Kenwood TH-F6 - Ham Radio in Hawaii

Contents

1 TH-F6A
2 MENU for TH-F6
3 TH-F6 Accessories

TH-F6A

This is a great little handheld! It puts out 5 watts at the max and is a triband radio. Meaning it will work 2 Meters, and the 222 and 440 bands.

I use this as a scanner and portable radio. I have a Radio Shack 2 meter 5/8 wave mag-mount antenna.
I have also used this radio with a Mirage BD-35 Dual Band HT Amplifier (144/440) to increase the amps from 5 watts to 45 watts max. The antenna and amplifier worked great!

The TH-F6A Radio can be difficult to use if you don't read and re-read the manual.

Kenwood has a freeware program that can help with programming it via a computer but you will need to either build or order a cable to connect to your radio. You can pick them up cheap on E-Bay. I have a problem getting the program to work on Vista Systems.

I have made a cheat sheet that I carry around with me in my truck.

If your FM mode blinks on the screen then you may have the Attenuator engaged. To turn it off press the F key and the MONI <F>+<MONI/ATT> (on the left side).

Kenwood Memory Software for Windows

My Cheat Sheet for Programming

To Program a Frequency
Press [VFO]
•Tune the radio to the frequency
Change to CTCSS or DCS if needed
•Press [F]
•A memory channel # appears and blinks
•Turn the turning control to select an empty channel
•Press [MR] or [MNU] to store the freq to the channel

Naming a Memory Channel

•Press [MR] to recall your desired memory channel

•Press [F], [mn-f] to enter memory name input mode

•The entry cursor appears

•Turn the tuning control to select the character.

•Press [MONI] on the side to delete a character

•Once complete, press [MNU]

Clearing a Memory Channel

•Recall the memory channel you want to erase

•Press and hold (power) to switch the radio off

•Press [MR] and (power) at the same time

•You will see an erase confirmation message appear

•Press [MR] or [MNU] to erase the channel data.

After storing a memory name, pressing [MN-F]

switches between the display name and the freq

To Change from + to – offset:

•Press F Key

•Then press the SHIFT / REV / 8 Key

Programming for IRLP

IRLP:
•Set radio to the IRLP Repeater freq
•Set to T for Tone, + and FM
•Set the Offset
•Must be in T for tone
•Then Press F
•Then Press Tone
•Change with the dial to the offset
•Press PTT and hold
•Say your call sign
•Press node #xxxx
•Release PTT
•Should hear repeater answer

To Hang up from IRLP

•Press PTT and hold

•Press #73

•Repeater should tell you, you are disconnected

Storing Odd-Split Repeater Frequencies:

Storing Odd-Split Repeater Frequencies:

•For example, if you want to store a 1.31 offset to talk

to the ISS. (This is a – offset with a 1.31 and this radio

will not do this, it will only go to 1.30 and 1.35)

•The Down-llink Freq is 145.800

•The Up-Link Freq is 144.490

•Press VFO

•Turn the turning control to the down-link (Receive) freq

•Press F

•Select a blank channel to store the down-link freq in.

•Press MR to store the freq in the channel.

•Turn the tuning control to select the desire Up-Link freq

(Transmit) freq.

•Press F

•Turn the tuning control to select the memory channel you

programmed for the Down-Link

•Press PTT + MR or PTT + MNU

•To check to see if it is correct, Press REV

MENU for TH-F6

Here is how my set up on my menu:

Menu 1: Time
2: 01234567 Link
3: All bands
5: On
6: 0.60 MHz
7: On
8: Off
9: Sp/MIC
11: Slow
12: Off
13: 500 MS
14: Off
15: KH6OWL
17: 1.0 Sec
18: 60 min
19: on
20: Off
21: 4
22: 500ms
23: Call
24: Off
25: Off
26: Enabled
27: English
28: 1200bps
29: Off
30: Lithium
31: No

TH-F6 Accessories

The Accessories that I have for my TH-F6.

Canvas holster for belt
Microphone
Double AA Battery Pack
Drop in battery charger (Universal Charger UC-1 with PB-42L from W & W Manufacturing Company)
Battery for Drop in Battery charger (WWL-PB42 Li-ion Battery Pack 7.4V@200mAh from W & W Manufacturing Company)
Diamond Antenna SRH320A
Cable for programming with a computer