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After returning from Salt Lake City last weekend, ham stores in the USA started having the Kenwood TH-D75 in their inventories. After filling preorders and back orders, there was one left at the Phoenix HRO store on Tuesday (6 February) afternoon. The operative word is "was"... After calling the store to confirm they still had one in stock, I went over there and purchased it.

The TH-D75 is very similar to the previous TH-D74. The case is rounded off a little bit, and there is a USB-C port instead of a micro-USB port like the TH-D74 that can be also charge the radio. It appears to me that the wall-wart adapter through the external power port charges the battery faster than using the USB-C port, but there are a couple of options available through the radio.

I despise the use of SMA connectors for antennas on handheld radios, so I put a Diamond BNCJ-SMAP adapter on the TH-D75's SMA connector, and go with BNC for antennas and coax to this radio (just like I have done with my TH-D74s, TH-D72, and TH-D7).

The belt clip supplied with the TH-D75 looks identical to what came with the TH-D74. I replaced it with a KBH-11 belt clip made for Kenwood's commercial radios. Fits perfectly on the TH-D75.

If you have used a TH-D74, the menus in the TH-D75 are probably 95% identical. Some new menus for new functionality, like the DV Gateway and digipeater. Display is readable in bright light, like with the TH-D74 (and unlike many mobile phones, tablets, and some handheld radios with color displays).

Being able to receive two D-Star transmissions simultaneously should make this radio relatively easy to use with satellites, although not full-duplex.

Kenwood has released a Windows driver for the TH-D75, along with software including the programming software. Before trying to connect the TH-D75 to a PC, I put a 32Gb Lexar microSD card in the radio, and had the radio format the card. And set the USB port for mass storage mode.

On a whim, I first connected the TH-D75 to my Linux (Fedora 39) laptop. It was recognized, and the 32Gb microSD card was mounted by the OS. Kenwood only supports this for Windows PCs, so this was a nice surprise.

Seeing that I could access my TH-D75's microSD card from my Linux (Fedora 39) laptop, I copied the new D-Star repeater file from Kenwood to the radio. I then imported the new list from the radio's front panel. It worked. I had to make sure I placed the new repeater file in the right place on the microSD card, or else the radio would not know it was there.

I want to try using th TH-D75 on the TEVEL satellites, in FM and D-Star. Unfortunately, none of those satellites have been active since purchasing it. It isn't capable of full-duplex operation in any mode, but can be made to work with FM satellites half-duplex. Since D-Star can be used from both VFOs, and it is capable of receiving two D-Star transmissions simultaneously, I should be able to work D-Star through a TEVEL satellite, and FM through those and other satellites.

I have poked around with how it receives VHF air band, and shortwave/HF frequencies. Works just like the TH-D74, meaning with the proper antenna for lower frequencies, it will do fine. AM (mediumwave) and FM broadcast bands come in well, depending on where I am and what stations I am trying to hear. Transmits on 2m, 222 MHz, & 70cm amateur bands - FM, D-Star, and packet/APRS. And @aprsfi recognizes the TH-D75.

Yes, the TH-D75 is an expensive radio. If you didn't order one before the radios started showing up in stores, and weren't lucky to pick one up before store inventories disappeared, it may be a little while before the stores are restocked. This radio does so much, even if it doesn't handle full-duplex operations with satellites (FM, D-Star, or packet).

I will write more about this radio, as I use it more. I hope the ISS digipeater is put back in service, so I can try it through an orbiting digipeater. Using FM and D-Star through satellites... I will try it. It would be nice to make a D-Star satellite contact using only the TH-D75.

I don't miss the radio not supporting other modes like DMR or C4FM, although some who have written online have gone on and on about that "shortcoming". Terrestrial & satellite D-Star... good enough for me.

aprs.fi

@wd9ewk I suppose that DMR / D-Star angle depends on what is used in your area - which protocol has the momentum.

In Finland we currently have 0 D-Star repeaters and 36 DMR repeaters (2 are down at the moment, so 34 live). This has some effect on the usefulness of D-Star feature on a radio and the desire for DMR.

@aprsfi Regardless of the number of terrestrial D-Star repeaters, there are a few satellites that support D-Star communications. I rarely use local repeaters of any type.