External antenna for Kenwood radios

PeterB4407

PeterB4407

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Hiya. I'm looking for advice from folk up to speed with the use of bike to bike comms using radios. I have an Autocom SPA that I'm about to install onto my R1200RS. Initially I'll set it up for rider/passenger comms and once that's sorted I'll work on bike to bike as my lady spends most of the time riding her own bike (Ninja 650). I've a few radios that I've inherited but the pair I intend to use are Kenwood TK 3202. To maximise performance an external antenna would be good. I can't find any information on suppliers or adapting the radios to fit a suitable antenna. Can anyone help here? If an antenna is installed behind plastics would it attenuate the signal significantly?

I have an adapter to power the radio from the SPA but I've read opinion that says a 4 watt radio would need more current than the SPA can supply. Does anyone have any knowledge on this?

If anyone can help it would be appreciated. It's a steep learning curve.

Peter
 
What frequency are you running them on?
 
A good question and a chance to show my ignorance. I haven't got them yet. If I say that they will be on Business Lite OFCOM frequencies would that make sense?





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Give wild talk a ring, they are in York and super helpful.
 
Years ago I had an external antenna conversion made to my Kenwood, the aerial bolted to a plate on the rear of my GSA. It worked very well, alongside my Autocom. A friend of mine converted the Kenwood for me, not least as he had already done his own conversion and had (more importantly) a soldier sucker. I cannot for the life of me remember where he bought the bits from.
 
I've used barnabus communications down my way, they've been really good. They use Icom radios and all manner of trickery... made a thing that allowed me to use the system in my truck, and bike to bike...

will ask him what he's got to make things work

but if it's just rider to passenger or rider to rider line of sight why not go bluetooth..?
 
Lo-IQ said:
I've used barnabus communications down my way, they've been really good. They use Icom radios

but if it's just rider to passenger or rider to rider line of sight why not go bluetooth..?
Click to expand...

I suspect the answer to the second question is "quality""
Those of us who have used Autocom know that bluetongue is a backward step in quality.
And as for Icom, I used the 0.4W version mounted inside my Vario on the 2005: clear range of up to 5 miles in the right conditions! Unlikely to get a proportional improvement by going up to 4W as its all about line of sight, less about atmospherics - apparently!!
 
I'm new to Autocom and radios but bluetooth and I go back to it's very emergence in the motorcycle comms world. From memory I'm on my 5th iteration with my Interphone Tour and that's over a lot of years. Before that I used a Starcom unit for rider/passenger comms.
I'm reasonably experienced and progressive on the bike (50 years of riding last birthday in August) and my wife a lot less so. She likes the reassurance of bike to bike comms (I enjoy sharing things too) but bluetooth is often failing, dropping out or sounding like a washing machine. Added to that is that her new lid requires a Sena integrated solution and my experience of getting Interphone to talk to Sena isn't good. Plus £250 for a Sena unit that may not outlast the helmet model - madness. I've a whole basket of Autocom gear and I'm wanting to give radios a try.

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DC said:
theres a few threads on here on Kenwoods and external antennas . Would you not be better investing in a bluetooth helmet set up ? just talk to your wife that way ? Sena seem to be the market leaders, but there is plenty of choice

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/370523-Remote-aerial-for-Kenwood-TK-3310

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/387936-How-to-connect-a-PMR-(rider-to-rider-radio)-to-an-RT?highlight=kenwood
Click to expand...
Thank you DC, much appreciated.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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