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Top Brand: Kenwood

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	This Item Kenwood TM-281A 144MHz FM Transceiver	Recommendations Baofeng UV-5R Two Way Radio Dual Band 144-148/420-450Mhz Walkie Talkie 1800mAh Li-ion Battery(Black)	dummy BAOFENG BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF & 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery	dummy BTECH UV-50X2 (Second Gen.) Mobile 50 Watt Dual Band Base, Mobile Radio: VHF, UHF Amateur (Ham)	dummy FT-891 FT891 Yaesu Original FT-891 HF/50 MHz All Mode Analog Ultra Compact Mobile/Base Transceiver - 100 Watts - 3 Year Warranty	dummy FT-2980R FT-2980 \| Original Yaesu 144 MHz Single Band Mobile Transceiver \| 80 Watts \| 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty
	See details	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart
Price	Currently unavailable.	$17.99	$62.89	-24% $219.89 List: $289.89	-13% $779.95 List: $900.00	-7% $231.88 List: $250.00
Delivery	—	Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11	Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11	Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11	Get it May 9 - 13	Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
Customer Ratings	4.5394	4.58,771	4.514,565	4.3549	4.557	4.7268
Value for money	4.5	4.5	4.7	4.1	4.6	4.3
Easy to use	4.4	3.9	4.1	3.9	4.7	4.3
Battery life	—	4.4	4.6	5.0	—	4.5
Sound quality	—	4.3	4.5	4.3	—	4.3
Quality of material	—	4.5	4.5	—	—	5.0
Sold By	—	Moonwu	BaoFeng Tech	BaoFeng Tech	GigaParts	Advanced Specialties Inc.
talk range maximum	—	5 kilometer	50 mile	100 mile	—	—
number of channels	200	128	1000	200	8	221
frequency range	—	VHF/UHF 144-148 mhz / 420-450mhz	VHF	FM, VHF, UHF	—	—
power source	DC	Corded Electric, Battery Powered	Battery Powered	DC	DC	DC
tuner technology	VHF	VHF/UHF 144-148 mhz / 420-450mhz	UHF, VHF	FM, VHF, UHF	—	VHF
water resistance	water resistant	not water resistant	waterproof	not water resistant	—	not water resistant

Product Description

On or off the road, Kenwood's TM-281A is a mobile radio you can always count on. As tough as nails, this MIL-STD-compliant transceiver delivers powerful performance, excellent audio clarity, and a host of advanced features. It offers superb operating ease day or night thanks to the large backlit LCD and illuminated keys. So the next time you take off, take the TM-281A.

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Product information

Product Dimensions

6.34 x 6.71 x 1.69 inches

Item Weight

2.5 pounds

ASIN

B007470C0A

Item model number

TM-281A

Customer Reviews

4.5 394 ratings

4.5 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers Rank

#2,164 in Portable FRS Two-Way Radios

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer

No

Special features

LCD Screen

Other display features

Wireless

Color

Black

Manufacturer

KENWOOD

Date First Available

February 1, 2012

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

394 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers like the quality, ease of programming, value, sound quality, and clarity of the two-way radio. They mention that it's built like a tank, easy to operate, and good value for the money. Some appreciate the front-facing speaker, which provides plenty of volume. They also appreciate the menu and received signals being clear.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

56 customers mention56 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the quality of the two-way radio. They mention that it is an excellent radio built like a tank, a solid choice for any Amateur Radio license holder, and well constructed. Some say that it works as expected and is a nice unit for limited use.

"...Build quality is excellent, it's a solidly-built radio (Kenwood makes a commercial model which looks almost identical)...." Read more

"...This is a product built to last, as are most Kenwood radios - the radio this replaced was also a Kenwood and was 20 years old...." Read more

"...has been available for quite a few years which indicates that it is popular and reliable.Yes, I would recommend this radio to others." Read more

"This transceiver works very well. It exhibits good selectivity and sensitivity...." Read more

33 customers mention24 positive9 negative

Customers find the programming of the two way radio easy with a programming cable. They also say the set up is a breeze and the box isn't super bulky.

"...Programming is easy with a programming cable ( about $22.00) on Amazon and eBay..." Read more

"Easy to program and works very well...." Read more

"...It is very simple to operate and program without a computer, but obviously it's quicker with a computer...." Read more

"...Its on the shelf in the shack because the documentation is terrible, the quality is substandard, and the alleged features don't all appear to..." Read more

18 customers mention18 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the value of the two-way radio. They say it's an inexpensive 2-meter rig that is well worth the money.

"...If you need a good, inexpensive 2-meter rig, you can't go wrong with this one...." Read more

"This is a good radio, well worth the price, carefully and well documented and has plenty of power...." Read more

"...I feel this is a good radio for the price and I hope to get many hours of enjoyment from it...." Read more

"I got mine used like new. from Amazon warehouse and the price was so low I practically stole it...." Read more

16 customers mention16 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the sound quality of the two way radio. They mention that it has great audio coming from the front fired speaker, and the audio seems to be contoured for best possible vocal quality. The front facing speaker has plenty of volume, making listening easier. The radio has great frequencies and the microphone gets good reports.

"...I get nothing but good signal reports on transmit, and receive sounds even better thanks to that legendary Kenwood audio...." Read more

"...There's a lot of aluminum and the front facing speaker is perfect...." Read more

"...is quite good when used in a relatively quiet area and the audio seems to be contoured for best possible vocal quality from a speaker of that size...." Read more

"...above the ground and received signals are clear with good clean audio. Transmission strength is very good, hitting repeaters out to 50 miles." Read more

7 customers mention7 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the clarity of the radio. They mention that the facing speaker makes it very clear and audible even mounted down by. The front firing speaker is clear and readable, and the menu is clear.

"...above the ground and received signals are clear with good clean audio. Transmission strength is very good, hitting repeaters out to 50 miles." Read more

"...the front facing speaker makes it very clear and audible even mounted down by my left knee below the dash line. easy to read face and backlight...." Read more

"This is solid radio - easy to program - the menu is clear. With 65 watts on high power, it is really effective...." Read more

"...The front firing speaker is clear and readable. I cannot think of anything negative about this radio...." Read more

7 customers mention7 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the reception of the two-way radio. They mention that it has great reception and picks up frequencies very well. The transmit/receive capabilities are fine, and the transmission strength is very good.

"...I get nothing but good signal reports on transmit, and receive sounds even better thanks to that legendary Kenwood audio...." Read more

"...Transmission strength is very good, hitting repeaters out to 50 miles." Read more

"Low price, high performance 2M FM ham radio. Rugged chassis, great front-facing speaker with plenty of volume...." Read more

"...Transmit/Receive capabilities are fine, no complaints...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

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D. Andrino

You won't find a better 2-meter rig for the money!

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

I had the predecessor to this radio (the TM-271A), and this one is even better. Took only a few minutes to install the mounting bracket in the car, and hook up the radio. I get nothing but good signal reports on transmit, and receive sounds even better thanks to that legendary Kenwood audio. On 25 watts I'm able to easily hit repeaters as far as 50 miles away. I haven't tested the 65 watt setting yet, because I still only have it plugged into the cigarette lighter receptacle. To use the high power setting, you need to wire the power cable directly to the battery. I also haven't tried to program channel information through the front panel, much easier to use a program like CHIRP, which is available on Linux, MacOS X, and Windows. CHIRP doesn't allow you to program the other features on this radio, only the channel data. To do that you need the MCP-1A program (Windows only) available for free from the Kenwood web site. Build quality is excellent, it's a solidly-built radio (Kenwood makes a commercial model which looks almost identical). If you need a good, inexpensive 2-meter rig, you can't go wrong with this one. This particular one BTW was an "Amazon Warehouse" deal, and it said "may have scratches and other cosmetic blemishes" in the description, but I haven't seen any. It looks factory new.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Merciless

This is a good radio, well worth the price

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a good radio, well worth the price, carefully and well documented and has plenty of power. In low power mode you can use the cigarette lighter (25 Watts), but to use high power mode (65 Watts) you will definitely need a battery connection. Most noteworthy is the case and construction. This is not a simple cheap device. There's a lot of aluminum and the front facing speaker is perfect. This is a product built to last, as are most Kenwood radios - the radio this replaced was also a Kenwood and was 20 years old. This one looks like it will last even longer. I highly recommend this radio over any radio from China. I bought one of those first because of the price. Its on the shelf in the shack because the documentation is terrible, the quality is substandard, and the alleged features don't all appear to function. I finally gave up trying to debug the documentation and went back to Kenwood.

81 people found this helpful

Helpful

Still Spinning Vinyl

Great Radio at a Great Price !

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

I havn't been on Ham Radio for almost 20 years but with the stay home due to Corona Virus, I started to get bored with the internet so I started to see whats going on with 2 meter radios these days. I was pleasantly surprised to see this Kenwood full feature transciever for only $150 so it was a no brainer to order it. It arrived in a few days and I was surprised to find that the entire chassis is a heat sink. Years ago you did not have to go thru all of the programming that todays radios require to get it on the air so I spent some time with the well written instruction manual and in about an hour I had two repeaters programmed into it although I have to admit it seemed a bit confusing at times. I bought a programming disc and cable from RT Systems ( reviewed elsewhere ) that made the rest of the programming a snap. At the time I did not know that Kenwood has a free download program for this task and an accessory cable ( not supplied ) for about half of what I paid for the RT Systems disc & Cable. I am using this radio with an Astron RS-12A power supply which is fine for the 25 watt output.

I am using this radio with a Diamond x200 dual band gain antenna that has been on my roof for about 30 years, with 50 ft of 9913 cable. The SWR was a bit higher than I felt comfortable with at 2 to 1 and the radio folded back to about 18 watts on the 25 watt output setting. I knew either the cable or the antenna or both had to be replaced. I replaced the cable with new RG8X and that brought the SWR to a more respectable level of 1.4 to 1 at the band edges and 1to 1.1 at 146 Mhz. This enabled the radio to output 25 to 28 watts at the low power setting.

The build quality seems quite good and I would expect nothing less from Kenwood after owning other Kenwood products for many years. The front panel layout is nice, the illumination for the digital display is adjustable. The front facing speaker is quite good when used in a relatively quiet area and the audio seems to be contoured for best possible vocal quality from a speaker of that size. Provision for an external speaker is available from an 1/8th inch phone jack on the back of the radio.

Two items that make me give this radio 4 stars instead of 5 is the amount of heat radiated from the near wrap around heat sink on the back and bottom of this radio. Even with transmissions of 1 minute or less, after being in a qso for a while the heat sink is extremely hot. I installed the mobile mounting bracket to act as a bit of additional heat sink and even that gets quite warm, and this is only at the 25 watt setting. I dont think you would ever get a 100% duty cycle from this radio. The instruction manual does mention that when using the 65 watt output to keep transmissions shorter. I am going to have to use this radio with some kind of fan or other form of forced air cooling. To me, solid state and extreme heat are not a good match.

The other item that causes me to give this 4 stars and not 5 is that the minimum ( Lo power ) setting is 25 watts. I think, considering the heat situation when running at this power lever, a 10 watt setting would be more appropriate. There is no internal adjustment to lower the power below 25 watts. I would have much more preferred power levels of 10 w low and 25 high which I really feel would be better for this radio considering the heat situation at 25 watts. I have not even attempted to try it at 65 watts even though I have a 35 amp power supply that I could use it with.

I feel this is a good radio for the price and I hope to get many hours of enjoyment from it. I did buy an extended warrantee with it and I am glad I did in case it fails from the high heat it generates. It appears that this model has been available for quite a few years which indicates that it is popular and reliable.

Yes, I would recommend this radio to others.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Honeyteam

This transceiver works very well.

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

This transceiver works very well. It exhibits good selectivity and sensitivity. It is a bit complex to program, but following the user manual goes a long way to making programming reasonably easy. Once you understand the general flow of programming it, you will pick it up quickly. I have it connected to a Slim Jim antenna about 25 ft. above the ground and received signals are clear with good clean audio. Transmission strength is very good, hitting repeaters out to 50 miles.

One person found this helpful

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The Last White Truck Driver

Great radio

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I got mine used like new. from Amazon warehouse and the price was so low I practically stole it. You could tell it had been opened at one time, but everything was still in the rappers and packaging and I could not tell that this was not brand new. this is a very good radio and I am delighted that I bought it. Nice and quality, the microphone feels nice and solid and has great audio coming from the front fired speaker. I have been a ham operator, but admitting,,, this is a new entry into the 2 meter world I was intrigued and didn’t want to spend too much but I’m so glad that I bought this. A whole new world out there! I’ve never had any other 2 m radio, but if I ever do it will be another Kenwood that is for sure

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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mike sabiston

Follow instructions

Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

I use this for hunting.

Ronr

Uhf radio

Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I haven't had a chance to use it yet but it looks very nice

JB

It’s great

Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

It’s a great radio, I just had to get it programmed before I could use it. It was locked between 144,000 and 148,000 and I needed it higher.

2 people found this helpful

Eric potvin

Bon

Reviewed in Canada on July 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Bon

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Client d'Amazon

good

Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

très bon choix

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Kenwood TM-281A 144MHz FM Transceiver

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