Kenwood D75 - Why I'm WAITING to order it

[@thuff3207]

I agree the battery should be better and I hope they improved it. For me a better bluetooth profile that is modern would help using it with tablets. So I am waiting.

[@marcosmanon]

I'd love to have this radio. But I must wait until they develop some connectivity with Mac OS and iOS - I doubt it'll ever happen.

[@jd1029]

I am 100% with you on this! I have the D74A and really haven't used it much due to my own issues figuring it out

[@marcosmanon]

@@jd1029 I had reasonable success in the past running a Windows program for HAM radio on an Intel-based Mac with Bootcamp. Obviously, you can't do that now with the Silicone chips. It may be worth a try if you have an old Mac lying around the house.

[@kelvin0mql]

If you raffled one off, I’d buy a ticket or three.

[@K0LWC]

Need to tell Kenwood to make that happen. 😂

[@jamesplunkett1787]

I have the D74 and the RX audio is very tinny. I’ve tried a speaker mic and it does not help much even with EQ settings. I’m wondering if it would be safe to use with a headset or even headphones?

[@lephotographinc]

I see your point exactly.. I am rolling the dice..just placed an order for one. 73's Pascal

[@edwardyanceyjr]

I have the D74 and i agree that it is a great radio. I'm waiting to make a purchase because i want to make sure they have worked out all the bugs and gremlins, if any. I also want to wait until someone like you, Ham radio 2.0 or Ham radio concepts give a good and detailed review on the radio. If there are any short comings in the radio, I want to know before i make my purchase.

[@fabiomuzzi7047]

So by looking at current reviews, seems that the D75 has a good (maybe not perfect) audio but a very poor battery life, actually.

[@ac0m-glennthompson432]

Not for me. I have the D72 and it is perfect for me.

[@K0LWC]

That’s a solid radio. The one that started all the craze over this line from Kenwood.

[@MacsForever1]

It also has full duplex audio, something that the 74 and 75 won't have. Full duplex is handy for satellite work. So hang on to that 72!!!@@K0LWC

[@ManuelPinner]

it's a Tribander with full 5 watts on 220 Mhz,

[@ThomasHart59]

I have the TH-D7a and use it on my Dual-Sport motorcycle for APRS and voice. I did put in a pre-order on the D75 but have decided to hold off for now. Like you, I'd like to determine if the power consumption issue has been addressed before I drop that kind of cash. I do wish they'd have gone with DMR as their digital mode though, D-Star is pretty dead as far as I can tell, which is another factor, frankly. Paying for a digital mode that is not in use around me seems silly. (And I'm in Los Angeles County!)

[@K0LWC]

DMR would have been awesome. Like all the modes D-STAR has pockets around the country where it’s active, but it’s dead here in Minnesota.

[@ThomasHart59]

@@K0LWC Update: After waiting and watching in-depth videos on the radio, I bought one after all. The bluetooth functionality, the terminal mode via android phone without needing a hotspot, and as you mention, the packet sensitivity is head and shoulders ( at least by my subjective observation) above the APRS implementations on my Yaesu radios. Really happy with the radio. Connecting the KISS TNC to my Xastir installation via Bluetooth is pretty cool too.

[@FooBar89]

A motorola radio buys 10 D75 😂

[@thebnbaldwin]

In your opinion, in the complexity category, how does the TH-74D compare to the Anytone 878. I recently purchased a TH-74D and just started playing around with it. I haven't tried DStar yes, and I own a ic705 that I've only used for SSB & AFDK data. And yes, I had reserved a TH-75D before I bought the 74, and will make the purchase.

[@K0LWC]

The 74 is more complex than the AnyTone 878. It’s much easier to “pick up” the 878 compared to the Kenwood.

[@mark12.31]

With that price point I think waiting for some reviews to come out is wise for a majority of hams. I'm not meaning to imply that the price is outrageous or anything, just that for most people (myself included), $750 + tax is a chunk of change to drop on a radio (or anything). Definitely wise to hold off. But, by all appearances, it looks like it'll be a great radio for sure.

[@K0LWC]

Excited to see it start shipping. Kenwood makes a great radio - but the battery issue is such a sticking point for me.

[@Dale-u5p]

I have and th-d74a I love it Wd6la

[@ch716]

I’m so disappointed that this radio doesn’t support Bluetooth low energy. This excludes any iPhone users who want to use it with their apps. Android only. Even $40 Chinese radios have BLE.

[@pale_2111]

I traded my ID-52 for one when it is released. While it is expensive, it has a lot of capabilities and that's I'm getting one. Do I need it? No, i don't, but having a triband radio with DV on 220MHz would be cool.

[@RussellThomas]

I'm keeping an eye on this radio from an APRS perspective. I like the idea of the easy tnc access over Bluetooth for digital over the computer or phone. I have an FT-5 now. If you strictly compare APRS with your 74. What are your thoughts between the two?

[@K0LWC]

Having used APRS on both the Kenwood takes the cake - no contest. It decodes weaker packets whereas the FT5D sometimes misses relatively strong ones. Couple that with the ability to access the TNC vs. Yaesu where it’s locked down - again Kenwood FTW! I remember being on my 74 at the Grand Canyon decoding packets from a digipeater in southern Utah over 100 miles away at S1. That’s when I knew that it shined on APRS. I was unimpressed with APRS on the FT5D - almost as unimpressed as the crack that developed on the housing. 😂

[@RussellThomas]

@@K0LWC Ha ha ha yes I've heard of that on the Facebook groups. I've had mine a year and so far no crack.... 🤞 Very good to know. I probably won't get the 75 right off the bat but maybe on future sales I might pull the trigger. Thanks for the review and opinions!

[@ItsEverythingElse]

@@K0LWC What antennas were being used?

[@K0LWC]

Stock antenna.

[@manoffaith2501]

I am going to wait for more reviews to see power usage issues and hopefully see the a price drop. 73, KE8NQL.

[@Russ_N4RTD]

You said in one of your videos, "I think D-Star will not be the long term answer for ham radio in the future, so, if I were you, I'd just forget it." Have you changed your mind on that?

[@K0LWC]

No, not really. This radio, and the D74, for me are tools for the APRS trade. The D-STAR that’s included doesn’t get me excited.

[@ItsEverythingElse]

Battery life is a big deal.

[@DonzLockz]

I will only get one if I won the Lotto... and after many reviews after using it for a while. I always bought Kenwood car and home radios but not in Amateur Radio, yet.

[@K0LWC]

Get the Powerball tickets ready!

[@la5984]

No way for me choose icom

[@K0LWC]

Which one - the ID-52?

[@mark12.31]

I'm not sure Icom has a fully comparable h/t on the market, though.

[@la5984]

@@K0LWC yes 52

[@fredvStein]

@@la5984doesn’t have APRS, is more comparable to a the 74 than 75.

[@craigskinner8489]

Regarding battery usage. Does the GPS have a setting where it only updates every few minutes. If the GPS is continuously fixing a position then that will be a battery drain.

[@K0LWC]

You can change the beacon rate of packets by APRS but I don’t think anything with the GPS was adjustable. It’s constantly tracking your position.

[@craigskinner8489]

@@K0LWC interesting. Looking at the athletic watches, when they are placed in “battery extended mode”, it reduces their gps fixing from constant to once every minute. Doing this will double their battery life. Looking forward to the review.

[@markr.1984]

I commented in here about a week ago, why was my comment deleted?

[@K0LWC]

What was your comment?

[@N4DJC]

If you have a 74 there’s really no reason to buy a 75. The USB-C is a big deal but no need to buy one only for that reason. I suspect the battery life will be the same. The price doesn’t shock me, used ones were selling for that much and more. If you don’t own one or are unhappy with the FT-5DR’s awful APRS, you’re the target market. Nothing compares to Kenwood’s APRS thanks to the late Bob Bruininga and his partnership with Kenwood over the years. The TFT screen is great, very readable in full sunshine. The 75 is not everyone’s cup of tea, I’ll bet they sell out and stay sold out for months. Kenwood will likely introduce an upgraded D-710 mobile in late 2024 and new HF rig in 2025.

[@K0LWC]

I agree that there will be rush on initial stock. I think there is a pent up demand in the market for these radios.

[@mtbeers1670]

Mine was 802 and change

[@jonathancristole6074]

I had a preorder with HRO and let it go because the lazy slobs at kenwood didn't add a bandscope. Its unacceptable for a radio at this price range not to have it. The $30 Quan Sheng I own with custom firmware (thank you Russias) now has a bandscope and can do HF receive AND transmit. The only thing the $30 modded radio can't do is transmit on SSB, but this radio can't either, its only receive and it can't even transmit on HF. All thats shows is Kenwood COULD make this radio with a bandscope and HF transmit (with SSB) but chose to just make another D74 with a USB C port, while marking it up $150 for nothing more than the now mandated European standard of USB C. Screw Kenwood. Idiots.

[@kelzagoodman]

Hello it's not a $100 radio it's a 7.00 radio that they sell for $700. Please understand the difference

[@K0LWC]

Well, it’s not a cheap radio. But proper engineering, QA, quality components and filtering all add up to more than the cheap radios that have flooded the market. Pricing is subjective to what the market will bear. Make a great product and users will pay.

[@thomashardy9994]

For DStar? Nope

[@K0LWC]

Yeah. No D-STAR for me either.

[@HamRadioElmering-xf6cj]

Gushing about a $650 ham radio wearing a Motorola hat... "the best" is always a pre-emptive warning. Define 'best'. We're amid a technically-defined context here... so judge as much/more by actual technical qualifications than subjective yadda. More marketing yadda... "very advanced radio", "massive..."