Kenwood TK-8180K Toggle switch mounted on rear of radio ?

[JCase]

Greetings to all,

 

I have searched on line and within this forums on mygmrs and either I'm blind, my search wording skills are that bad or it hasn't been addressed before.

 

I Have two Kenwood TK-8180K radios but I'm new to Kenwood and know very little about them so far. The first one I've owned for a few months now and the second one I purchased off of eBay from one of those listings that basically told you nothing, I had to look up most of the information/specs for the radio myself. However, this second radio has a toggle switch mounted on the rear of the radio right next to the power lead. Nothing in the listing mentioned this switch and the seller had no idea, all he did was power it up to see if the "lights lit up". There are no labels and when I removed the top cover to gain access (had to replace the power leads since they had been cut down to a nub), I wasn't able to figure out what the switch was connected to.

 

Anyone have any clue ? 

[WRAK968]

Was the switch connected at all? It may have been used to disconnect from the battery to prevent phantom draw, however it seems a bit small for that purpose. The only other thing I can think of is encryption, however the 8180 can have a button on the front programmed for that so offhand without the radio or more info, I cant really say much.

The 8180 does have solder pads on the main board which allows different options. When you open the radio again, follow any wires that come off the switch, if you can, take a few good non-blurry pics. This will help us see what its connected to and perhaps what it does.

 

[JCase]

Hey WRAK968,

Thanks for replying. The wires lead underneath the top level and I can’t tell exactly where or to what they connect to without taking more of the radio apart and to be honest I’m just not comfortable proceeding any further but I appreciate your input. I think I have the answer but I’m waiting on a reply from the seller to hopefully confirm. I forgot the listing on eBay stated this radio was equipped with GPS. I’m guessing at this point that the switch is related to that. I find no external connection for an antenna of any type related to GPS but it’s the only thing that makes sense right now.

[Lscott]

Rear shot of 8180 2.jpgGreetings to all,

 

I have searched on line and within this forums on mygmrs and either I'm blind, my search wording skills are that bad or it hasn't been addressed before.

 

I Have two Kenwood TK-8180K radios but I'm new to Kenwood and know very little about them so far. The first one I've owned for a few months now and the second one I purchased off of eBay from one of those listings that basically told you nothing, I had to look up most of the information/specs for the radio myself. However, this second radio has a toggle switch mounted on the rear of the radio right next to the power lead. Nothing in the listing mentioned this switch and the seller had no idea, all he did was power it up to see if the "lights lit up". There are no labels and when I removed the top cover to gain access (had to replace the power leads since they had been cut down to a nub), I wasn't able to figure out what the switch was connected to.

 

Anyone have any clue ? 

My wild guess is the radio was modified to use an external speaker. The switch would have been used to select between the internal one and the external speaker, maybe both.

[WRAK968]

Hey WRAK968,

Thanks for replying. The wires lead underneath the top level and I can’t tell exactly where or to what they connect to without taking more of the radio apart and to be honest I’m just not comfortable proceeding any further but I appreciate your input. I think I have the answer but I’m waiting on a reply from the seller to hopefully confirm. I forgot the listing on eBay stated this radio was equipped with GPS. I’m guessing at this point that the switch is related to that. I find no external connection for an antenna of any type related to GPS but it’s the only thing that makes sense right now.

hhmmm, the GMS should attach to the D-sub port on the back, the switch shouldnt have anything to do with that (I mean why would you want employees to have the option to turn off the GPS which would mess with the MDC) I guess I've seen crazier though so who knows. Keep us posted

[JCase]

Thanks for the feedback WRAK968

 

Thanks LScott !!!! You are absolutely correct. I didn't want to power the radio up until I was sure it wouldn't adversely affect it's operation but I never thought about the speaker. Thinking about it now, that would be very useful when a headset or earphones would be used (mainly when used as a base radio). So I powered the radio up, took a reading, reprogrammed it and then tested your "wild guess" and BINGO, you hit it right on the nose. 

 

I really appreciate the feedback, suggestions and help that I always seem to find on this site. I for one, greatly appreciate everyone that replies and hopefully this information will help someone else out in the future.

 

My best to all,

JCase