Kenwood TM-281A Specs Review: Pros, Cons, Advantages and Disadvantages

kenwood-tm-281a

I like the Kenwood TM-281A because it is easy to program and works very well in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. I have tried it with an antenna and can easily reach repeaters as far as 100 miles, proven the transmission power is very good. And the signal can be received clearly.

At 25 watts, I can easily reach repeaters as far as 80 km.

Maybe when you first use the Kenwood TM-281A radio, you need a few days to memorize how to use it, because it is loaded with features. But don't worry, because Kenwood TM-281A is equipped with complete documentation.

I have used the Kenwood TM-281A radio for more than a year and it still functions as perfectly as when I first used it. And now I buy it again to be installed in the car.

This radio is very good, worth the price. Low 25 watts and high 65 watts. Definitely not a simple cheap radio. Equipped with front-facing speakers perfectly. The resulting audio sounds clean, loud and clear. But I personally prefer to use my own speaker that I plug in the 3.5mm mono speaker jack on the back and make it sound better.

The included DTMF microphone looks sturdy, comfortable in the hand, not too big and not too small, the buttons are large enough to be easily pressed.

PTT buttons are large and sturdy so it requires little effort when using them. This can make accidental transmissions less likely.

Programmable buttons ("PF"), are quite useful.
My microphone is set as follows:
"CALL / A" to allow direct access to frequencies or memory numbers;
"VFO / B" to enter VFO mode;
"MR / C" to remember and scan memory;
"PF / D" to switch between high and low transmit power.

The screen is also very nice, though simple, easy to see from the side, tilted, or even in direct sunlight. LCD display with 32-step brightness control.
Like most kenwood radios, it can be up to 20 years old or even more. In my opinion, this is the perfect radio.

What I like the most about this radio is the buttons. Even so, it would be better if the buttons were made a little bigger, making it easier for us to use them.

For programming is fairly easy, just by using a programming cable (about $22.00). Approximately it only takes 2 minutes to do programming with a USB cable. Requires a KPG-46U programming cable,

There are two softwares that can be used for programming, the MCP-1A software can be downloaded from the official Kenwood website or you can also use CHIRP, both of which can be downloaded for free.

If we only want to program channel information, we can simply use CHIRP, which is available on Linux, MacOS X, and Windows. Unfortunately, CHIRP does not allow us to program other features on this radio, only the data channel.

To program other features on Kenwood TM-281A, we need the MCP-1A program (only Windows) which is available free of charge from the Kenwood website.

Even so, Kenwood TM-281A can also be programmed without using a computer, but it is certainly faster when using a computer. A little complicated to program, but following the user's manual can help make programming easy.

But once we understand the programming flow, we can do it quickly. It really needs habituation.

Kenwood TM-281A can do scans / scans faster than the Baofeng radio I have. I currently have 22 memory channels and scan them in about 1 second or even less (when there is no activity and no stopping) and can scan the entire 144-148 band very quickly.

If you plan to place the Kenwood TM-281A in a vehicle, be sure to connect it directly to the battery. I myself immediately hooked it to a battery in my Jeep to be safe. Because we never know what kind of cable is used in a vehicle, and whether it can handle the load that this radio needs.

Specifications of Kenwood TM-281A Rig
  • Has 200 memory channels, plus one call channel. Note: Only 100 memory channels if we use 6 alphanumeric characters (200 channels are available if we don't use memory name or if you only use the frequency designation)
  • 65 watt high power
  • Alphanumeric LCD
  • Bright yellow LCD screen, equipped with 32-steps brightness control, making it possible to adjust to ambient light conditions.
  • Front keypad button that can light up
  • Impressive front speakers
  • Memory scan


Other Functions
  • Power-on Message
  • Wide/Narrow Deviation Selection (per channel)
  • 1750 Hz Tone Burst
  • Automatic Simplex Checker
  • Reverse Function
  • Auto Repeater Offset
  • Beep On/Off
  • Auto Power Off
  • Time-Out Timer
  • Channel Display Mode
  • Busy Channel Lockout
  • Memory Channel Lockout
  • MR-shift
  • Direct Frequency Entry
  • Key Lock


Weaknesses Radio Rig Kenwood TM-281A
  • My only complaint is the limited amount of memory channel.
  • The price is a bit expensive
  • My other complaint is, it only has two high / low power settings (25/65 watts). This is unlike most other radio transceivers which have some lower power settings, maybe around 5/10/25/65.
  • In addition, it would be nice if this radio can program the power level into memory. Because this radio has a global power level setting.
  • Requires a fairly large power supply if using in a non-mobile environment. In the manual, a minimum of 14A is mentioned.
  • The mic uses a fragile RJ-45 connector. And of course the RJ-45 is much smaller and much cheaper, than an old-fashioned, heavy 8-pin round screw lock connector. However, RJ-45 is also widely used by other radio manufacturers.
  • The LCD screen is illuminated by LEDs in orange which in my opinion are a bit annoying.


Advantages of Kenwood TM-281A Radio Rig:
  • Faster Memory Scan Speed!
  • Loud Speaker
  • Simple layout & programming
  • WX Alert! / Dedicated WX Alert Memory Channel
  • Memory channel / dedicated button
  • Easy to read
  • External Speaker Port
  • 4 Mic programmable buttons


Disadvantages of Kenwood TM-281A Radio Rig:
  • Relatively Small Screen
  • Hot
  • Without programming cable (Not Required)


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