[aprssig] What path gets auto-digipeated via a Kenwood TH-D74a?

[Stephen H. Smith]

On 4/26/2020 1:14 PM, Greg D wrote:
 > Hi Bob,
 >
 > I think the puzzle here is whether this should work (i.e. digipeat) with the 
TH-D74A.  I don't believe the HT will digipeat stand-alone.  Have you seen it 
do that?
 >
 > Greg  KO6TH
 >
 >


Whadya know!  Yet another way the TH=-D74 is actually a step backwards from the 
D72.

The D72 is fully capable of being an APRS digipeater. Indeed you can do APRS 
digipeating on BAND A and do voice operations on BAND B at the same time.  I 
have a D72 and have successfully used it as a digi several times.

[I have used the D72 in the car, connected to a mobile antenna to 
crossband-digipeat 144.39 to UHF when doing live APRS presentations at ham club 
presentations. Often it's difficult to hear 144.39 inside buildings, especially 
when the meeting place is deep inside a public or commercial building (or even 
in the basement).   Re-transmitting VHF APRS from the parking lot outdoors onto 
UHF that only needs to go a few hundred inside the building works perfectly.]


Looking at the manual for the D74, it appears to NOT be able to function as a digi.

The D74 also seems to unable to do cross-band voice repeating, like the D72.

When it came out, I assumed the D74 would do everything the D72 could,  plus a 
lot more.  It now appears that a lot was left out to cram the D-Star functions 
and general coverage receiver into the D74.    D74 won't do:

- Crossband Voice Repeater

- APRS Digipeater

- Kenwood "Sky Command" remote control of the TS-2000 HF-VHF-UHF transceiver.

Note that for several years, the D72 lived on along side the newer D74. It was 
only discontinued when the TS-2000 was discontinued.  I suspect the D72 
lingered on because the newer model wouldn't do the Sky Command feature.



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Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
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