Kenwood doesn't back up their radios again

I've my kenwood tmv-7a since april and have since had to send it in for repairs. and when i recieved it back it worked better than b/4.
I also have a icom 2100 h, that i use for my mobile. and have had to send it back to icom america in bellvue wa twice for the same problem. it appears they found the problem,(bad transister) replaced tried it and burned the same transister, again replaced it didn't try and send back. so now this radio which is still under warrentee til 10 aug has 2 1/2 weeks with the post office, 2 months with icom, and having to use my kenwood th-79a ht for a mobile. and i've said i'll never buy another icom and after repairs are made correctly will probably sell it and get another tmv for the mobile.
I also have a feeling that when i get the radio back it still won't be repaired right, and will be told that it is no longer under warrentee. So i'll have to have it repaired at my cost. it that's the case i'll never have a icom again in my shack unless i use it for a paper weight or door stop!! 73's

 

I have owned them all and they all have their own problems but if you want service representation you people need to wake up and take a long hard look at TenTec equipment. Built, sold and serviced right here in the good old USA.
They even offer a full warranty on their demo equipment and a limited warranty on their used equipment. And if you buy their stuff from someone else, if you have a problem with it they are more than happy to fix it for a reasonable price and the turn around time is amazing. I called them a while back to purchase a piece of used gear and it was on my doorstep the next evening. I have sent them stuff with no warning and it was back in two weeks working perfectly. BUY AMERICAN!
God bless the US! 73 de Ed W4WVW

 

I will personaly never buy another Kenwood radio because of similar problems. I have had two Kenwood radios bought (new) over the past 10 years that have had display problems... the most recent is a dual band handheld (TH79AD) that the display flickers on now. You call them and they are very little help. Poor design/big price for a name.

Todd KB7RQQ

 

I've found Kenwood Service East to be very customer service oriented over the years. They have provided me with out of warranty, no-charge service twice. Sometimes it pays to be diplomatic when you are dealing with these companies, remember, they do value their reputations...

 

I bought a new Yaesu FT-100D. Had a high SWR even into a dummy load. Also, fans would not kick on when the radio was set to a freq above 70.5 MHz. WFM was deaf to a signal of even 1v p-p when set below 70.5 mhz! Returned it for a new one. Same thing. These radios went from design to production without any testing. ALL FT-100D's require factory modification to correct some of these problems (they only correct fan and SWR), but there has been no recall on this radio. After spending a thousand dollars on garbage and having NOT ONE returned phone call from Vertex/Standard, it just may be worth it to get some folks together and file a class action lawsuit. Also, your state may have consumer protection laws that warrant your radio longer than the warranty card says (and this warranty follows the radio, not just the original owner). Check with your state attorney general's office. It's worth the call. With regards to Kenwood, they sent me replacement parts factory direct without even asking for the warranty information AND THEY PAID FOR SHIPPING! All they asked was where I got the radio and when I got it. The hams that got calls back from Vertex/Standard said
A:it had to be done at the factory
B:it would take 2-4 months to fix their radios
C:the warranty would lapse and not be extended even though the radio was at the factory for the first half of the warranty.

 

I will also avoid Kenwood radios in the future after learning my lesson with a new th 79a and a new tm 251. Both have failed displays, and due to high repair cost, bought new equipment. My friend's tm 241 also has failed display. I use Ten Tec hf gear and will stay with them because of great customer service. I also like my radio shack 2 meter mobiles better than the Kenwood, and both of them cost less than the one Kenwood.
73.... mike

 

I have owned practically all Kenwoods since they first came to America...distributed by Henry Radio.
At first their service was above reproach, with actual technicians availale to talk to you on the phone, and actually tell you what to do, or invite you to send the radio in.
For about the last ten years or so,their service has apparently been the victim of corporate 'bean-counters' downsizing.  I have had more than one Kenwood set refused as "unfixable," which I then sent to A.E.S. in Las Vegas; where it was promptly fixed for $50 or so.
My last episode occurred only this year, when my TS950 was "repaired" (TWICE!) by Kenwood after several months,(!) at a cost of several hundred dollars.
This time I sent it to International radio in Florida, and, though they also took a long time...finally sent it back, fixed. They happened to state that they fixed the SAME part that Kenwood claimed to have fixed.
All in all, I am still using Kenwood equipment, but I will not be buying any more. www.redblanchard.com  W6AG

 

Bought TM-V7A in Mar 98. Liked it and got one as a base in Aug of 98. Wife got her license and got her one Jun 99. Aside from the "cool blue" being hard to read in the sunlight the rigs work great. I took the one out of my car and put it in the wife's office and got a D700A -- Love it. Best radio yet. Bought a 2nd one to use for APRS in the car. Beautiful radio. The V7A in my wife's car has one side set up for APRS.
I also purchased a TM 261A (MAR 01) and it has been running 24/7 as a APRS gateway radio with no problems.

I also have a 756 pro as well as some Icom HT's. But even the icom HT's don't compare to the Kenwood D7 HT.

 

Let me be the last to say that Kenwood rules.
I have had only Kenwoods'.Two: a 430 and 440. They all worked fine and I sit at Honor roll CW and mixed with a 440.

This criticism is out of hand. But I do want you to buy those Icoms's, etc, as they sound like crap.

One happy Kenwood user.  

 

I own a Kenwood TM-V7A(1 year) and TM-261A(since it came came on the market)which I have not had any problems. I live in South Carolina with the heat and humidity and the units works a champ. I also own a TH-22AT which stills works like when bought in 1996. I am planning on getting an HF rig soon, that how much I like Kenwood.

 

Kenmore dealers hype their products withoout knowing what the are hyping. case in point. I bought a TS-570 being told by the dealer that the radio had a real good DSP. Well it turns out that yes there is a funky form of AUDIO DSP but the IF DSP that I was lead to believe was there and was JUST  like the ICOM 756 PRO is a figment of the dealers imagination. I have always bought ICOM up to this purchase of the TS-570 Kenmore and you can best believe any and ALL future purchases will be ICOM and ONLY ICOM. One Kenmore has been more than enough to cure me from ever looking at any radio other than ICOM ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

The display was a very bad design, and Kenwood will not do any thing about it. It is out of warrenty, but they should do something about the design of the display. It is a very good radio otherwise.

 

Hey N9PAR!!

It's been about 8 years since I asked you this question. Do you have a response yet?

Joe, N2QOJ