Kenwood TH-26A User Manual

144MHz FM TRANSCEIVER

TH-26A/26AT/26E

VHF FM TRANSCEIVER

TH-26A

430MHz FM TRANSCEIVER

TH-46A/46E

440MHz FM TRANSCEIVER

TH-46AT

UHF FM TRANSCEIVER

TH-46A

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

KENWOOD CORPORATION

©PRINTED IN JAPAN B50-8339-00(K,M,P,T,W,X)(T)

90/12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 89/12

Thank you for purchasing this new transceiver.

IMPORTANT

Please read this instruction manual carefully before placing your transceiver in service.

SAVE THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

The following explicit definitions apply in this manual:

NOTE	: If disregarded, inconvenience only, no
	risk of equipment damage or personal

injury.

CAUTION : Equipment damage may occur, but not personal injury.

This Instruction Manual covers the following models: TH-26A : 144MHz FM (VHF FM) transceiver without

DTMF Pad.

TH-26AT : 144MHz FM transceiver with DTMF Pad. TH-26E : 144MHz FM transceiver.

TH-46A : 430MHz FM (UHF FM) transceiver without DTMF Pad.

TH-46AT : 440MHz FM transceiver with DTMF Pad. TH-46E : 430MHz FM transceiver.

Under normal		circumstances,		the transceiver will
operate	in	accordance		with	these		operating
instructions.	The	transceiver	has been		adjusted		at the
factory and	should only		be	readjusted by		a	qualified

technician with proper test equipment.

Attempting

service

or

alignment

without

factory

authorization can void the transceiver’s warranty.

CAUTION

Long

transmissions

or

extended

operation

in

the

HI

power

mode might

cause

the

rear

of

this

transceiver

to get warm. Do not

place the

transceiver

where

the

heat

sink

(rear

panel)

might

come

in

contact

with

plastic

or

vinyl

surfaces.

Use

of

an

external

antenna

for fixed station is recommended.

FCC WARNING

This

equipment

may

generate

or

use

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.

	CONTENTS			SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM .............................................................	insert
1.	BEFORE OPERATION .........................................................................	4	6.	MAINTENANCE ...............................................................................	42
2.	SPECIFICATIONS AND ACCESSORIES ...............................................	6	7.	OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ................................................................	44
3.	BAHERY PACK ....................................................................................	9
4.	OPERATION
	OPERATING CONTROLS .................................................................	12
	RECEIVER OPERATION ...................................................................	19
	TRANSMIHER OPERATION ............................................................	21
	MEMORY .........................................................................................	23
	Microprocessor Memory back-up
	Microprocessor Initialization
	Memory Contents
	Memory Entry
	Memory Channel Recall
	Memory Shift
	Clearing a Memory Channel
	Automatic Memory Initialization
	SCAN .................................................................................................	28
	REPEATER OPERATIONS .................................................................	32
	Transmitter Offsets
	Reverse Function
	Tone and CTCSS operation
	Autopatch Operations
	CHANNEL DISPLAY MODE ..............................................................	35
	TONE ALERT SYSTEM ......................................................................	36
	BAHERY SAVER ................................................................................	36
	AUTOMATIC POWER OFF ...............................................................	37
	DTMF MEMORY FUNCTION ...........................................................	38
	DTSS (Dual Tone Squelch System) ................................................	39
5.	BLOCK DIAGRAM .......................................................................	insert

1.BEFORE OPERATION

TO	PREVENT	ELECTRIC	SHOCK,	FIRE	AND	OTHER
INJURY. PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Do not place this unit, where it will				be	exposed	to direct
sunlight or cióse to heating appliances.

Do not place anything on top of the cabinet.

Do not place the unit in areas of excessive dust, high humidity or on unstable surfaces.

Do not drop pieces of metal, needles, coins and other electrically conductive materials into the unit.

If an	abnormal	odor or	smoke	is	detected, immediately
turn	the power	off.	Contact	the	KENWOOD service
station or your dealer.

CLEANING
1. Turn the power off, before cleaning the unit.
2.	Do not use	any	type	of abrasive	pad,	thinner,		benzine
	or any substances which may damage the unit.
3.	Wipe the	front	panel	and other	exterior		surfaces of
	the unit with a soft dry cloth or				a	soft	cloth	lightly
	moistened with water.

m*ott/ooow

2.		SPECIFICATIONS AND ACCESSORIES
2-1. SPECIFICATIONS
						TH-26A/26AT/26E		TH-46A/46AT/46E
				U.S.A. version		144 — 148 MHz		438 - 450 MHz
		FREQUENCY RANGE		European and U.K. version		144 —146 MHz		430 — 440 MHz
				Others		144 — 148 MHz		430 — 440 MHz
								or 438 - 450 MHz
		MODE					F3E (FM)
		MEMORY CHANNELS					20+1 (Call Channel)
		ANTENNA IMPEDANCE					50 il
	«E	POWER		External power supply		6 —16VDC (13.8 VDC nominal)
	GC	REQUIREMENT
	LU			Battery terminal			5 —15VDC
	z
	UJ
	C D				13.8 V (Ext. power supply)	Less than 1.5 A		Less than 2.0 A
				HI
					7.2 V (Battery)	Approx. 1.0 A		Approx. 1.0 A
				LO transmit mode		Approx. 0.5 A		Approx. 0.6 A
		CURRENT DRAIN		EL transmit mode		Approx. 0.12 A		Approx. 0.15 A
				RECEIVE mode with no signal		Approx. 55 mA		Approx. 65 mA
				BAHERY SAVER mode			Approx. 17 mA
				AUTOMATIC POWER OFF			Approx. 6 mA
				mode
		GROUND					Negative

				TH-26A/26AT/26E		TH-46A/46AT/46E
	DIMENSIONS	Projections not included		58X135.5X29.5 mm (2-9/32”x5-11/32”Xl-5/32")
	(WXHXD)
		Projections included		68.5X147.5X34 mm (2-11/16"X5-13/16”Xl-11/32”)
<a:
co	WEIGHT	With NiCd Battery and Antenna			380 g (0.84 lbs)
LU
z
LU
CD	OPERATING TEMPERATURE			-20 °C ~ -F60 °C (-4 T ~ 140 °F)
	MICROPHONE IMPEDANCE				2kn
			13.8 V (Ext. power supply)		More than 5W
		HI
			7.2 V (Battery)	Approx. 2.5 W		Approx. 2 W
CO	OUTPUT POWER
		LQ			Approx. 0.5 W
LU
1—
»—		EL			Approx. 20 mW
CO
z
<r	MODULATION				REACTANCE
oc
1—
	MAXIMUM FREQUENCY DEVIATION				±5 kHz
	SPURIOUS RADIATION				Less than — 60dB
	DUTY CYCLE OPERATION			1 minute transmission 3 minutes reception recommended
	CIRCUITRY			DOUBLE CONVERSION SUPERHETERODYNE
	INTERMEDIATE		1st IF	16.9 MHz		30.825 MHz
oc	FREQUENCY		2nd IF	455 kHz		455 kHz
LU
>
LU				Less than 0.18 jj\J		Less than 0.18/¿V
O	SENSITIVITY		12dB SINAD
LU
QC
	SQUELCH SENSITIVITY				Less than 0.1 //V
			-6dB		More than 12 kHz
	SELECTIVITY
			-40 dB		Less than 28 kHz

		TH-26A/26AT/26E		TH-46A/46AT/46E
LU QC	AUDIO OUTPUT POWER (across 8i2 load 10%	More than 200 mW
C3 kU
UJ >	distortion)
c c

Note

Circuit and ratings are subject to change without notice, due to development in technology.

2-2. ACCESSORIES

Unpack your transceiver carefully and confirm that the accessories listed below are included in the box.

1.	Antenna ...........	..................... ... .... . .................................................			1
	for 144MHz	.........................	T90-0407-05
	or for 430/440MHZ ..............		T90-0406-05
2.	Belt Hook	.........................	J29-0424-04 ..........................		1
3.	Battery Case BT-6 (TH-26A M and M2 type only).......................				1
4.	Hand Strap	.........................	J69-0312-04 ..........................		1
5.	Battery (Except TH-26A M and M2 type) ....................................				1
	NiCd battery pack PB-10................		W09-0535-05
6.	Battery Charger ..............................................................................				1
	for U.S.A. and Canada version (120V)....................			W09-0315-XX
	for Europe version (220V) ...................		W09-0317-XX

	for U.K. version (240V) ........................	W09-0318-XX
	for Oceania version (240V)	................. W09-0522-XX
	for Other market (120 / 230V) (TH-26A M3 and		M4
	type, TH-46A M and M2 type only)	.................. W09-0534-XX
7.	Label ................................................	B42-3391-04	1
8.	Bottom Cover BM-1 .......................	F07-0896-03	1
9.	AC plug (TH-26AM3 and M4 type, TH-46A M and M2
	type only) ........................................	E19-0254-05	1
10. Warranty Card (U.S.A., Canada, and European
	version only) ................................................................................	1
11.	Instruction Manual ......................	B50-8339-XX ...........................	1

After unpacking
Shipping container;	Save the boxes and packing	in the event your unit needs to be transported for remote
	operation, maintenance, or service.

3.BATTERY PACK

3-1. NiCd BAHERY PACK (PB-10)

This battery

pack

has not

been

charged at

the factory

in

order

to

provide

you

m\h

the

greatest

number

of

charge

/

discharge cycles.

You

must

charge

the

battery

before

use.

The

battery

pack

will

require

several

charge

/

discharge

cycles

before

you

can

expect

to

see

the maximum operating period between

charges.

If

the

battery

will

be

stored

for

greater

than

2

months

it

should be recharged before use.

^ Adapter

3-2. RECHARGING

1.	Slide	the	adapter	onto the
	NiCd battery pack.
2.	Plug	the	supplied	charger
	into an AC outlet.

3.Do not allow the battery to

charge for greater than 15 hours.

The useful life and battery

performance will	be	reduced
if you exceed	the	recom­
mended charge period.

BC-9

Kit

Note
Recharging should be performed within an					ambient
temperature	range of	between	5°C ~	40°C	(41°F	~
104T).
Recharging	the battery	outside	of this	range	may	not
allow the battery to reach full charge.
3-3. MANGANESE or ALKALINE				BAHERIES
(Optional Battery Case BT-6)

Install 6		X	R6	(AA)	manganese
or	alkaline batteries in the bat­
tery	holder.		Pay	close	attention
the	battery		polarities		marked
in	the	holder.		We recommend

the use of high performance

manganese		batteries			for	the
greatest operating time.
Note
Do	not	install		NiCd	batteries
and	attempt		to	charge		them
with	the		supplied		charger.
There	is	no	battery		protection

circuit in the battery holder.

Press down on the hook in the middle of the battery case top to open.

Hook

to AC outlet

3-4. INSTALLING THE BATTERY PACK

Align the grooves in the batRelease button

tery pack with the transceiver
and slide the pack to the right
until it locks in place.
To	remove	the	- battery	pack
push	up on	the	RELEASE	button

and slide the pack to the left.

3-5. BATTERY VOLTAGE LEVEL METER

The S		meter	indicates	the	relative	battery	voltage	dur­
ing transmit.
Recharge		or	replace	the	batteries	when	the	level
reaches the low indicator.
		Manganese or Alkaline batteries
		New batteries			Need to replace

________________ .-nrir-r-T

Approximate battery condition

NiCd Battery Pack

	Model	V	mAh	Full charged	Fully discharged
					The ON AIR indicator
	PB-11	6	1200	or
					will not light.
	PB-5		200
	PB-6
	PB-9	7.2	600	or
	PB-10
	PB-7		1100
	PB-8			■■■■■■■■■III
		12	600
	PB-11

10

3-6. OPERATING TIME

We recommend use of the NiCd battery pack for long transmission or extended operation.

Manganese batteries (except Alkaiine manganese bat­ tery) are suitable only for LOW or Economic Low power transmission.

						OPERATING TIME (hours)
				TH-26A/26AT/26E				TH-46A/46AT/46E
MODEL	V	mAh	High power	Low power		Economic	High power	Low power		Economic
						Low power				Low power
PB-8x 11	12	600	4	7.5		15	3.5	7		14
PB-7	7.2	1100	8.5	14		28	7.5	13		27
PB-6, 9, 10	7.2	600	5	7.5		15	4	7		14
PB-5	7.2	200	1.5	2.5		5	1.5	2.5		4.5
PB-11	6	1200	10	15		30	9.5	14		29

6 seconds transmission, 6 seconds reception, 48 seconds reception with no signal recommended. BATTERY SAVER function ON.

11

4.OPERATION

4-1. OPERATING CONTROLS

®Antenna connector
Connect the	antenna	that	is supplied	to	this	connector.
Twist to lock.
^Volume control / Power switch
The volume	control	and	power switch		are	combined.
Rotating the	control clockwise will			turn ON the
transceiver.	Advancing	the	control	further		clockwise

will increase the volume.

(DSQL control

This control is used to select the desired Squelch threshold level.

®MHz key
This key is used to	select	the tuning rate of the	Tuning
control. When the	MHz	indicator is lit, the	Tuning

control	will	cause	the	transceiver to		increase	or decrease
in 1 MHz steps.
Press	and	hold	the	key	for longer	than 1	second	to
initiate	MHz	scan. Pressing the key after scan has been
initiated will cause scan to stop.
Pressing the		key	within 10		seconds of	pressing	the F	key
will allow you to change the frequency step.

Turn the power on while pressing this key to initiate the

Automatic Memory

Initialization. Automatic storage

will

then

begin

from

the

frequency

that appeared

in

the

display

before

the

power

was

turned

off.

See

section 4-4-8 for

additional

information

on this

function.

(DVFO key

This

key

is

used

to

return

to

VFO

operation

after

operating

in

the

memory channel

or

CALL

channel

mode. The Tuning control will

increase

or

decrease

frequency in accordance with the VFO indicator.

Press

and

hold

the

key

for

longer

than

1

second

to

initiate VFO scan. Pressing the key after

scan

has

been

initiated will cause scan to stop.

Pressing

the key

within

10

seconds

of

pressing

the

F

key

will

copy

the

memory

channel

or

call

channel

data

to

the VFO. This allows you to change parameters

or

that

channel

without

actually

changing

the

data

that

has

been stored in memory.

12

Pressing

the

F

key

for

longer

than

1

second

and

then

pressing

the

VFO key

will

initiate

VFO

or

Memory

scan.

Pressing

the

key

after

scan

has

been

initiated

will

cause

scan to stop.

If you press and hold the VFO

key while you turn on

the

POWER

switch

you

will

reset

the

microprocessor’s

VFO

memory,

without

destroying

the

memory

channel

or

call channel data.

(DMR key

This

key

is used to the select

MR

(Memory

Recall)

mode

from

the VFO

mode.

The

Tuning

control

can

then

be

used to select the desired memory channel.

Press

and

hold

the

key

for

longer

than

1

second

to

initiate

memory

channel

scan.

Pressing

the

key

after

scan has been initiated will cause scan to stop.

Pressing

the

key

within

10

seconds

of

pressing

the

F

key

will store the displayed data into memory.

In

the

memory

channel

mode

pressing

the

F

key

for

longer than 1 second and then

pressing

the

MR

key

will

cause

the

memory

channel

to

be

skipped

during

memory channel scan.

If

you

press and hold this key while

you

turn

on

the

POWER switch you will clear all the memory channels.

0CALL key

Press this key to activate the call channel function.

Press and hold the key

for

longer

than

1

second

to

initiate

call channel scan. Pressing the

key

after scan

has

been initiated will cause scan to stop.

Pressing

the

key

within

10

seconds

of

pressing

the

F

key

will store the displayed data into call channel.

Pressing

the

F

key

for

longer

than

1

second

and

then

pressing

the

CALL key

will

initiate V

/

M

/ C

scan.

See

section

4-5-9

for

additional

information

on

this

function.

Pressing

the

key

after

scan

has

been

initiated

will cause scan to stop.

If you

press

and

hold

this

key

while

you

turn

on

the

POWER

switch you

will

be able to turn the

AUTOMATIC

POWER OFF function ON or OFF.

(DON AIR indicator

ON whenever the transceiver is in the transmit mode.

(DT.ALT key

This key is used to activate the Tone Alert function.

Pressing

the

key

within

10

seconds

of

pressing

the

F

key

will turn the BEEP function OFF or ON.

Pressing

the

F

key

for

longer

than

1

second

and

then

pressing

the

T.ALT

key

will

cause

radio

to

toggle

the

hold /

resume

mode

between

Time

Operated

scan

and

Carrier Operated scan.

13

If you press and hold this	key	while you		turn	on the
POWER switch you will be	able	to	turn	the	BATTERY
SAVER function ON or OFF.
(g)Tuning control
Rotate this control clockwise	to	increase		the	frequency
and counterclockwise to decrease the frequency.
This control is also used to	select		the desired		memory
channel and the scan direction.

LCD display

Displays	the	selected		transmitter		offset	direction.	When
neither	indicator is		ON	the	transceiver is		in the	Simplex
mode.	When	both	indicators		are	ON the	transceiver is in

the Split Channel mode. (D R indicator

This indicator is ON when the Reverse function is on.
(DDTSS indicator
This indicator is ON when the DTSS function is active.
(DCTCSS indicator
T:	This	indicator is ON when the Tone Encode
	function is active.
CTCSS: This indicator is ON when the Tone Decode
	function is active.
(DT. ALT indicator
This indicator is ON when the Tone Alert system is
active. The indicator will flash when a signal is received.
(DMemory channel indicator
This	indicator	is	used	to	show	the selected	memory
channel number.
®Memory indicator
This indicator lights during Memory Recall mode, and
flashes during Memory entry.
d)F indicator
ON whenever the F key has been depressed.
(!)	indicator
This indicator		is	ON when the displayed memory
channel will		be skipped			during memory scan
operations.
(0)500 Hz dot
This indicator show 500 Hz.
©Hz dot
This	indicator	lights		during	CTCSS	frequency	selection,
and is used to show the 1 Hz digit.
This	indicator	is	also	ON	when the Battery Saver and
Automatic Power Off function have been canceled.

14

0)VFO indicator

This indicator lights during VFO operation.

(§) ■■■■■■■■■■■■

Used	to indicate		the	relative		receive	signal	strength,		or
as an indication of the					battery voltage			level	during
transmit.
®MHz dot
This indicator flashes during scan operations.
®MHz indicator
This indicator flashes during MHz tuning steps.
©BUSY indicator
ON whenever there is a signal						present	strong	enough		to
open the squelch, or when the						squelch is not activated.
and the CTCSS key is OFF.
(g)APO indicator
This	indicator	is	ON	when	the	Auto	Power	Off	function
is active.
@8 indicator
This	indicator	is	ON	when	the	Battery Saver		function		is

active. ©Frequency display

Displays the operating frequency to the nearest kHz.

0MONI switch
When	operating in	the	CTCSS (Tone			Squelch)	mode		you
can use this key to determine if					the	frequency is		in	use
before	transmitting.	Pressing		this	key	will	disable		the
CTCSS function as long as the key is held depressed.
If you	press and	hold	this	key	while	you turn		on	the
POWER switch you will change to						channel	display		or
frequency display.

(DPTT (Push To Talk) switch

Press this switch whenever you wish to transmit.

15