Kenwood TH-K2AT User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
144MHz FM TRANSCEIVER
TH-K2AT
TH-K2E
TH-K2ET
430MHz FM TRANSCEIVER
TH-K4AT
TH-K4E
© B62-1696-00 (K, K2, E, E3, M, M2)
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00

NOTICE TO THE USER
One or more of the following statements may be
applicable for this equipment.
FCC WARNING
This equipment generates or uses radio frequency energy. Changes
or modifications to this equipment may cause harmful interference
unless the modifications are expressly approved in the instruction
manual. The user could lose the authority to operate this equipment
if an unauthorized change or modification is made.
INFORMATION TO THE DIGITAL DEVICE USER REQUIRED BY
THE FCC
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits
for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can generate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that the
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that
to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer for technical assistance.

MODELS COVERED BY THIS MANUAL
The models listed below are covered by this manual.
TH-K2AT, TH-K2E, TH-K2ET
TH-K4AT, TH-K4E
MARKET CODES
Kn: The Americas
En: Europe
Mn: General
(Where n represents a variation number.)
The market code is printed on the bar-code label of the
carton box.
Refer to the product specifications {pages 122 ~ 133}
for information on the available operating frequencies
within each model. For accessories supplied with each
model, refer to pages vii ~ ix.

PRECAUTIONS
Please observe the following precautions to prevent fire,
personal injury, or transceiver damage:
• Do not transmit with high output power for extended
periods. The transceiver may overheat.
• Do not modify this transceiver unless instructed by
this manual or by KENWOOD documentation.
• When using a regulated power supply, connect the
specified DC cable (option) to the DC IN jack on the
transceiver. The supply voltage must be between
12 V and 16 V to prevent damaging the transceiver.
• When connecting the transceiver to a cigarette
lighter socket in a vehicle, use the specified cigarette
lighter cable (option).
• Do not expose the transceiver to long periods of
direct sunlight nor place it close to heating
appliances.
• Do not place the transceiver in excessively dusty,
humid, or wet areas, nor on unstable surfaces.
• If an abnormal odor or smoke is detected coming
from the transceiver, turn OFF the power
immediately and remove the battery case or the
battery pack from the transceiver. Contact your
authorized KENWOOD dealer, customer service, or
service station.

i
NOTICE TO THE USER
MODELS COVERED BY THIS MANUAL
MARKET CODES
PRECAUTIONS
CONTENTS ................................................................... i
THANK YOU .................................................................... vi
FEATURES ...................................................................... vi
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES ....................................................... vii
WRITING CONVENTIONS FOLLOWED ............................................. x
PREPARATION ............................................................. 1
INSTALLING THE PB-43N NI-MH BATTERY PACK ......................... 1
INSTALLING ALKALINE BATTERIES .......................................... 2
INSTALLING THE ANTENNA ................................................. 4
ATTACHING THE HAND STRAP (OTHER THAN TH-K2AT K/ K2) ............ 4
INSTALLING THE BELT CLIP ................................................ 5
CHARGING THE PB-43N NI-MH BATTERY PACK
(OTHER THAN TH-K2AT K2/ M2, TH-K4AT M2) ...................... 6
CONNECTING TO ACIGARETTE LIGHTER SOCKET ............................ 8
CONNECTING TO AREGULATED POWER SUPPLY ............................. 9
YOUR FIRST QSO ........................................................ 10
FIRST QSO ............................................................. 10
GETTING ACQUAINTED .................................................. 12
KEYS AND CONTROLS .................................................... 12
DISPLAY ................................................................. 14
BASIC OPERATION ........................................................ 17
Switching the Power ON/OFF ................................ 17
Adjusting the Volume ......................................... 17
Adjusting the Squelch ......................................... 18
Transmitting ..................................................... 19
Selecting an Output Power .............................. 19
Selecting a Frequency ........................................ 20
VFO Mode .................................................. 20
MHz Mode .................................................. 20
Direct Frequency Entry
(TH-K2AT/ET/K4AT only) ................................. 21
CONTENTS

ii
MENU SETUP ............................................................. 24
WHAT IS AMENU? ...................................................... 24
MENU ACCESS ........................................................... 24
MENU FUNCTION LIST ................................................... 26
ALPHABETICAL FUNCTION LIST ............................................ 29
OPERATING THROUGH REPEATERS................................... 31
OFFSET PROGRAMMING FLOW ............................................ 32
Programming an Offset ....................................... 32
Selecting an Offset Direction ........................... 32
Selecting an Offset Frequency .......................... 33
Activating the Tone Function ............................ 34
Selecting a Tone Frequency ............................. 35
AUTOMATIC REPEATER OFFSET (TH-K2AT/ E/ ET ONLY) ................. 37
REVERSE FUNCTION ...................................................... 38
AUTOMATIC SIMPLEX CHECK (ASC) ...................................... 38
TONE FREQ. ID SCAN ................................................... 39
MEMORY CHANNELS .................................................... 41
NUMBER OF MEMORY CHANNELS ......................................... 41
SIMPLEX & REPEATER OR ODD-SPLIT MEMORY CHANNEL? ............... 42
Storing Simplex Frequencies or
Standard Repeater Frequencies ............................. 44
Storing Odd-Split Repeater Frequencies .................. 45
Recalling a Memory Channel ................................ 46
Using the Tuning Control ................................ 46
Using a Numeric Keypad
(TH-K2AT/ ET/ K4AT only) ................................ 46
CLEARING AMEMORY CHANNEL .......................................... 47
NAMING AMEMORY CHANNEL ............................................ 48
MEMORY CHANNEL TRANSFER ............................................ 50
Memory aVFO Transfer ..................................... 50
Channel aChannel Transfer ................................ 50
CALL CHANNEL .......................................................... 53
Recalling the Call Channel ................................... 53
Reprogramming the Call Channel ........................... 54
WEATHER ALERT (TH-K2AT K/ K2 ONLY) .............................. 55
Programming the Weather Radio Frequency ............. 55

iii
Enabling a Weather Alert ..................................... 56
CHANNEL DISPLAY ....................................................... 57
SCAN ....................................................................... 59
NORMAL SCAN ........................................................... 60
Band Scan ....................................................... 60
Program Scan ................................................... 61
Storing a Program Scan Frequency Range ........... 61
Performing Program Scan ............................... 62
MEMORY SCAN .......................................................... 63
All-Channel Scan ............................................... 63
CALL SCAN .............................................................. 64
PRIORITY SCAN .......................................................... 65
Programming Priority Channels ............................. 65
Using Priority Scan ............................................ 65
MEMORY CHANNEL LOCKOUT ............................................. 67
SCAN RESUME METHOD .................................................. 68
SELECTIVE CALL ......................................................... 69
CTCSS AND DCS ...................................................... 69
CTCSS ................................................................. 69
Using CTCSS .................................................... 69
Selecting a CTCSS Frequency ............................... 70
CTCSS Freq. ID Scan .......................................... 72
DCS .................................................................... 73
Using DCS ....................................................... 73
Selecting a DCS Code ......................................... 74
DCS Code ID Scan ............................................. 75
DTMF FUNCTIONS ....................................................... 76
MANUAL DIALING (TH-K2AT/ ET/ K4AT ONLY) ........................ 76
DTMF TX Hold (TH-K2AT/ ET/ K4AT only) .................. 77
AUTOMATIC DIALER ...................................................... 77
Storing a DTMF Number in Memory ........................ 77
Transmitting a Stored DTMF Number ....................... 79
Adjusting the DTMF Tone Transmission Speed ........... 80
Adjusting the Pause Duration ................................ 80
DTMF KEY LOCK ....................................................... 81

iv
OPERATOR CONVENIENCES ............................................ 82
APO (AUTO POWER OFF) .............................................. 82
BATTERY LIFE ............................................................ 83
REMAINING BATTERY CAPACITY ........................................... 83
BATTERY SAVER ......................................................... 84
BEAT SHIFT .............................................................. 85
BEEP FUNCTION .......................................................... 85
BUSY CHANNEL LOCKOUT ................................................ 86
FREQUENCY STEP SIZE ................................................... 86
LAMP .................................................................... 88
LOCK FUNCTION ......................................................... 88
Tuning Control Unlock ......................................... 89
MICROPHONE PF KEYS (OPTIONAL) ...................................... 89
MONITOR ................................................................ 91
NARROW BAND FM OPERATION .......................................... 91
POWER-ON MESSAGE ................................................... 92
PROGRAMMABLE VFO ................................................... 93
TIME-OUT TIMER ........................................................ 94
TX INHIBIT .............................................................. 95
TX POWER .............................................................. 95
VOX (VOICE-OPERATED TRANSMISSION) ................................. 96
VOX Gain ........................................................ 97
VOX Delay Time ................................................ 99
VOX on Busy .................................................. 100
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ............................................. 101
INTERFACING TO PERIPHERALS .................................... 104
SP/MIC JACK ........................................................ 104
SP/MIC ......................................................... 104
PC ............................................................... 105
Using the PG-4Y PC Interface Cable ................. 106
Using the MCP-1A Software ........................... 107
TROUBLESHOOTING ................................................... 108
GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................. 108
Service ......................................................... 108
Service Note .................................................. 109
Cleaning ....................................................... 110
BACKUP BATTERY ...................................................... 110

v
MICROPROCESSOR RESET .............................................. 111
Initial Settings ................................................ 111
Full Reset ..................................................... 111
VFO Reset ..................................................... 111
Performing Reset ............................................ 112
Full reset ................................................. 112
VFO reset ................................................. 113
Reset using the Menu ....................................... 114
OPERATION NOTICES ................................................... 115
Operating Voltage ............................................ 115
Receiving Signals in Cities ................................ 115
Transmission.................................................. 116
Internal Beats ................................................. 116
TROUBLESHOOTING ..................................................... 117
INTERNAL BEATS FREQUENCY LIST ...................................... 121
SPECIFICATIONS ....................................................... 122
INDEX .................................................................... 134

vi
THANK YOU
Thank you for choosing this KENWOOD TH-K2AT/ E/ ET,
TH-K4AT/ E transceiver. It has been developed by a
team of engineers determined to continue the tradition
of excellence and innovation in KENWOOD
transceivers.
Don’t let the size fool you! This small FM portable
transceiver features a 5-watt transmitter and various
selective calls without installing options. As you learn
how to use this transceiver, you will also find that
KENWOOD is pursuing “user friendliness”. For
example, each time you change the Menu No. in Menu
Mode, you will see a text message on the display that
lets you know what you are configuring.
Though user friendly, this transceiver is technically
sophisticated and some features may be new to you.
Consider this manual to be a personal tutorial from the
designers. Allow the manual to guide you through the
learning process now, then act as a reference in the
coming years.
FEATURES
• Compact design
• Aluminum die-cast chassis
• High output power (up to 5 W operation)
• 100 memory channels or 50 channels with names
• Long operation period with a Ni-MH battery pack
• Menu allows for easy control and selecting of various
functions.
• Optional PC software is available to manage the
memory channel contents.
• Built-in VOX function

vii
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES
After carefully unpacking the transceiver, identify the
items listed in the table below. We recommend you
keep the box and packings for the shipping.
yrosseccA rebmuNtraP
ytitnauQ
TA2K-HT
K 2K M 2M
koohtleB )swercs/w( XX-9070-92J 1111
annetnAXX-8101-09T 1111
partSXX-2430-96J ––11
esacyrettaBXX-7183-20A –1–1
yrettabHM-iNXX-1990-90W 1–1–
regrahC XX-9590-80W ––1–
XX-0690-80W 1–––
noitcurtsnI launaM
EXX-6961-26B 1111
SXX-7961-26B 11––
GXX-9961-26B ––––
CXX-5961-26B –––1
IXX-2071-26B ––––
FXX-7571-26B ––––
DXX-8571-26B ––––
dracytnarraW – 11––

viii
yrosseccA rebmuNtraP
ytitnauQ
E2K-HT TE2K-HT
E 3E
koohtleB )swercs/w( XX-9070-92J11
annetnAXX-8101-09T11
partSXX-2430-96J11
esacyrettaBXX-7183-20A––
yrettabHM-iNXX-1990-90W11
regrahC XX-9590-80W11
XX-0690-80W––
noitcurtsnI launaM
EXX-6961-26B11
SXX-7961-26B11
GXX-9961-26B11
CXX-5961-26B––
IXX-2071-26B11
FXX-7571-26B11
DXX-8571-26B11
dracytnarraW–11

ix
yrosseccA rebmuNtraP
ytitnauQ
TA4K-HT E4K-HT
2M 3E
koohtleB )swercs/w( XX-9070-92J11
annetnAXX-9101-09T11
partSXX-2430-96J11
esacyrettaBXX-7183-20A1–
yrettabHM-iNXX-1990-90W–1
regrahC XX-9590-80W–1
XX-0690-80W––
noitcurtsnI launaM
EXX-6961-26B11
SXX-7961-26B–1
GXX-9961-26B–1
CXX-5961-26B1–
IXX-2071-26B–1
FXX-7571-26B–1
DXX-8571-26B–1
dracytnarraW––1

x
WRITING CONVENTIONS FOLLOWED
The writing conventions described below have
been followed to simplify instructions and avoid
unnecessary repetition.
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sserP ]1YEK[ ,]2YEK[ .sserP 1YEK esaeler,yliratnemom
1YEK sserpneht, 2YEK .
sserP ]YEK[)s1( .dlohdnasserP YEK arofnwod
.dnoces
sserP ]2YEK[+]1YEK[ .
dlohdnasserP 1YEK neht,nwod
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sserP ][+]YEK[ .
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Since the amateur radio bands are slightly different from
country to country, the following meter band descriptions
are used in this manual.
• 2 m band: 144 ~ 148 MHz or 144 ~ 146 MHz
• 70 cm band: 430 ~ 440 MHz

1
PREPARATION
INSTALLING THE PB-43N Ni-MH BATTERY PACK
Note: Because the battery pack is provided uncharged, you must
charge the battery pack before using it with the transceiver. To
charge the battery pack, refer to “CHARGING THE PB-43N Ni-MH
BATTERY PACK (Other than TH-K2AT K2/ M2, TH-K4AT M2)” {page 6}.
1Unlock (open) the safety catch located at the bottom
of the battery pack.
2Match the guides of the battery pack with the
corresponding grooves on the upper rear of the
transceiver, then firmly press the battery pack to lock
it in place.
3Flip the safety catch into place to prevent
accidentally pressing the release latch and removing
the battery pack.

2
4To remove the battery pack, lift the safety catch, then
press the release latch to unlock the battery pack.
Lift the battery pack away from the transceiver.
INSTALLING ALKALINE BATTERIES
1To open the BT-14 battery case lid, insert your thumb
or finger into the hole on the top of the battery case,
then pull the cover up.

3
2Insert (or remove) six AA (LR6) Alkaline batteries.
• Be sure to match the battery polarities with those
marked in the bottom of the battery case.
3Align the two tabs at the bottom of battery case, then
close the cover until the locking tabs on top click.
4To install the battery case onto (or remove it from)
the transceiver, follow steps 1to 3of “INSTALLING THE
PB-43N Ni-MH BATTERY PACK” {page 1}.
Note:
◆Do not use Manganese batteries or Ni-Cd batteries in place of
Alkaline batteries.
◆Always replace all batteries at the same time. Mixing old and new
batteries or mixing types (such as Alkaline with zinc carbon) will
reduce overall performance and could cause leakage or rupture.
◆Remove all batteries from the case when it is not expected to be
in use for several months.
◆The voltage of new Alkaline batteries varies slightly, depending
on the manufacturer. Thus, the high battery power indicator may
not appear even though new Alkaline batteries are installed
{page 83}.
◆To lift the battery pack safety catch, use a piece of hardened
plastic or metal, such as a screwdriver, that is no more than
6 mm wide and 1 mm thick. It is imperative that you place the
implement under only the lip of the safety catch so that you do
not damage the release latch.

4
INSTALLING THE ANTENNA
Hold the supplied antenna by its base, then screw it into
the connector on the top panel of the transceiver until
secure.
ATTACHING THE HAND STRAP (OTHER THAN TH-K2AT K/ K2)
If desired, you can attach the supplied hand strap to the
transceiver.
Strap

5
INSTALLING THE BELT CLIP
If desired, you can install the supplied belt clip to the
transceiver.
1Loosely insert the two supplied screws into the holes
on the back panel of the transceiver.
2Slide the belt hook into position, under the screws.
3Tighten the screws until secure.
Note: When the belt hook is not attached to the transceiver, remove
the screws from the transceiver to avoid scratching other materials.

6
CHARGING THE PB-43N Ni-MH BATTERY PACK
(OTHER THAN TH-K2AT K2/ M2, TH-K4AT M2)
The Ni-MH battery pack can be charged after it has
been installed onto the transceiver. (The battery pack is
provided uncharged for safety purposes.)
1Confirm that the transceiver power is OFF.
• While charging the battery pack, leave the transceiver
power OFF.
2Insert the charger plug into the DC IN jack of the
transceiver.
3Plug the charger into an AC wall outlet.
• Charging starts.
4It takes approximately 12 hours to charge an empty
PB-43N Ni-MH battery pack. After 12 hours, remove
the charger plug from the transceiver DC IN jack.
5Unplug the charger from the AC wall outlet.
DC IN jack