is, the XPR7550 UHF is needed to cover the CapPlus system many days.

Yes, those keys are quite expensive. The 95DGN was enough, I'm aiming to avoid that pitfall on the 5220's. They're still free. That's why I'm looking for the last firmware version before narrow was forced. On Motorola I'm already setup, but could jump on my account, get a $5 EID (used to be free) in about an hour & be back to it. Certainly not the case on the Kenwood side unfortunately. So avoidance of narrowband jail is best practice when possible.

 

[tlemke940]

as for the 5210 (I have a few) you do not want the 95dgn as it is narrow band software you want the kpg-95DG v7.01 non N as for the tk-5220 (I don't have any to test currently but have in the past) you want the kpg-112D v2.01 software not the 112DN software as it is also narrow band. the same keys work for each software works for both the narrow band and wide band software. I think the versions I listed are also the latest version of the software

 

[N9MGR]

Unfortunately the 5210G was beyond redemption by the time I got it. I tried all of the non N softwares & even the stuff I found online to try with those softwares. Same message, check version. After all salvage attempts failed, I tried the DGN version my acquaintance sent me & it worked the first time. So I had to grind my teeth & get a wide serial for the DGN. I'm trying everything to avoid the same fate for these 5220's but not getting far short of doing nothing.

Now I tried programming one & the software tells me it's full at 2/3 memory. Still 7200kb memory left, not near 512 channels. I did a rough count. I have no idea what the deal with that is. Firmware issue? All I know I'm starting to wear thin with these radios. I probably need to put them aside for a bit. This part is probably a different a thread I'm sure.