Kenwood doesn't back up their radios again

My tmv-7a developed the streaky display a few weeks ago. Does anyone know what the fix for this is?

 

I can honestly say I would never own an HF from Icom or Yaesu.  I have used a Kenwood 430, 440, and 530, and own a 450.  Each radio has been excellent.

2M however, is another story.  I have owned a 732A that blew APC modules (twice).  My friend owned a 732A that did the exact same thing.  My 241 right now has got a scrambled display, but it doesn't bother me since I know what is each memory slot.

Is this really a fault of Kenwood, or of all manufacturers in general?  Seems like there is always a gripe about this two meter or that two meter radio...

Ever wondered why some guys are still using that 20 year old two meter with no digital display--just 3 numbered knobs and a pushbutton for 5 kHz?  Maybe because they were designed to last forever instead of having a three year model life?

Things need to get bigger, not smaller. Why do you think boatanchors are still around??

 

A suggestion for those who DO talk to support staff, or send units in to a repair depot:

Be specific with the complaint on your rig. DO give particulars as to mode used, frequency (and not just what band you were on)any other details on antenna, etc that may have some effect on your rig's non-performance. I know you can talk to the repair center, but having that printed detail sheet is a MAJOR improvement over a note stating "doesn't transmit" or "display sucks"! Signal reports that might illuminate the complaint can be useful, too.

I know...its basic communicating, but it really helps the guys on the workbench to have those little bits of information!!

oops...just got another one here..let me see..yeah. "Radio broke" ..................

73s
John
N7IQV

 

The problem is well known and fixable. I happen to like Yaesu, but have owned many Kenwoods of the tube variety and loved them. Never had one break. It is used, so why blame Kenwood, in the first place. N7IQV is correct in his statements also. 73

 

Well, here is my 2 cents worth. All the big three Japanese manufacturers
have problems with their products. Just read the posts here and
it becomes obvious. Icom's 751 losing its brains when the memory
battery went dead, Yaesu's dual bander (I think it is an 8100??) that
has many problems, and Kenwood's 940 CPU are examples.
Most new cars have call backs and nothing is perfect.
Having said that, IMHO Kenwood is a big offender. The TS-940S is
one of the finest radios ever made for amateur radio, but it has a CPU
problem that can't be fixed. There is a connector problem in the TM
241/231 line that while fixable is present in many many radios. If
there are lines in the LCD of another is gets put on the list.
When is the manufacturer responsible for these problems?? If
something is an assembly problem (such as the TM-261) corrected
by solder or cleaning a service bulletin might be in order, but it is a
problem with a part and that part is unavailable (as with the TS 940)
then perhaps the company IS responsible for something. I would
have gladly paid for the CPU board and installed it to keep the 940
on the air, but it wasn't made anymore. Now I don't expect
manufacturers to keep an unending supply of widgets on hand for
the first radio produced, BUT if something is wrong with every third
one off the line, yeah I want some help....even if I bought it
second hand.
The end of my tirade would be this: Keep posting real complaints
and talk about your experiences with service departments.
ALSO talk about good products, too. I have an IC-746 and it is
one of the best (I am replacing it with a 756 PROII).
73 and thanks for reading...Greg/W1XZ


the company is responsible for something.

 

I had the same experience with Kenwood:  

I bought a TS-570DG.  It DOES NOT meet specifications for output power.  I wasted many dollars on the phone with Corporate offices in Atlanta and both East- and West-Coast service centers.  I even spent $170 or so on a new power supply, on their recommendation.  The problem still exists... they have a marginal design!!  

This was a BRAND NEW rig.  I simply asked for a refund.  I bought the rig based on my need for a solid 100W output (to drive my amplifier), and the rig does NOT meet that requirement (although they publish that it does). All I got, when it's all boiled-down, was a run-around.  The people were nice to me, but the COMPANY's admission of a product design problem was non-existent.  

This is probably the last time I'll buy Kenwood, too.  

See my post at www.eham.net, under 'Product Reviews', and then under 'Kenwood TS-570DG', for another posting on this issue.

 

Well its time for anyone to realize that Kenwood has the WORST repair service in the world,I am one of the million unsatisfied customers in this planet constantly complaining about them.Ten years ago I had some problem in my TS-430 that became a real nightmare,it was simply a blinky display that normally its a factory defect related with cold solders,but Kenwood did such a mess in my radio that it never worked the same,it was there three times (Virginia beach shop) and always came back with some other defects,at last they quit and I ended up paying about 300 bucks and no radio,I said to myself,forget about Kenwood,switched to Yaesu,used them for about 8 years with not a single problem,then 2 years ago switched to Icoms and I am even more happy with these,I own an IC-746 which for me its the best radio I ever had and an IC-706MK2, in this last one had a short made by myself and the factory fixed it same day it arrived their depot and send it back same day,in just a week I had my radio back and NEVER had any more problems.Open your eyes Kenwood users,If your radio works fine,thats cool but if it brakes,buy a bottle of aspirines because your night mares will start.

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KB2KAB @ July 25 2002,15:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">SHOW ME A COMPANY THAT WARANTIES THIER PRODUCT AFTER THE ORIGNAL OWER EITHER SELLS OR GIVE THAT PRODUCT TO ANOTHER OWNER, AND I'LL BUY THAT PRODUCT![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I believe most automobiles have transferable warranties. I know for a fact that VW and Audi warranties are still valid on "used" cars.

Which model will you be purchasing?

 

Fact of the matter is the radio in the original post was out of warranty. It was used, and once you buy a used radio, you're pretty well on your own. That's as it should be.

However, Kenwood does seem to have a serious ongoing problem. They have developed a reputation for poor engineering/manufacturing, then trying to hide it. This case sounds like that.

If the model of radio is having numerous widespread failures of the same kind, something is fishy. And I think the RIGHT thing to do would be to own up to it, admit "we screwed up" and fix them. I had a TS440S some years ago. Kenwood engineered them with an expoxy that got poured over the circuit boards. After about ten years, 440s everywhere began to fail. Of course they were all out of warranty. THe problem? The epoxy Kenwood poured onto the boards began to chemically break down. As that happened, it began to become conductive. Eventually, the stuff would short everything out on the board, and obviously, that was the end of that.

Kenwood admitted they screwed this up. This was a 100% Kenwood fault. Planned obsolesence? How about just plain stupid. And what did Kenwood do for 440 owners? They offered to do the repairs for "half price." Well ok, at least it was something. They acknowledged their error. It's more than they do now.

At the start of this post, I said it is right that you should be responsible for whatever you buy used. And overall, I still feel that way. The exceptions should include cases like this. Where the manufacturer built a problem into a design. The 440 owners shouldn't have had to pay for that problem twice. They paid for it when they bought the rigs. Once is enough. And if this story about this streaky readout is accurate, Kenwoood should be willing to fix them.

As for which manufacturer is best? Who knows. They all seem to have problems with one line or another. The Yaesu 7100 has a crummy reputation from what I've heard on the air. Icoms have had odd troubles over time, and of course Kenwood has their glaring engineering screwups.

As for the Kenwood 570DG, I posted to the "equipment reviews" column on my experiences with one of them at Field Day 2002. If you are interested, feel free to read it.

Good luck to all. I own strictly Motorola stuff now. No failures ever. But not easy or cheap either. All a matter of choice I suppose.

Chris

 

My old Kenwood TM-234 had a display proble an it went chineese on me But inthe book it said the Lithium battery if low could cause the problem. A check at the local radio shop show it to be in good condition. The problem Bas contact on the ribon cable running from the main board to the display. Contact cleaner and a few good put it together take it off a few times fixed things. In a few weeks it went out once I pushed in on the display carefully but firm where I thought the conector plugged into the display and it hasn't failed in years.

MIGHT Help. Can't hur to try.

73.
Al aka ae0al

 

Dear Kenwood users;
As ham for many years and a radio repair teck i have some
experiance with kenwood and other products. I was a
kenwood deler untill they raise their minum order to the sky. Kenwood has a very large bureacracy like most large
corporations, so some patience is needed.
The problem with the tmv7a of n9par is probley bad connections between the display lcd glass and the display
board. This can be caused by vibration or bumping the
radio. Extreams of hot and cold will cause a simular problem. Repair is on very tiny parts, need i say more.

The tm 241a of n4fbi is probally caused by extream heat.
If the display goes black than it may be gone. The digital
clock in my car did the same thing this summer now its
gone for good. Also exposure to direct sunlight will do
it too. All lcd displays will be damaged by heat or direct sunlight.

Don't just blame kenwood. All modern radios can suffer from these problems. As far as the repair costs it goes like this. Most company repair shops are swamped with work.
That means they have to hire very talented people. These techs can find a job anyware at high wages. So be happy
they can even do it. The computer business has robed
many good radio repair people because of the higher wages.
The comercial radio business is in a dier pinch finding
good people to do repair work.

73 rick wa8ylz

 

To N9PAR,

Why don't you have your buddy send it in for repair, then let us know how Kenwood service performed?

N2QOJ

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KB2KAB @ July 25 2002,17:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">SHOW ME A COMPANY THAT WARANTIES THIER PRODUCT AFTER THE ORIGNAL OWER EITHER SELLS OR GIVE THAT PRODUCT TO ANOTHER OWNER, AND I'LL BUY THAT PRODUCT![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Seagate.  Ford (any car mfg. actually).  Sun.  Sears. There are plenty of manufacturers that cover their products for the entire warranty period regardless of ownership.  I haven't looked at the warranty on my new Kenwood rig to see what the specifics are, but it's not uncommon either way.

Dale

 

GEE, I KNEW THAT WHEN I MADE THAT STATEMENT THAT EVERYONE AND THIER BROTHER WOULD BRING UP SOME SORT OF SILLY THINGS TO SAY.BUT YOU GUYS TAKE THE CAKE.. WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT CARS, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RADIO'S. AND DO NOT BE FOOLED BY CAR WARENTIES. THEY ALL HAVE LOOP HOLES. SO, SIT BACK AND RELAX AND IF YOU CAN NOT GIVE A GOOD RESPONSE WITH OUT LOOKING SILLY, THEN DO NOT REPLY. THIS IS WARENTIES ON RADIOS. AND LIKE EVERY OTHER COMPANY OUT THERE, THEY DO NOT HONOR SECOND HAND OWNERSHIP. THAT IS THE FACT. LIKE I SAID BEFORE---FIX OR GET RID OF IT. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! IT'S NOT KENWOODS FAULT YOU AND OTHER WANT IT FIXED FOR FREE! IT JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN LIKE THAT ANY MORE. "FACE THE REALITY"

 

I personally will never own a kenwood unless someone gives it to me for free. To many issues, if i were to list all the kenwood experiences it would take more than one post to fit them all in. I use mainly Yaesu and Icom radios. I have three yaesu radios in the shack and an Icom mobile. The only reason why i chose the Icom IC-2000H mobile over the Yaesu brand is that it deals with intermod better than my Yaesu FT-2400H. Let's talk about warranty then shall we, when the LCD backlight bulbs went out on my FT-2400H i took it to a local radio store that is a Yaesu authorized service center, they checked on the warranty on the radio then soldered in two new bulbs checked the display brightness and handed it back, i wasted some time browsing while the radio was fixed. The repairs didn't cost me anything, except for the gas i burned driving there. Another year passed and the radio was out of warranty and another bulb burned out, this radio is my primary 2m in the shack and stays on 24/7 so those bulbs just reach there life expectancy. I called Yaesu on the west coast about a replacement so i could repair it myself and i ordered a dozen of the little buggers to last me, they were very courteous and i got the package in short order. Also, i want to comment on the fact that the Yaesu parts department is outstanding and i can't say enough on them, i have an Yaesu FT-221 all-mode that i use for casual 2m SSB with the locals on 144.215 here in minnesota, it needed a few replacement parts and i thought i would try them just in case (this radio is old folks) they had them, the parts in question were a few hard to find FET's and some Coils and Variable Caps and the four plastic latches that hold the top cover on. Any FT-221 owners out there would know what i'm talking about, well guess what they had all the parts i needed for a radio that hasnt been manufactured in 20+ years and they sent them to me free of charge by UPS no less. You never know what might happen if you get the right person on the phone, i didn't even ask for them to be ordered i just asked for part numbers and prices so i could order them, the next week they were at my door with a slip that said paid in full and a balance $0.00. I also have had many other good experiences with getting parts from Yaesu for older radios, i even got a couple parts from them for my Yaesu FT-101B and you know or should know just how old that rig is.

73,

KBØNLY