Kenwood TK880-2 to 880-1?

[esb]

I got a few radios in trade, including a Kenwood TK-880-2 -- meaning the 485-512 MHz model. I have an 880-1 (which covers the GMRS frequencies) and I love it.

 

Forgive what I'm sure is a whole lot of misunderstanding in the request that follows, I'm still relatively new to amateur radio:

Is there an easy way to modify the 880-2 to cover a lower frequency range -- swap crystals/semiconductors?

 

I'm likely going to sell the 880-2, but if there's an easy (I'm handy with a soldering iron) way to get it working on a frequency range I'm licensed for, that would be fun too.

[WRXL702]

2 hours ago, esb said:

I got a few radios in trade, including a Kenwood TK-880-2 -- meaning the 485-512 MHz model. I have an 880-1 (which covers the GMRS frequencies) and I love it.

 

Forgive what I'm sure is a whole lot of misunderstanding in the request that follows, I'm still relatively new to amateur radio:

Is there an easy way to modify the 880-2 to cover a lower frequency range -- swap crystals/semiconductors?

 

I'm likely going to sell the 880-2, but if there's an easy (I'm handy with a soldering iron) way to get it working on a frequency range I'm licensed for, that would be fun too.

Simple Answer - No

Suggest You Trade Or Sell The 880-2.

[Lscott]

1 hour ago, WRXL702 said:

Suggest You Trade Or Sell The 880-2.

Or keep it and use it for spare parts that are common with the 880-1 version. Sometimes finding spare parts for old radios is nearly impossible. That's why a few guys keep junk chassis's around to pick over. 

[WRUE951]

The 880-1 are nice radios..   I have two and they'll never leave my sight  

[warthog74]

Or just “force” it to use one of the other UHF band plans which are selectable in the software. It will complain when you go to program it, but it will allow you to do it anyway, and it will work. I’ve done this numerous times with various Kenwood VHF and UHF handheld and mobile radios without issue. 780’s / 880’s / 863G’s, etc, etc.

[Lscott]

3 hours ago, warthog74 said:

Or just “force” it to use one of the other UHF band plans which are selectable in the software. It will complain when you go to program it, but it will allow you to do it anyway, and it will work. I’ve done this numerous times with various Kenwood VHF and UHF handheld and mobile radios without issue. 780’s / 880’s / 863G’s, etc, etc.

I’ve also tried it on various Kenwood HT’s. Some you can “push” to operate way out of band, others not so much. For example I have a NX-320 450-520 band spilt radio. The PLL won’t lock below 443 when I tried out a sequence of test frequencies. It does seem, from my experience, the narrower the band spilt the better luck you have running farther outside the official range.

If a radio is available, some come in various band spilts so be VERY careful, with the 400-470 band spilt that’s perfect for Ham and GMRS. This seems to be more frequently found with the FM/Digital mode radios. Those are the ones I watch out for on my favorite auction site. Of course you can’t use digital voice on GMRS, at least not yet so you’re stuck with FM, but perfectly legal on the Ham bands.

[esb]

On 7/21/2025 at 6:59 PM, warthog74 said:

Or just “force” it to use one of the other UHF band plans which are selectable in the software. It will complain when you go to program it, but it will allow you to do it anyway, and it will work. I’ve done this numerous times with various Kenwood VHF and UHF handheld and mobile radios without issue. 780’s / 880’s / 863G’s, etc, etc.

Do you notice any functional difference in tx or rx ability on a radio you've "forced" vs. one that's native to that frequency range? Might be fun to try that out between my 880-1 and this 880-2, if it'll let me program it that way.

[nokones]

Good luck in trying to modify the -2 radio to operate below the T-Band. It will be virtually impossible to find a buyer that can legally operate in the T-Band on a conventional channel.  The T-Band can only be operated legally in 13 metropolitan regions throughout the country. 

[warthog74]

7 hours ago, esb said:

Do you notice any functional difference in tx or rx ability on a radio you've "forced" vs. one that's native to that frequency range? Might be fun to try that out between my 880-1 and this 880-2, if it'll let me program it that way.

Not really, no. You might see a small drop in power output, but that’s about all i ever noticed. Not every Kenwood model will let you do this, but most every older conventional model i’ve tried it with worked. Can’t recall if i ever did a 880-2 or not. If it programs and transmits without beeeeeeeping when you key up it worked. If not, put it back to its original band plan and sell it. (or keep it for parts)

[Lscott]

Not all Kenwood radios you can program out of the official band split. One notable example is the NX-411. That radio can be used on the Ham 33cm band. The programming software simply won't accept the out of band entry like most of the other KPG radio programming packages for Kenwood. This particular radio required hex editing the code plug.

I wrote up the procedure and posted it on another forum. A fellow Ham, a computer professional, used that to write a custom utility to automate the process.

Oh, hex editing is your only option if you're stuck with any of the Kenwood "ProTalk" radios. Those allow ONLY a limited selection of discreet frequencies to be selected in the programming software. The hex editing process is similar to the one used on the NX-411 I mentioned. That's why I stay away from the "ProTalk" models no matter how good the deal, price, looks. Not worth the trouble, unless you plan to program it once and never touch it again.

How to Hex edit Kenwood code plugs - 20241011.pdf

[esb]

22 hours ago, nokones said:

Good luck in trying to modify the -2 radio to operate below the T-Band. It will be virtually impossible to find a buyer that can legally operate in the T-Band on a conventional channel.  The T-Band can only be operated legally in 13 metropolitan regions throughout the country. 

Forgive my ignorance -- T-band was public safety before '21, right? What's the deal with it now?

[nokones]

1 hour ago, esb said:

Forgive my ignorance -- T-band was public safety before '21, right? What's the deal with it now?

Still is mostly Public Safety and some SMRs