Kenwood TK-8360H

[mstephens]

Hey all, new to the forum & GMRS.  I am looking to pickup a radio from ebay soon, and am considering one of the Kenwood TK-8360H units.  I understand they are rugged, and a quality build.  UHF (GMRS) 45w and relatively new.  Anyone out here have any experience using them?  I have read and heard of many people using older Kenwood TK-XXX units.

Curious to hear if there is any reason not to go with a newer hardware unit.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

-Mark

WREQ867

Sylva, North Carolina

[RCM]

Looks good to me. The only thing I can think of is that being a current model, the programming software might be more expensive than the legacy radios. I don't know that for a fact, though. Just something to look into.

[kipandlee]

we have a few of the TK-8360 H good radios no complaints if you choose  to go with one here is the software  https://hamfiles.co.uk/index.php?page=downloads&type=entry&id=radio-programming%2Fkenwood-programming%2Fkpg-135d-programming

[mstephens]

Do any of you use the TK-880 Radios?  I am also considering one.  RCM, Are the TK-880's what you talk GMRS on? I am going to go with one of the Kenwoods, as I like their ruggedness.  My main activities are Local Emergency Agency (Law Enforcement, Fire Dept, EMS) monitoring & GMRS.

Thanks for the comments and help. KipandLee I did reach out to the link you shared.

 

thank you.

[RCM]

Yes Mark, the TK-880 is my preferred mobile.

[kipandlee]

 we also use the TK-880 and TK-8360  TK-863g  TK-390  all great radios and the TK-290  for listening  2 of the TK-863g for repeater they get used the most seem bullet prof  my favorite is the TK-8360h have other radios various brands and models but can't go wrong with kenwood

[samschmidt85x]

I just recently got some tk8360h radios that are pre programmed for gmrs but i want to add some local repeater channels. i tried to get that software posted above but it does not work once downloaded for some reason. any help?

[Radioguy7268]

Once you downloaded it - it will ask you for a Serial Number for the software. What number did you enter?

 

Or, are you saying that you cannot even get the Kenwood program to install?  

[samschmidt85x]

once down loaded it will not even open to install. just says that it cannot find the proper application to open through.

[Radioguy7268]

That doesn't make sense. The file itself is the application you're going to install. Perhaps you did not uncompress/extract the downloaded file? There should be a readme txt which will walk you through the setup.

[berkinet]

That doesn't make sense. The file itself is the application you're going to install. Perhaps you did not uncompress/extract the downloaded file? There should be a readme txt which will walk you through the setup.

In addition... what is the exact name of the file you are trying to open. Include the name and the extension: example foo.exe, tk550.zip, etc.  And, what operating system and version are you using: Windows-XP, Windows-7, Windows-10, etc.  Note that according to the Hamfiles download page the software you want only works on Windows-XP/32-bit and Windows-7/32-bit. Although, some users reported success on Windows-8 and Windows-10.

[samschmidt85x]

I downloaded the file from ham files but I am running a windows 10 computer and from everything I can find of Ham files it is very hit or miss on it work. Im also thinking that my cable is part of the problem because my computer isnt recognizing it being plugged in when i hook it up to the radio. The file that downloads is kpg-135_v.100.rar  Im not sure why its a RAR not a read me

[berkinet]

... The file that downloads is kpg-135_v.100.rar  Im not sure why its a RAR not a read me

 

There is your problem RAR is a file compression and archiving format. The file you have needs to be un rared. I think this free one from the MS store will do the trick. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/unrar-windows/9wzdncrfj2zh?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

[samschmidt85x]

would anyone be able to help me figure out the proper way order of numbers to program for a repeater in the kpg135 program? ive got my radios working simplex but im having difficulty as im not sure what the dpl number the repeater uses lines up as in the radio program. is that under the qt/dqt numbers?

[Jones]

DPL and DQT are the same thing under a different brand name - along with DCS, DTS, DCSS, DPC, and others

[kepleromaha]

Also having issues getting the Kenwood KPG-135D 2.20 software on a Macbook Air running Windows 10 64bit via bootcamp. I used 7 zip to "un rar" the downloaded file, try to install via setup.exe and get the error message "The InstallSheild Engine (ikernel.exe) could not be installed" "The system cannot find the file specified".

[kepleromaha]

On 2/27/2020 at 10:28 AM, berkinet said:

There is your problem RAR is a file compression and archiving format. The file you have needs to be un rared. I think this free one from the MS store will do the trick. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/unrar-windows/9wzdncrfj2zh?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Used this instead of 7 zip and it appears to have installed properly. Thank you for the suggestion and link WQYR510! 73

[WRHV328]

I have a Kenwood TK-8360H as my mobile and I have been able to communicate with two other station at 80 miles distance while I was driving at about 60 miles per hour.  I'm getting a second one for my base as I think they are great radios for GMRS.  Very easy to program as well.

[maddogrecurve]

On 12/5/2019 at 5:28 AM, kipandlee said:

we have a few of the TK-8360 H good radios no complaints if you choose  to go with one here is the software  https://hamfiles.co.uk/index.php?page=downloads&type=entry&id=radio-programming%2Fkenwood-programming%2Fkpg-135d-programming

Can you program them from the radio itself?

[kipandlee]

I haven't tried to  program them from the radio itself I use a pc to program  all my radios much simpler  and faster  for me sorry couldn't help on the matter maybe one of the other members have the knowledge or info you seek 

[Lscott]

8 hours ago, maddogrecurve said:

Can you program them from the radio itself?

Best thing is look in the service manual. If its possible the manual will explain how its done. Looking briefly it appears the answer is no to your question.

http://manuals.repeater-builder.com/Kenwood/tk/TK-8360/TK-8360(H)(K2_M2)_B51-8964-00.pdf

As a matter of practice I spend time hunting down all the relevant documentation, in PDF format, for any radios I have or plan on buying.  I have a library of folders for each radio/model series with user guides, service manuals, notes, FCC grants, modifications if any and manufactures brochures. The last one is the first thing I look for when thinking about purchasing a used radio. Excellent source for features, exact frequency ranges, on UHF it's common to have more that one, number of memory channels etc. If I don't like what I see then I've saved myself some money by not getting something I won't like or can't use.

https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/30/TK-7360HV-8360HUBrochure.pdf

http://manual.kenwood.com/files/53d7482397066.pdf

https://fccid.io/K44415502

[WQXF313]

I have programmed a lot of Kenwood product over the years but recently obtained my first TK-8360. I have KPG-135D in my software collection but discovered that the .txt file containing the serial number is missing. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks!

[Radioguy7268]

You can try this one: 

	135K4414K073AWGG

[WQXF313]

@Radioguy7268 That’s exactly what I needed. Thanks for your help!

[duckduck]

I deleted my own post.

Edited July 12, 2022 by duckduck
Changed my mind.