Kenwood TM-V71 Set-Up for Portable Satellite Ops.

Since no one has asked how I set up a Kenweed TM-V71 Radio for portable ops I thought I would share anyway. I really like the V71: Full duplex, 5, 10 or 50 watts, durable, portable and not that expensive. I would like to try the D710 in this bag, but I hear that the face plate doesn’t mount to the radio like the V71s does.

So first why do I think my setup is good? IDK, but it works for me. Everything, but the antenna fits into one small bag. I can then throw that bag over my shoulder and go. Then I can hang it around my neck and get some contacts. Here is a couple pics to show the finished product, then I will go into how and what I needed to do to make this.

Prepping the Radio:

Of course the first thing you need to do is get power to the radio. The best way to do this is use your favorite connectors and add them between the battery and the fuses. You really want about 12″ of leads between the radio and the battery connector. This will allow you to remove and charge the battery, without removing the entire radio from the bag. That can be a pain. Remember the battery is going in the main compartment of the bag, with the radio.

 

Now comes hooking up the antenna: Put the 90 degree fitting on the radio, then a cable that will go from there to you antenna. I use a 4′ length customer made by KG5CCI (Look him up on QRZ.com. BTW: He is a great guy to get cables from, custom made to length with the correct connectors. Pretty reasonably priced too.

This shows the Antenna hookup, dual plugs for headset / recorder and power hookup (APP)

 

Recorder and Sound: Use the Dual Mono to Single Plug connector, plug these into the back of the radio. Now plug in the 1/8″ Stero Splitter to the female plug. Mount both of the female plugs from the splitter to the side of the radio. One end is for the headsets, and one is for the recorder. The other side is for the extension cable to the recorder.

This is the sound ‘out’ side.

 

Headset, PTT and Mic: Plug the Kenwood AD-1-KM into the side of the radio, then mount the Mic plug and PTT plug to the side of the radio. Pretty Easy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the sound “in” side.

 

Now that you have all the parts, its time to put them into the bag. But, wait, there is more: You need to adapt the bag. There are two things that I did to make the bag easier to work with, one I think is mandatory, the other is nice to have.  First, you need to cut a hole in the bag, that goes from inside the main part of the bag, to the inside of the front pocket, Like this:

This hole is where your PTT, Antenna cable and recorder cable will go through. This way you can have all your loose cables easy to get to, but still zip the pocket closed and all is safe.

 

The second thing is to rip out the light nylon fabric that is inside the main part of the bag. This fabric just grabs the bag and makes it harder to get the radio in and out.

 

Parts are ready, bag is prepped, let put the radio in. First thing I do is put a piece of 1″ fairly firm foam in the bottom of the bag. This protects the wires and the bottom of the radio, along with raising the radio high enough in the bag to see it.

Now put the radio in the bag, with the ‘Kenwood” to the front pocket. Don’t forget to feed your PTT, recorder cable and Antenna wire through that small hole you cut previously. Next, you connect the battery, and put in the main compartment of the bag.  It is best to place it towards you, pushing the radio away from you, so it is easier to see.  Now take some more of the foam you used and put it over the radio, again to hold the radio out further.

Here are a couple pics to help explain what I mean:

 

So to use this system, it pretty easy, hook up the recorder, headset and mic cable. Plug in your antenna and go make some contacts!!

As you can see below, I leave the front pocket open and use that to hold the recorder and my phone that shows where the sat is in the sky. The PTT button clips on the front of the bag on the right.

 

In conclusion I’m sure that there are different things I could do to make this easier, and I want to hear from you on what they might be. One idea that comes to mind, is to go with ear buds to be able to stow them in the bag… But in Minnesota winter I like my ears covered.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Parts List:

• Fox Tactical Shoulder Bag (Link)
• 90 Degree PL-259 to SO-239 90 Degree Connector (Link)
• Dual Mono 1/8 male to 1/8 Stereo Female (Link)
• 1/8″ Stereo Splitter (Link)
• 1/8″ Male to 1/8″ Male 6 inch Stereo Extension Cable (Link)
• Heil Pro Set Elite Headset (Link)
• Heil Pro Set Adapter for V71 AD-1-KM (Link)
• Battery – 4 Cell 4200 MAH, LIFEPo4 Pack (Link) <- If you are not familiar with this type of battery – DO YOUR RESEARCH before buying.
• Recorder (Link)