• 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.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    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).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

TK890H Will not allow read or write.

Status
Not open for further replies.

wcoriston

Buff.
Feed Provider
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
78
Location
Ulster County, New York
Good afternoon all. I have a peculiar read/write issue and I'm flat out stumped. Our rescue engine has a Kenwood TK890H drawer with dual full function heads (One in the cab and one at the pump panel). No matter what I do I cannot successfully read or write to the radio. Every attempt gets about 1 or 2 blocks in and says check device type and com port. Things I've tried:

-Cable functions on 2 TK690s, one dual head, one single head, as well as a dual head TK790.
-The fire service version of the KPG-44D software.
-Disconnecting each head and trying to read/write with a single head.
-Running on COM1 as some research has suggested.
-Changing com port speeds and buffer levels.
-Ordered a second cable and had the same results. (One serial, one usb to serial conversion)


I'm out of ideas, research has dead ended, I just need to update our channel lineup.

Thoughts?
 

kayn1n32008

ØÆSØ
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
6,601
Location
Sector 001
Check in the device manager to see what port windows is assigning the cable. The only other thing may be you are using too old of software for the firmware in the radio.
 

com501

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2003
Messages
1,617
Location
127.0.0.1
Operating system? Some PCs will not support kpg software under Windows 10. Windows 7 is your friend.
 

wcoriston

Buff.
Feed Provider
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
78
Location
Ulster County, New York
Operating system? Some PCs will not support kpg software under Windows 10. Windows 7 is your friend.

Windows 10. Could that still be an issue considering the software has written to other radios?


I have KPG-44D v 2.1 I did not know there was a 2.2?

What version firmware are you running?

Typo, 2.1 is correct. I will check what firmware is in the radio when I get to the firehouse tomorrow.
 

LakeMan2

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2014
Messages
110
Windows 10. Could that still be an issue considering the software has written to other radios?
.
Just to confirm. The KPG-44D software on that specific computer has successfully written to other TK-x90 radios but won't to the 890H?

I ask because I have seen com port conflicts (more than one driver attached to the same com port) cause errors like that. But if that were the case, it would not be radio specific.
 

LakeMan2

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2014
Messages
110
Well then, if you know that that specific software, on that specific computer, with that specific cable works on other X90 radios but not one specific 890H, you have pretty much narrowed it down to that specific radio having an issue.

It could be firmware incompatibility, but I doubt it if you are running that latest software version as you said you are. I suspect that something in the radio electronics has shifted out of spec and the timing or levels are off for the data lines. You could try cleaning the data cable socket on the radio, a resistive film on the data pins could throw timing/levels off. Another remote possibility is if the power supply is somehow dirty (a lot of ripple, noise, etc) maybe that is throwing things off. (I am reaching here).

Or, and perhaps more likely, the radio memory is corrupted enough to prevent read/write but not prevent the radio from operating. There is a lot of data operations (data verification, ack, checksums, etc) that programming requires that the radio operation would not care about.

I don't know if there is a way to factory reset those radios. But of course that would be fairly risky, because if you still can't program it after a reset/firmware reload they you effectively have a non-functioning radio.
 
Last edited:

LakeMan2

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2014
Messages
110
One other thing, and you have probably already done this, but unplug and reseat the remote head cables at both the head and at the radio end.
 

johndjmix

Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
40
I have a similar problem programing a kenwood portable. Computer programs TK-790's no problem.

Tried replacing the programing cable. Still no good. Thought it was the radio until I had a shop try, it programed no problem.

Then the catch, im running the software on a mac under parallells. Im pretty sure thats the issue.

--John
 

LakeMan2

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2014
Messages
110
I have a similar problem programing a kenwood portable. Computer programs TK-790's no problem.

Tried replacing the programing cable. Still no good. Thought it was the radio until I had a shop try, it programed no problem.

Then the catch, im running the software on a mac under parallells. Im pretty sure thats the issue.

--John

You probably know this, buts just in case... When you install the program there is a Model menu item, Under that is a Model Information setting section. That defaults to TK-790 when installed. It obviously needs to be changed to your model type. If not changed, that might explain working with 790 but not 890.
 

wcoriston

Buff.
Feed Provider
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
78
Location
Ulster County, New York
Thanks to everyone for the tips and insight. I figured I should fill you in on the conclusion. As a last ditch effort I said screw it and ordered a third cable. A usb to serial with the FTDI chip. That cable reads and writes to the TK890H as well as the other radios I previously had no issues with. So the serial to Kenwood lead and the usb with the non FTDI chip (was the correct older driver) failed but this one works fine and I have the programs ready for our whole fleet, just waiting on the go from the chief. Thanks again everyone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top