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Some Notes on the Kenwood TK-7180 and the TK-8180 mobiles and a little on the TK-2180 and the TK-3180 handhelds Compiled, HTML'd and maintained by Mike Morris WA6ILQ

(stock Kenwood TK-7180 / 8180 photo)

General Information:

A while back I was voluntold to help out a local tow truck company that had one TK-3180 handheld, a TK-8180 base and a fleet of TK-8180 mobiles… I had to find out what I was getting into.
A few months later I was asked to help a small ambulance company that needed a pair of TK-8160s, 8360s or 8180s in every ambulance in their fleet… one for dispatch, the other for the 462 MHz MED repeater channels.
This article summarizes a lot of information that I discovered…

This page covers the Kenwood TK-2180 (VHF) and TK-3180 (UHF) portables and the TK-7180 (VHF) and the TK-8180 (UHF) mobiles. (both open in a new browser tab) The handhelds and mobiles are very similar in characteristics and programming as they use the same programming software. The VHF mobiles are 136-175 MHz and made in two power levels, 1-30 watts (the TK-7180) or 30-50 watts (the TK-7180 H). The UHF models are the TK-8180 for 1-30 watts or the TK-8180 H for 30-45 watts. The TK-8180 K2 types are 400-470 MHz (perfect for ham radio, including the 420-430 MHz links) and only certified as Part 90 radios. The TK-8180 K or TK-8180 K1 type is either a 450 MHz to 512 MHz or a 450 MHz to 520 MHz model depending on if it is the lower or higher power model. Both are FCC Part 95 certified, therefore legal to use for GMRS. The programming software will allow you to program out of band (i.e. a 44x MHz frequencies in a 450-512 MHz radio, just don't go too far out of band, the further you go the more RX sensitivity and TX power will degrade. And at some point the VCOs will drop out of lock. FYI the transmiter will go a little further then the receiver.

WATCH THE DUTY CYCLE on the ham radio repeater transmitters and point-to-point links, especially on the 30-50 watt "H" models. The heat sink was designed for a intermittent duty 30 watt mobile, then they stuck a 50 watt transmitter on it… I have five commercial repeaters that are built from dual TK-8180s. All are the 1-30 watt K types, all are set to 5-6 watts and drive Henry amplifiers (5 watts in, 120 watts out). They've been in service for years. The TK-7180 / 8180 have a 25-pin Accessory Connector that is covered in a couple of the articles below, the TK-8160 (KPG-99D) and TK-8360 (KPG-135D) do not have that connector.

Frequency Ranges / Market Codes

Band	Model	Frequency Range
VHF	TK-7180K or E	136-174 MHz
UHF	TK-8180K	450-520 MHz
UHF	TK-8180K2	400-470 MHz
UHF	TK-8180E	400-470 MHz

If anyone stumbles across any TK-7185 (217-260 MHz, KPG-92D) units - even one - please let me know…

The mobile radios are well-built, durable, and compact. They have a 12 character programmable display for channel aliases (names). They cannot display the frequency and the alias, you would need to program that as the alias.

The internal front-facing speaker is usable in an office, but tends to distort at higher volume levels. In a mobile environment you will probably want to use a KES-3 or KES-5 (or similar) external speaker (there is a 1/8 inch / 3.5mm external speaker connector labeled "SP" on the back of the radio). An external speaker always sounds better than the speaker that is internal to the control head. I'm partial to the Motorola HSN6001 series but that's just me. Several of the ambulances are using speakers that were in place from the previous radio... from the point of view of the radio an 8 ohm speaker is an 8 ohm speaker.

If you have a problem with an intermittent or dead front panel speaker here's a trick: The speaker amplifier feeds the "SP" jack on the rear of the radio then to the front panel speaker. If an external speaker plugged into the SP jack works then the problem could be in the SP jack itself or in the front panel speaker. Same situation with a radio that uses the KRK remote kit - first try bypassing the remote kit with a known good front / local control head. If an external speaker plugged into the SP jack works and the speaker in a known good control head works then look at the KRK extension cable.

The replacement speakers that fit inside the control head are ridiculously expensive. If yours goes bad you might want to just use an external speaker.

The scan feature is very fast (especially when comparing it to the budget Chinese radios).

The optional remote mount kit is the KRK-10 and works well. It ships with a 7 meter / 23 foot cable. KRK-10 photo   KRK-10-installation-guide

The selectable zones feature allows you to separate the channels… perhaps have one or more amateur radio zones, maybe a GMRS zone, and one or more travel zone(s). Another zone (or two or three) could be used to monitor public safety. These units are 512 channels / 128 Zones.

These radios generate an Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) voltage internally, and feed it to an analog-to-digital input pin on the main microprocessor, but they do NOT bring it out to any easily accessible connector (I had a reason to go digging for it). I needed to log incoming signal strength at the repeater site as I drove around southern California and ended up using a Motorola CDM mobile as the hilltop receiver - the RSSI voltage is already on pin 15 of that accessory connector. I used a 25 watt APRS tracker box (on a commercial channel the shop is licensed for) and had a laptop computer at the repeater site to log the GPS location and the RSSI voltage every time the tracker beaconed.
I later discovered that the TK-7180 / 8180 RSSI can be brought out to pin 1 of the accessory connector, which is unused (no connection). Anyone want to write an article on this? We'll put it on this page.

Microphones:   All of the links in this section are schematics and parts lists and each opens in a new browser tab)

The stock microphone that is shipped with a new radio is the KMC-35 (solid front, no keypad, not noise cancelling), the noise cancelling microphone is the KMC-27A but you do NOT want the KMC-27 or the KMC-27B! The KMC-27 has a round 12-pin radio connector, and the KMC-27B is not noise cancelling. You want the KMC-27A as it has electronic noise canceling using a second microphone element behind a hole on the rear of the microphone housing. The sound heard by the rear element electronically cancels the same sound that is heard by the front element.

The optional 12-button keypad microphone is the KMC-36, the 16-button keypad microphone is the KMC-32. Neither one has an actual DTMF tone generator chip inside the microphone, instead the keypads send serial data to the radio, the actual DTMF tones are created inside the mobile radio. The KMC-28A is a noise-cancelling 12-button keypad microphone.

Programming:

These mobiles have a RJ‑45 style microphone jack and use a KPG‑46 programming cable, the portables use a KPG‑36 cable. If you are going to use a USB cable then I recommend the FTDI cables from www.bluemax49ers.com (Mark Dunkle, KJ6ZWL). His FTDI USB cables just plain work and they work with the stock Windows drivers - there is no need for any funny drivers. At the time of this writing his FTDI KPG‑46 cable runs about US$35.

He also has a 9‑pin version for those that prefer to use the 9-pin hardware COM port on their programming computer. I have a Panasonic Toughbook CF‑30 (32-bit Windows 7) and a CF‑31 (64-bit Windows 10) dedicated to radio programming - opens in a new browser tab) and both have a 9-pin serial jack on the back, and that avoids ALL of the USB driver issues. So I prefer the 9-pin cables over the USB cables when I can find them. Mark sells on eBay and Amazon but you can avoid their markup by purchasing from his web site directly. No, he's not paying for this endorsement.

There is some confusion as to what programming software to use. Here is the straight scoop, directly from Kenwood:

KPG‑89D is for US region radios, KPG‑92D is for E (European) region radios and KPG‑96D is for radios with MPT trunking firmware. NEVER edit a codeplug created with one KPG with another KPG. Note that any KPG software with a trailing "N" prevents wideband operation (example: KPG‑89DN does not allow wideband).

Another caution on progamming: You want the codeplug file that is loaded into the radio or repeater to be generated by the same version of software. Meaning, if you use kpg-XXd version 2.x to create the codeplug then you want to use only the exact same version 2.x to upload that codeplug file into the radio or repeater and not any other version. And if you later download it modify it (example: change the CTCSS tone), and upload it then you want to use the same version.

When you start crossing different versions of programming software some very strange operational quirks can, and in certain cases will occur. Save yourself the head scratching and trouble shooting. Use ONE version to create, modify and upload / download any Kenwood radio or repeater. On a new-to-you radio assume that the prior owner had a different version. Archive the first download of codeplug and tuning data from your new-to-you radio, then create a new codeplug from scratch with your frequencies and upload it to your radio.

You can find a download file named KPG‑89D_V160_CD.zip "out there" however as I update this page (January 2026) the current version is 1.61.

The software asks for a "serial number" during installation. There are two levels of serial number, a dealer / user level number, and then there is an engineering number. When the software is installed with the engineering number then additional menus are unlocked, one of which allows you to reprogram a passworded radio (i.e. bypass and / or remove the password). Changing the serial number requires doing a full uninstall and reinstall.

The programming software will allow you to program out of band (i.e. amateur 44x MHz frequencies in a 450-512 MHz radio, just don't go too far out of band, the further you go the more the RX sensitivity and TX power will degrade. And at some point the VCOs will drop out of lock. FYI the transmiter will stretch a little further than the receiver.

Remember these radios were made for the commercial radio market. The radio shop that maintains the local commercial repeater system may chose to use a per-radio financial model… "$25 per radio per month, all you can talk", or something similar. The shop frequently will add a password to keep customers from reading the codeplug from one of their existing radios and then buying a radio on ebay or elsewhere and writing the codeplug to the new-to-them radio and using the repeater system without paying for the additional radio. One of the additional menus that is unlocked with the dealer or engineering serial number allows removal of the password.
The Kenwood software has both read and write passwords. I can understand having a "read" password to protect your shops repeater(s) from unauthorized use, but programming the "write" (or "overwrite") password is just plain mean. When the "overwrite" password is blank a new radio owner can load a new codeplug and overwrite the old one (and overwrite the "read" pasword) like a ham would want to do to a new-to-him radio. If you can't overwrite an old codeplug with a new one then you will have to find someone with the software that has the dealer or engineering menus enabled.

You can program a channel as receive-only simply by leaving the transmit frequency blank (where some other manufacturers have a check box for receive-only).

If you chose to use a local shop to program your radio ALWAYS instruct the dealer IN WRITING on your service ticket to not password protect YOUR radio. If they refuse, go somewhere else. It is YOUR radio and them locking you out is a dirty move by a dealer who wants to strongarm you into u$ing them everytime you want YOUR radio programmed or reprogrammed.

Manuals and Brochures:

	TK-7180(H) (VHF) or TK-8180(H) (UHF) brochure   627 kB PDF This is the brochure for the (H) high power model (adjustable from 30 to 45 watts). The lower power model is adjustable from 1-30 watts and has the same specifications.
	TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-8180 (UHF) Instruction Manual   550 kB PDF Covers the TK-7180, TK-7180H, TK-7182, TK-7182H, TK-8180, TK-8180H, TK-8182, TK-8182H.
	John W1GPO reports "The TK-8180 (K) radio covers 450-520 MHz but the KPG-89D software will allow you to program it with UHF amateur frequencies. You may have to adjust the radio's VCO trimmer capacitors to let it operate down as low as 440 MHz. Unfortunately these two trimmers are on the solder side of the RF board and you have to remove the board to get to them. This requires unsoldering the antenna connector and the four leads from the power amplifier module. The adjustment procedure, if you can understand it, is in the service manual. You can also just set the two trimmers for maximum capacitance as measured with a capacitance meter."
	TK-2180, TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-3180, TK-8180 (UHF) Field Programming Reference   4 MB PDF Covers the TK-2180, TK-3180 (handhelds), TK-7180, TK-8180 (mobiles) using the KPG-89D programming software.
	TK-2180, TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-3180, TK-8180 (UHF) Function Reference Manual   2.9 MB PDF
	TK-2180, TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-3180, TK-8180 (UHF) Modification Information   2.9 MB PDF
	TK-7180 (K) Service Manual   3.8 MB PDF (Dated July 2004)
	TK-8180 (K) Service Manual   3.2 MB PDF (Dated July 2004) Includes options KRK-10, KAP-2, KCT-40, KCT-46, KMC-35, KMC-36.
	TK-8180 (K / K2) Service Manual Supplement   3.1 MB PDF Schematic and parts list updated to cover K and K2 versions.

Articles:

	Replacement 2-Pin Radio DC Power Connectors Ths connector is used on both mobiles, and on repeaters. Your page maintainer has had to replace the power connectors on a number of Kenwood mobiles… TK-840s, TK-8160s, TK-8180s, TK-8360s and more. A friend had already researched the original connector and was happy to share his information.
	TK-6110 and TK-7180 / 8180 Accessory Connectors   50 kB PDF Summary of the DB-25 radio accessory connector data (extracted from their service manuals by Bob WA1MIK).
	Detailed Breakdown of the signals on the Kenwood TK-7180 / 8180 Accessory Connector   by Mike Morris WA6ILQ With some notes on interfacing connections to an external repeater controller.
	TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-8180 (UHF) Interfacing Signals and Configuration   courtesy of Skipp. A complement to the above article - a short text file with important programming settings. The above article and this article is all you need for basic interfacing to a repeater controller (as a receiver, transmitter, a link, or as a remote base).
	Detailed Breakdown of the signals on the Kenwood TK-7180 / 8180 Microphone Jack   by Mike Morris WA6ILQ Mike had to do some research on a customer TK-8180 to connect some specialized equipment. Many other Kenwood commercial radios use the same or a similar pinout.
	Changing the Kenwood TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-8180 (UHF) from Passport Trunking to Conventional Firmware   by Robert Meister WA1MIK Do you get a "!USE SJ-180!" message when you attempt to program your radio?   This article explains why it happens and what you can do about it.
	Comments on using the TK-7180 (VHF) or TK-8180 (UHF) mobile radio as a link transceiver   by Robert Meister WA1MIK This info is also applicable to other brands and models that have an active-low COR signal that needs to activate a PTT line that exceeds +5 volts when idle / inactive.

Contact Information:

The author, Mike Morris WA6ILQ, can be contacted here.

Hand-coded HTML © Copyright 2022 and date of last modification by Mike Morris WA6ILQ.

This page created on 30-Aug-2022 by Mike WA6ILQ.

This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is © Copyrighted 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors. All Rights Reserved, including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.