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Old 08-24-2016, 04:17 PM   #1
NN5I
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Default IC-91AD, TH-28A, TH-F6a

I received today (from the wife of a good friend, N5SEW, who passed away about a year ago) a box containing five handhelds:

2 Icom IC-91AD with batteries, no charger

1 Kenwood TH-F6a with batteries, one wall-wart charger (which also works with IC-91AD)

1 Kenwood TH-28A with four batteries and no charger, but I already had a Kenwood BC-15A charger that works with these batteries.

These likely are all in working condition.

No instruction manual with any of these, but I've downloaded PDFs from the Internet.

Either these are darned complicated radios, or I'm even more senile than I knew. Probably both.

Any general advice from folks who know and use these? Trying to decide which to tackle first (after I get some batteries charged, good grief, they're all totally dead).

Interested in all comments about features, ease of use, etc.
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Old 08-24-2016, 05:09 PM   #2
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If you get thoroughly frustrated with one of those Kenwood TH-F6A... I might be interested as I have absolutely no 220 MHz capability.

Most Kenwood wall warts/car adapters are the same, right?

I have an Icom IC-02AT that still works and was my only handheld for years, until the local ARES group insisted we all have 440 MHz capability. Still, the only thing wrong with that rugged, simple radio is that it isn't a dual bander.
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Old 08-24-2016, 05:51 PM   #3
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Quote:
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If you get thoroughly frustrated with one of those Kenwood TH-F6A... I might be interested as I have absolutely no 220 MHz capability.
Your generous offer of adoption will be kept under advisement.

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Originally Posted by Radio View Post
Most Kenwood wall warts/car adapters are the same, right?
Well, no. In fact, no two seem the same -- except that TH-28A and TH-78A (I have one of those too) use the same batteries, so probably same wallwarts too.

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I have an Icom IC-02AT that still works and was my only handheld for years, until the local ARES group insisted we all have 440 MHz capability. Still, the only thing wrong with that rugged, simple radio is that it isn't a dual bander.
I have an old IC-02AT that seems to have lost its mind (I suspect the internal memory battery has died). Also an IC-04AT that seems OK. Not to mention an IC-A20 that's banging around here someplace if I can find it. And, to go with them, some batteries, a case for alkalines, and a BC-35 battery charger. They would all complement your 02AT nicely. I need the storage space (all RV full-timers need storage space). If you have a use for them, send me an e-mail with your shipping address and you get'em at the best possible price -- $0.00. Just can't bring myself to send them to the landfill. Consider them a donation to ORR.

If you don't have use for them, I extend the offer to any other ORR folks, whoever does have a use. But you get first dibs. Free shipping, too!

Oh yeah, service manuals too.
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Old 08-25-2016, 01:01 AM   #4
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I mistyped -- there's only one TH-F6a. I already had two other TH-F6a with dead transmitters; maybe that's why I mistyped.

Both Kenwoods (F6a and 28A) seem to work OK, but I haven't tried the IC-91ADs yet. Charging one of them overnight with the F6a's charger. It'll be a while before I attempt to figure out D-Star though.
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Old 08-25-2016, 11:40 AM   #5
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Since they were a gift to you why not donate them to a local school that may have a group interested in ham radio. I will be one of the VE's for a test session at a local elementary school on Sept 1. We tested there a year ago for 7 young people and had 2 pass the exam (one was a perfect score). There will be somewhere between 25 and 30 ten and eleven year olds taking the exam this time. The teacher that heads up the group is an Amateur Extra and just got his VE certification and was selected for the annual school teacher training program put on by ARRL. They have a club in the school and a call sign KM4RE. Quite impressive. I'm not suggesting a donation to them as they are doing quite well in that respect. A local Lincoln Mercury dealer donated a Kenwood radio, they have several HT's and they have gotten money from people that sent QSL's, (from $1 to $100). They seem to work mostly on 40M (when it is open).
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Old 08-25-2016, 04:53 PM   #6
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Since they were a gift to you why not donate them to a local school that may have a group interested in ham radio.
That's a distinct possibility. In order to keep young (high-school or younger) hams interested in the hobby, they've got to have other kids to talk to, not just old geezers like us.

So far, I have donated five or six Kenwood TM-261A -- I once had nine of them, and now I have three that are dedicated APRS trackers -- to new young hams and to radio clubs in middle schools and high schools. These included all original packaging, manuals, and so forth, which I consider essential; luckily I'm a pack rat. It shouldn't look to the recipient as if the kids are being used as a landfill. Every now and then I buy a new radio of that sort (TM-281A nowadays, for example), play with it a while, and place it for adoption. David Miner, W4SKG, a preacher with many contacts in schools and in the world of youngsters, often acts as a go-between. Sometimes we talk it up and get people to donate power supplies and run J-Pole-building sessions so the kids can put the radios on the air quickly.

In order to run any of these HTs down that pathway, I'll need to acquire wall-wart chargers and original user manuals, at least; no manuals or original packaging were in the box I got yesterday. So, guess what new searches I have running on eBay? One way to get the original boxes and stuff is to buy broken radios that happen to come with it all. But they have to be priced as scrap, nearly.

I'm gonna keep at least the TH-F6a and one IC-91AD for myself, though. I have no other 220 MHz or D-Star equipment.
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Old 08-25-2016, 08:19 PM   #7
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If you've got working mics for those TM261A's I would DEFINATLY like to have those. I have at least 2 Kenwood mobiles that need mics. In fact, if I had a box of busted mics I might could make one that works.
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Old 08-26-2016, 06:24 AM   #8
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Quote:
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If you've got working mics for those TM261A's I would DEFINATLY like to have those. I have at least 2 Kenwood mobiles that need mics. In fact, if I had a box of busted mics I might could make one that works.
Actually I had to buy a Kenwood mic (Chinese copy) for one of my TM-271A recently. It was on eBay, brand new from China, and works well. It was very inexensive. Here's an example.

In the eBay listings for these Chinese mikes (search kenwood tm-271a microphone for example and you will find many listings) they call them speakers mike but actually they're regular mikes, not speaker mikes. Chinese vendors sometimes have a hazy understanding of English.

Usually takes four to six weeks to arrive, and the quality is typically pretty good.
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Old 08-26-2016, 10:50 AM   #9
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Let me put it this way.. I'd be willing to accept a gift of any of the above

The biggest problem with most radios is TMI. People try to read the entire operating manual in one setting , the brain overloads (Too Much Information at one time) and shuts down and they never figure it out..

Or as the old saying goes: Inch by inch life's a Cinch, yard by yard it's much too hard.

Try to do a page a day on one of the radios.. No more than two related pages.. Figure out one function at a time, Then on to the next.. By the end of the week you will be using it, by the end of the next week you will be expert at it.
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Old 08-27-2016, 11:06 AM   #10
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Quote:
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Most Kenwood wall warts/car adapters are the same, right?
Wups -- it turns out you're right. After a two-hour search I finally found the TH-78A I already had. It was concealed in plain sight in its original box.

Anyway, it turns out that the same wall-warts work on all of these handhelds -- TH-28A, TH-78A, TH-F6a, and IC-91AD, just as you said.

Since the TH-78A is complete with box, manuals, wall-wart charger, cigarette-lighter-socket charger, AA-cell pack, everything except rechargeable packs; and the TH-28A was accompanied by three PB-13 rechargeable packs that also fit the TH-78A, I'm in hog heaven now.

Wade, you never said whether you wanted the IC-02AT, IC-04AT etc. If you want them, you gotta say so. If you don't want them, say that and I'll send them to the first ORR member who says he wants them and gives a shipping address. If no one wants them, to the landfill they go, which would be a shame. Too many handhelds around here.
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Old 08-27-2016, 06:04 PM   #11
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Check PM for address.

I'll take them.
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Old 08-27-2016, 06:39 PM   #12
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Quote:
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Check PM for address.

I'll take them.
I can probably get'em on the way Monday morning. Good to know they'll have a good home.
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:51 PM   #13
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I downloaded and printed the User Manual for the TH-F6a. Reading it, I couldn't help being vastly amused by the following, on Page 26.


Note:
When you perform the Visual Scan on the A-band, the transceiver can output the audio. However, when you perform the Visual Scan on the B-band, it cannot output the audio. The S-meter does not reflect the signal strength, neither.


Oh, well, English is not their native tongue.
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Old 08-29-2016, 10:17 AM   #14
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They're on the way, should arrive Wednesday. Yay, I've freed up a little bit of storage!

Track them
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Old 08-29-2016, 04:24 PM   #15
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Great, the new neighbor kid next door will likely get one of them as he has picked up an interest in the big radio tower in the backyard and all the stuff in the basement that goes with it.

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Old 08-29-2016, 04:54 PM   #16
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Cool. Some of the stuff may be salable on eBay too -- you've spent a lot making ORR for us.
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:58 PM   #17
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Imagine that...

A box of Icoms showed up on my front porch.

The desktop charger is pretty cool. I'll have to play with them all and see what happens.
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Old 08-31-2016, 06:46 PM   #18
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I think the IC-04AT and the IC-A20 (aviation talkie) may be OK. Last time I played with them, I couldn't make the IC-02AT do anything but simplex. One of the NiCd packs (the one on the IC-04AT) is probably capable of holding at least a little charge; the other is unknown. The BC-35 desktop charger is known good (last time I tried it anyway).

I have PDF user manuals if you need them. Somewhere I also have the original paper manuals, but couldn't find them the other day.
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