TK-7180/8180..any users here?

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007
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2002 12:38 am
Location: Adding more toys to my Orion's

TK-7180/8180..any users here?

Post by 007 »

Looking hard at a set of them with remote kits, but nobody I know has them. Who's got 'em, and how do they compare to a MCS2000 or Spectra?
The serial bus on my Orion is working for it's money.
Splat
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 3:16 pm

Post by Splat »

I was looking into them recently. They have nice broad ops bands. VHF is 136-174MHz, UHF versions are 400-470MHz and 450-512MHz. They have nice Tx & Rx specs. The downside is both the VHF and UHF models only do 30W out. I bought the TK-3180 portable and then bought the s/w for it. The same s/w will do the TK-7180/8180 mobiles too. Judging from the s/w options and features for the mobiles they have comparable features with the TK-2180/3180 portables. I've not been able to test one because no one has them in stock yet and they don't know when they'll get them. So, I went with the TK-8150 mobile instead. The UHF version I got is 450-500MHz but it will easily do 440 ham and a little above 500MHz with no programming or mobile modifications. The 8150 also does 50W out and has all the features the 8180 has. If you can wait for the 8180's to get to the dealers then go for it. It's also cheaper then the 8150 by about $300. While I can't speak about the 8180's performance, if it's like the 3180 portables they should be just fine. They have great Rx & Tx specs, and if you go by what Kenwood states the 8180 has better sensitivity than the Spectra, but the Spectra has better selectivity. BTW, the Spectras are now discontinued (which is an injustice!), though I'm sure Motorola will still repair them for the next 5 years. I personally like the wide bandspread of the 8180 or 8150 and the fact that the programming s/w is cheap and not a hassle to obtain legally.
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