There’s chatter about a new Kenwood HT that will be the replacement for the capable TH-D74A. The D74A is a great radio, but I have a few ideas that would make a replacement even more useful:
Battery Life — The D74A’s major failing is short battery life. Yes, the radio does a lot and draws a lot of power. But I am sure there are ways that battery life could be improved.
Front Panel Programmability — The D74A is very programmable, but for some reason, DR (Digital Repeater) mode cannot be programmed from the front panel. This is rather inconvenient, because DR mode is needed for proper reflector operation on a hotspot. Add DR mode programmability from the front panel.
Rubber Accessory Cap — The rubber accessory cap on the right side that covers the mic, data and power jacks tends to swell over time. Let’s fix this.
Do you have items for the wishlist?
73 de K2IE