Kenwood TH-D74A
$$$$$
| Frequency | TX: 144-148 MHz (2m), 222-225 MHz (1.25m), 430-450 MHz (70cm), RX: 0.1-524 MHz wideband (AM/FM/NFM/WFM/SSB/CW/DV) + built-in bar antenna for 0.1-10 MHz HF |
| Bands | 2m, 1.25m (220 MHz), 70cm |
| TX power | 0.05 / 0.5 / 2 / 5 W (5W / 2W / 0.5W / 0.05W. Four selectable levels on all TX bands.) |
| Modes | FM, NFM, WFM (RX), AM (RX), SSB (RX), CW (RX), DV (D-STAR), DV Fast Data |
| Battery | Li-ion 1800mAh / 7.4V |
| Weight | 345 g (12.2 oz) - ~345g with battery, antenna and belt clip per Kenwood. Dimensions approximately 62×120×34 mm. |
| Connector | SMA-Female on the radio body - takes SMA-Male antennas |
| Year | 2016 |
| antenna | SMA-Female on the radio body - takes SMA-Male antennas |
| speaker mic | Kenwood 2-pin (2.5mm + 3.5mm) |
| usb | Micro-USB (programming, data, firmware) |
| if output | IF output for external SDR |
| microsd | MicroSD card slot |
| bluetooth | Bluetooth (audio, data, headset) |
| power req | KNB-75L Li-ion 1800mAh (included). Battery life 6-15 hours depending on features and power. GPS tracking reduces battery life ~10%. |
Estimated (unverified): AMATEUR (ham) radio - FCC Technician-class license or higher required (NOT GMRS/license-free). D-STAR digital voice + analog FM + APRS - NOT DMR. Tri-band (2m/1.25m/70cm); 5W. Wide RX 0.1-524 MHz incl. HF/SSB/CW/AM/FM-broadcast/air band. Color transflective display; GPS; Bluetooth; microSD; micro-USB; IP54/55 (splash, NOT submersible). KNB-75L 1800 mAh. Note: it is NOT a true SDR - it has an IF-output mode for PC processing. Introduced 2016 (Dayton). DISCONTINUED.
An unusually versatile handheld. It does simultaneous APRS and D-STAR (an industry first), is tri-band including 220 MHz (rare in D-STAR), and has wideband multimode RX 0.1-524 MHz with SSB/CW, so it works as an HF receiver too. An IF output turns it into an SDR front-end, and a built-in TNC supports standalone APRS. It has SmartBeaconing, GPS, Bluetooth (route audio to a car stereo), a transflective TFT display, 20 Hz fine tuning on SSB/CW, a DSP equalizer, and a built-in HF bar antenna. Reviewers noted it would take three separate radios to replicate its features.
Discontinued, with used prices rising ($400-700+); the TH-D75A is the current successor. Battery life is modest (6-15 hours; GPS+APRS+D-STAR drains it). IP54/55 only, not waterproof. No DMR. Micro-USB, not USB-C. The menu system is deep and complex. No color waterfall (the ID-52A has one). The KNB-75L battery is getting harder to find.
A uniquely capable handheld. The TH-D74A combined APRS, D-STAR, tri-band, wideband SSB/CW reception, IF output, a built-in TNC, and GPS in one radio, and nothing replaced it for years after discontinuation. Used prices have climbed because operators who need these combined capabilities had no alternative. The TH-D75A is now the successor. If you find a TH-D74A in good condition, it is worth considering.
The Kenwood TH-D74A was, for years, the most capable amateur handheld you could buy, a tri-band radio that combined D-STAR digital voice, full APRS, GPS, and a remarkably wide receiver into one (heavy) package. It covers the 2-meter, 1.25-meter (220 MHz), and 70-centimeter bands, and transmitting requires an FCC Technician-class license or higher; it is not GMRS or license-free. A key clarification: it uses D-STAR, not DMR, the two are different digital modes, and it pairs that with analog FM and a built-in APRS terminal.
Its receiver is the showpiece. It tunes continuously from 100 kHz all the way to 524 MHz, covering HF shortwave, the AM and FM broadcast bands, the aviation air band, and more, and it receives single sideband and CW, almost unheard of in a handheld. It can run APRS and digital voice simultaneously on its two VFOs, has a color transflective display, GPS, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot. It is often called an "SDR" radio, but that is imprecise: it is a conventional superheterodyne with an IF-output mode that lets a PC do SDR processing of the signal.
It has been discontinued, a casualty of a semiconductor shortage, and used prices have climbed because nothing else quite matched it until its successor arrived. Weatherproofing is IP54/55 (splash-resistant, not submersible) and it charges over micro-USB. Its replacement is the TH-D75A; for D-STAR without APRS or the third band, Icom's ID-52A is the main alternative.