Kenwood th-k20a User Manual Page 1

INSTRUCTION MANUAL© B62-2365-00 (K, E, M)09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00TH-K40ATH-K40E430 MHz FM TRANSCEIVERNOTIFICATIONThis equipment complies with the

2INSTALLING THE BATTERY PACKNote: Because the battery pack is provided uncharged, you must charge the battery pack before using it with the transceiv

3CHARGING THE BATTERY PACKThe battery pack can be charged after it has been installed onto the transceiver. (The battery pack is provided uncharged f

4Approximate Charging Times3 hours Charger Status TableIndicator color MeaningRedA battery pack is in the charging slot and charging has started.Blink

5Connecting to a Cigarette Lighter SocketTo use the cigarette lighter socket, use the optional KVC-22 DC vehicular charger adapter. When using the Ch

6GETTING ACQUAINTED PWR/VOL controlTurn clockwise to switch the transceiver ON. To switch the transceiver OFF, turn counterclockwise until a click so

7 KeypadUse the keypad to perform the following operations. Additionally, you can use the 10-key keypad for direct frequency entry and manually trans

8Key name Press Operation Ref. page[LAMP][KEY] To turn the Backlight ON.13[F] - [KEY] To keep the Backlight ON continuously.[STEP] 0 [KEY] To enter th

9Indicator DescriptionAppears when the Shift function is set to plus.Appears when the Shift function is set to minus.Appears when the Shift function i

10BASIC OPERATIONSWITCHING THE POWER ON/OFFTurn the PWR/VOL control clockwise to switch the transceiver ON.• The power on message momentarily appears

11SELECTING A FREQUENCYVFO MODEThis is the basic mode for changing the operating frequency. Rotate the ENC control clockwise to increase the frequenc

THANK YOUWe are grateful you decided to purchase this KENWOOD FM transceiver. KENWOOD always provides Amateur Radio products which surprise and excit

12DIRECT FREQUENCY ENTRYIn addition to rotating the ENC control, there is another way to select the frequency. When the desired frequency is far away

13REMAINING BATTERY CAPACITYYou can confirm the remaining battery capacity when you transmit in low power.To check the remaining capacity:• The bar-

14LOCK FUNCTIONThe lock function disables most of the keys to prevent you from accidentally activating a function.1 Press [F] (1s) to turn the Lock

15MENU SETUPWHAT IS A MENU?Many functions on this transceiver are selected or configured via a software-controlled Menu rather than through the physic

16MENU FUNCTION LISTNo. Display Description Setting Values Default Setting Ref. Page1P.ON.MSGPower On message Up to 6 characters – 452BEEPKey Beep OFF

17No. Display Description Setting Values Default Setting Ref. Page21TX.INHTX inhibit OFF/ ON OFF5222M.SENSMicrophone Sensitivity HIGH/ MEDIUM/ LOW MED

18MEMORY CHANNELSIn Memory channels, you can store frequencies and related data that you often use. Then you need not reprogram the data every time.

19ParameterSimplex & RepeaterOdd-splitMemory channel lockout * Yes YesNarrow FM Yes YesBeat shift Yes Yes* Program Scan Memory and the Priority ch

20STORING ODD-SPLIT REPEATER FREQUENCIESSome repeaters use a receive/transmit frequency pair with a non-standard offset. If you store two separate fr

21Note:◆ You cannot recall an empty memory channel. An error beep sounds.◆ You cannot recall the Program Scan memory channels (L0/U0 ~ L2/U2) or Pri

iNOTICES TO THE USER One or more of the following statements may be applicable:FCC WARNING This equipment generates or uses radio frequency energy.

22MEMORY DISPLAY TYPEAfter storing a Memory name, the Memory name appears in place of the operating frequency. However, you can still display the ope

23CALL CHANNELThe Call Channel can be recalled instantly, no matter the frequency on which you are operating the transceiver. For instance, you may u

24MEMORY CHANNEL TRANSFERMEMORY TO VFO TRANSFERAfter retrieving frequencies and associated data from Memory Recall mode, you can copy the data to the

25Note:◆ To enter the Channel Display Mode, you must have at least one memory channel that contains the data.◆ If the memory channel contains the

26SCANScan is a useful feature for hands-off monitoring of your favorite frequencies.Becoming comfortable with all types of Scan will increase your op

27PROGRAM SCANYou can limit the scanning frequency range. There are 3 memory channel pairs (L0/U0 ~ L2/U2) available for specifying the start and end

28MEMORY SCAN1 Press [MR] (1s).• Scan starts from the last memory channel number and ascends up through the channel numbers (default). • Rotate th

295 Press [MR] to store the data on the Priority Channel.USING PRIORITY SCAN1 Enter Menu mode and access Menu No. 15 (PR.SCAN), then press [F].2

30SELECTING A SCAN RESUME METHODThe transceiver stops scanning at a frequency or Memory channel on which a signal is detected. It then continues scan

31OPERATING THROUGH REPEATERSRepeaters are often installed and maintained by radio clubs, sometimes with the cooperation of local businesses involved

iiPRECAUTIONS• Do not charge the transceiver and battery pack when they are wet.• Ensure that there are no metallic items located between the transc

32SELECTING AN OFFSET FREQUENCYTo access a repeater which requires an odd-split frequency pair, change the offset frequency from the default which is

33Available Tone FrequenciesTone Frequency (Hz)67.0 82.5 100.0 123.0 151.4 186.2 225.7 69.3 85.4 103.5 127.3 156.7 192.8 229.1 71.9 88.5 107.2 131.8 1

34AUTOMATIC REPEATER OFFSETThis function automatically selects an offset direction and activates the Tone function, according to the frequency that yo

35Note:◆ If the transmit frequency is outside the allowable transmit frequency range when using Reverse, pressing [PTT] will cause an error tone to

36SIGNALINGCTCSSYou may sometimes want to hear calls only from specific persons. The Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) allows you to ignor

37CTCSS FREQUENCY SCANThis function scans through all CTCSS frequencies to identify the incoming CTCSS frequency on a received signal. You can use th

38USING DCS1 Press [TONE] 3 times to activate the DCS function.• Each time you press [TONE], the selection changes as follows: Tone () ➡ CTCSS ( ) ➡

39CROSS TONEYou can set separate signaling types by TX and RX for when you access a repeater that uses different encode/ decode signaling.1 Press [TON

40DTMF FUNCTIONSThis transceiver provides you with 16 dedicated DTMF memory channels. You can store a DTMF code (16 digits max.) in each of these cha

41• You can move the cursor to the left or right by pressing [VFO] or [MR].• Press [CALL] to delete the character at the current cursor position.•

iii• Danger of explosion if the battery is incorrectly replaced; replace only with the same type.• When operating the transceiver in areas where th

42DTMF TX HOLDThis function causes the transceiver to remain in transmit mode for 2 seconds after you release each key. Therefore, you can release [P

43AUXILIARY FUNCTIONSPROGRAMMABLE VFOIf you want to limit the operating frequencies within a certain range, program the lower and upper frequency limi

44FREQUENCY STEP SIZEChoosing the correct frequency step size is essential in order to select your exact receive frequency using the ENC control. You

45Note:◆ While Tone Alert is ON, there is no speaker output when a signal is received. To monitor the signal, press and hold [MONI].◆ When Tone A

46BEEP FUNCTIONThe Beep function provides confirmation of entry, error status, and malfunctions of the transceiver. We recommend you leave this funct

47“KEY.FRQ”: Only the following keys can be operated.PWR/VOL control PTT MONI F SQL LAMPBATTERY SAVERThe Battery Saver extends the operating time of

48APO (AUTO POWER OFF)The transceiver switches OFF automatically if no keys or controls are pressed or adjusted for 30 minutes (default). One minute

49BEAT SHIFTSince the transceiver uses a microprocessor to control various functions of the transceiver, the CPU clock oscillator’s harmonics or image

50VOX GAINTo enjoy the VOX function, take the time to properly adjust the VOX Gain level. This level controls the VOX circuit to detect the presence

512 Rotate the ENC control to select the desired delay time to 250/ 500 (default)/ 750/ 1000/ 1500/ 2000/ 3000 ms, then press [F] to store the setti

iv• Do not pierce the battery with any object, strike it with an instrument, or step on it! This may break or deform the battery, causing a short-cir

52TX INHIBITYou can inhibit transmitting to prevent unauthorized individuals from transmitting, or to eliminate accidentally transmitting while carryi

53MICROPHONE PF KEYSThere are 3 microphone PF (Programmable Function) keys: [PF1], [PF2], and [PF3]. You can assign your desired functions to these

54Weather Alert is available only in the USA and Canada. When activated, this function will check for a received NOAA 1050 Hz tone. When the tone is

55APPENDIXOPTIONAL ACCESSORIESThe following options are available for use with this transceiver:KNB-63L: Li-ion battery packKNB-65L: Li-ion battery pa

56Note:◆ Record the date of purchase, serial number and dealer from whom this product was purchased.◆ For your own information, retain a written r

57Problem SolutionYou cannot transmit by pressing [PTT].You selected a frequency outside the allowable range. Select a frequency within the allowable

58TRANSCEIVER RESETThere are 2 types of transceiver resets available:Partial ResetUse to initialize all settings other than the Memory channels and DT

59SPECIFICATIONSNote: All specifications are guaranteed within the amateur radio band.General TH-K20A/E TH-K40A/EGuaranteed range (MHz) TX & RX1

vCONTENTSPREPARATION ... 1SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES ...

viOPERATING THROUGH REPEATERS ..... 31SELECTING AN OFFSET DIRECTION (SHIFT) ...

1PREPARATIONSUPPLIED ACCESSORIESAfter carefully unpacking the transceiver, identify the items listed in the table below. We recommend you keep the bo