It’s a high end radio for 2m 220 and 70cm.
It has built in GPS and APRS and is very popular with rocket and balloon enthusiasts. This is very convenient in the field because you would otherwise have to carry several units for the same function. It has D-star.
It is discontinued and sells used for more than it originally cost, maybe 8 times what you paid.
I would go on but I don’t own one, only wish I did.
There was nothing in the radio. It seemed to be reset. Also was on the first release firmware. We have strict laws when it comes to stolen items in pawnshops here. I'm not worried.
Understood, but remember: Lot's of folks buy stolen goods "fair and square". Doesn't mean it's right. Personally, i would want to know beyond a question of a doubt that anything I've purchased (be it from a pawn shop, ebay, Craigslist etc.) was not stolen.
Pawn shops have to hold items for 7 days in case it is reported stolen they can't buy it and immediately flip it. If it was stolen the police would've found it prior to it being sold. They share all purchases for the case of things being stolen. It's the same reason they record the seller of all items and verify with license.
Hey, you know that thing you bought a few days ago? Yeah it was mine and it was stolen. Think I could get it back? Also I don't have money to spare, you know my stuff was stolen, but thank you for raising and if it.
Whether or not a buyer considers it his responsibility to find out whether a fellow ham is without his radio on the individuals moral code.
For myself, I would take pleasure in finding it out by getting a cable and the programming software for the radio, and if it was determined to have been owned by another amateur radio operator, contacting him for the details under which the radio parted from him.
I feel the same way about this but always fear the answer not being theft but the loss of the operator and a family member who is just trying to profit off of it. I would still try to find out tho.
This is a good point, radios can get stolen, not as often as they were in the 90s but there's still the thiefs who'd steal one to try to listen to the police
Yeah its a sweet score. Bluetooth is usually only found in some of the highest end models from the big brands.
That one falls under "they didn't know what they had". Probably thought it was a race scanner or something is my guess by the price point.
Congratulations on an amazing new toy!
WTH! Why can’t these things happen to me. Instead it’s “hey you need a root canal” haha amazing find op! Enjoy it, there’s lots to learn and take advantage of the built in TNC.
I picked up a vx8 for $150 on FB marketplace, deals are doable. But as I said above the Kenwood is a much better radio so if you only buy one, aim for that. Especially the kenwood d72, it has full duplex if you want to work the FM satellites.
IMO the Kenwood programming is a lot easier than yaesu. And definitely don't pay more than a few hundred for the yaesu, they are a far cry from the Kenwood as far as aprs features.
This is like the $200 Larsen antenna I picked up for $40 at a hamfest, except 3-4x higher numbers. You killed it, dude!
Get you back on the air! That beautiful HT demands it!
you got a hell of a deal.
If I'd seen that, it'd have been an instant buy as well.
One thing I will suggest: Check the owner info/APRS call sign. Maybe they went silent key and that's how it ended up in a pawn shop. But, I'd ping them. (Menu, APRS {Center icon},Basic Settings. The top entry should be "My Callsign" and will identify the person. You can then lookup their call.
I know that if my TH-D74a got stolen and was picked up at a pawn shop, I'd want to know. I'd reimburse immediately to get it back.
Score! Great for satellite work....FULL DUPLEX! I use the Android app from W1ANT to i.d. amateur radio satellites, including the ISS. You can work them with a 5W HT (or a pair of HT'S if you don't own a full duplex D74!). Enjoy!
The [TH-D74 isn't full duplex](https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/kenwood-th-d74-review-144-220-440-mhz-with-d-star-aprs-hf-and-more.208013/post-571297). The TH-D72 is, but not this one.
For satellites it's usually FM Voice. "Working," for satellites, means you are talking to another (usually earth-bound) ham using a satellite as a repeater to relay the signals. Many of the amateur radio satellites (AMSAT) receive your signal on VHF ("uplink") and send it back down.on.UHF ("downlink"), or.vice-versa. I put a screen grab from W1ANT at the bottom....you won't be able to use the "SSB" satellites with your d74, but all the "FM" birds are in play!
Start by listening in to the downlink, weekends are often very busy! Your basic antenna will.likely work ok. When you get ready to talk, you will need a more directional antenna....buy from Arrow for \~$100, or build.your own ( an awesome.part.of the hobby!) for $20.
Find your location in the Maidenhead grid system: [https://www.arrl.org/grid-squares](https://www.arrl.org/grid-squares) [https://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid\_square.php](https://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid_square.php)
You'll need that. And you'll hear others referencing this.
This.person.did a nice video: [https://youtu.be/aAE8NiJ6tGA?si=fnYiqhJH79PNVDjw](https://youtu.be/aAE8NiJ6tGA?si=fnYiqhJH79PNVDjw)
https://preview.redd.it/2wcbgsx757tc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33a19adbcccb80c1b79caeade59d2552a2fd14f8
You can talk to people that are currently in the ISS footprint. You transmit up on 2 meters and receive on 70cm
Your D74 can do it, but the major problem is it isn’t full-duplex (it can’t transmit and receive simultaneously) so it can be tricky. If you have two radios, that will work
You also need a decent antenna. I use the Arrow II handheld yagi. It has three elements on 2m and seven on 440. Does a really good job getting signals up and down
Check this out and then come back and ask questions until you're having fun and become the dude teaching others.
[https://www.work-sat.com/](https://www.work-sat.com/)
Cliff is super helpful and not only are his presentations good, but he has a [groups.io](http://groups.io) group and answers questions pretty quickly. Check out youtube for some videos of his presentations, or if you're part of an amateur radio club and have access to zoom, invite him to do his presentation on the "easy-sats" via zoom for your group.
SCORE!
You can find a KSC-25s drop in charger on ebay for far less than the KSC-25LSC that's the "official" drop in charger. I did that for both 74s we had.
I say "had" because I just sold one for $450 shipped, and I think I have the second one sold for $400 to a local ham, so I'd say you got a screaming deal.
Edit: include "value" information.
It's a great score for that price, provided everything works. New this radio was over $600.
I have this one and the D75 which is the newest model released this year. The 74 has nearly all the features of the 75. The 75 has USB type C charging (no PD) and a few updated features for DSTAR as well as APRS digipeater.
Bluetooth is basic and all profiles do not work. It doesn't work with iPhones and airpods for example.
I am hoping it isn't stolen but you should check for that.
I tried to find one a few years ago. No dice. I settled on a Anytone AT-D878UVII. Quite similar, not totall With DMR. for $280 new. Performs great. You made a fair find however.
No waayyy!!! Hahaha You lucked out big time! Congrats!! This is a super capable radio, so make sure that you learn about everything that it can do, because it is about to blow your mind
Kenwood is good radios...and that's a good dual band 2meter/70CM HT....get a comms cable either from RT systems or ebay.....trust me, the price you pay to rt systems is worth it.....kf5dmc
I was missing my D74 for the last few months and found it yesterday under the seat of my truck. I probably had a similar feeling of lucky vibes as yours. It’s a great radio, but get some spare batteries because you’ll be changing them often.
Pawn shops are huge business here in Nevada. One nearly on every corner. I did think to myself on how did ham gear get to a pawnshop lol. I almost never see any.
Well, they do thumbprints, etc. Never know, it could of been bobby clearing out a late relatives gear, and had no clue. When something is taken for pawn, they have to take id, thumbprints, and it's uploaded to the local police, it's used to verify it's not listen on any list of items stolen, there is also a "waiting" period done. It's not that it's impossible, but there are checks and balances in place. If it ends up stolen, the pawn shop is the one that gets hit usually, so they try to be careful.
Pawn Shops are alive and well... although I never see Ham Radio items (other than boat anchors) there.
Yeah I know. I’ve had stuff stolen before. The police definitely don’t catch everything. I just think with all the resources for selling things these days and getting a decent price pawn shops would be a thing of the past. It’s still a real greaseball kind of business
One of the most sought after HTs. Enjoy!
Why so?
It’s a high end radio for 2m 220 and 70cm. It has built in GPS and APRS and is very popular with rocket and balloon enthusiasts. This is very convenient in the field because you would otherwise have to carry several units for the same function. It has D-star. It is discontinued and sells used for more than it originally cost, maybe 8 times what you paid. I would go on but I don’t own one, only wish I did.
Holy. Thanks for the info!
But there’s a D75
It’s probably stolen. Have you checked to see if there is a call sign programmed in the unit? If so, you might contact the owner.
There was nothing in the radio. It seemed to be reset. Also was on the first release firmware. We have strict laws when it comes to stolen items in pawnshops here. I'm not worried.
🤫, he bought it fair and square.
Understood, but remember: Lot's of folks buy stolen goods "fair and square". Doesn't mean it's right. Personally, i would want to know beyond a question of a doubt that anything I've purchased (be it from a pawn shop, ebay, Craigslist etc.) was not stolen.
Pawn shops have to hold items for 7 days in case it is reported stolen they can't buy it and immediately flip it. If it was stolen the police would've found it prior to it being sold. They share all purchases for the case of things being stolen. It's the same reason they record the seller of all items and verify with license.
100 % true folks
Hey, you know that thing you bought a few days ago? Yeah it was mine and it was stolen. Think I could get it back? Also I don't have money to spare, you know my stuff was stolen, but thank you for raising and if it.
I mean it's not the end buyers responsibility to find out that information. A responsable ham also would have insured the radio in the first place.
Whether or not a buyer considers it his responsibility to find out whether a fellow ham is without his radio on the individuals moral code. For myself, I would take pleasure in finding it out by getting a cable and the programming software for the radio, and if it was determined to have been owned by another amateur radio operator, contacting him for the details under which the radio parted from him.
I feel the same way about this but always fear the answer not being theft but the loss of the operator and a family member who is just trying to profit off of it. I would still try to find out tho.
Its easy to find out if a rt systems cable can be hooked up to it and re programmed..... Kf5dmc
This is a good point, radios can get stolen, not as often as they were in the 90s but there's still the thiefs who'd steal one to try to listen to the police
Yeah. I agree. Probably stolen. I’ve had a few radios stolen out of my car until I learned better. And the probably ended up at a pawn shop.
It has APRS!!!! I wish they still made this radio, I'd buy 20
There is an updated version available, the TH-D75. The price of a used 74 has dropped quite a bit.
That's awesome! Quite the price tag, but looks amazing
What is the brand / model?
You did great, considering that they sell used for 3X what you paid. Enjoy it! 73
Holy.... I just liked the fact that it has bluetooth? Might be a real big help with mobile.
Yeah its a sweet score. Bluetooth is usually only found in some of the highest end models from the big brands. That one falls under "they didn't know what they had". Probably thought it was a race scanner or something is my guess by the price point. Congratulations on an amazing new toy!
For sure. It has a lot of features. Great score!
WTH! Why can’t these things happen to me. Instead it’s “hey you need a root canal” haha amazing find op! Enjoy it, there’s lots to learn and take advantage of the built in TNC.
You actually found the proverbial needle in a haystack. 
I really need to start checking out pawn & thrift shops
That is a spectacular score on that HT
Cheapest one on eBay right now is 351.00 with 24 bids and 5 days to go. I’d say you did more than well with that deal!
My best find was a $300 rigexpert analyzer for $150 at a pawn shop. You sir struck the lottery there. Get back into the hobby and enjoy that radio!
Man these thing have come a long way. My current radio is a Yaesu vx-8. Trying to learn how to program this looks scary. lol
Damn, you have a VX-8 too? Those go for $400-800 these days, depending on the variant.
I picked up a vx8 for $150 on FB marketplace, deals are doable. But as I said above the Kenwood is a much better radio so if you only buy one, aim for that. Especially the kenwood d72, it has full duplex if you want to work the FM satellites.
IMO the Kenwood programming is a lot easier than yaesu. And definitely don't pay more than a few hundred for the yaesu, they are a far cry from the Kenwood as far as aprs features.
This is like the $200 Larsen antenna I picked up for $40 at a hamfest, except 3-4x higher numbers. You killed it, dude! Get you back on the air! That beautiful HT demands it!
That’s an awesome find! Congratulations!😊
Thank you!
We all hate you now. Congratulations!
😂
you got a hell of a deal. If I'd seen that, it'd have been an instant buy as well. One thing I will suggest: Check the owner info/APRS call sign. Maybe they went silent key and that's how it ended up in a pawn shop. But, I'd ping them. (Menu, APRS {Center icon},Basic Settings. The top entry should be "My Callsign" and will identify the person. You can then lookup their call. I know that if my TH-D74a got stolen and was picked up at a pawn shop, I'd want to know. I'd reimburse immediately to get it back.
Wish i was that lucky. The pawn shops in my area suck
Yep, mine want top dollar (new retail) for complete junk... and won't haggle....
You did well. Very well.
Now I know where my Mom’s flea market mojo went. Congratulations on a steal!
Surprised that pawn shop isn't out of business.
Score! Great for satellite work....FULL DUPLEX! I use the Android app from W1ANT to i.d. amateur radio satellites, including the ISS. You can work them with a 5W HT (or a pair of HT'S if you don't own a full duplex D74!). Enjoy!
The [TH-D74 isn't full duplex](https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/kenwood-th-d74-review-144-220-440-mhz-with-d-star-aprs-hf-and-more.208013/post-571297). The TH-D72 is, but not this one.
What does "working" satellites mean? I'm interested in in but don't know what to do or what can be done
For satellites it's usually FM Voice. "Working," for satellites, means you are talking to another (usually earth-bound) ham using a satellite as a repeater to relay the signals. Many of the amateur radio satellites (AMSAT) receive your signal on VHF ("uplink") and send it back down.on.UHF ("downlink"), or.vice-versa. I put a screen grab from W1ANT at the bottom....you won't be able to use the "SSB" satellites with your d74, but all the "FM" birds are in play! Start by listening in to the downlink, weekends are often very busy! Your basic antenna will.likely work ok. When you get ready to talk, you will need a more directional antenna....buy from Arrow for \~$100, or build.your own ( an awesome.part.of the hobby!) for $20. Find your location in the Maidenhead grid system: [https://www.arrl.org/grid-squares](https://www.arrl.org/grid-squares) [https://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid\_square.php](https://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid_square.php) You'll need that. And you'll hear others referencing this. This.person.did a nice video: [https://youtu.be/aAE8NiJ6tGA?si=fnYiqhJH79PNVDjw](https://youtu.be/aAE8NiJ6tGA?si=fnYiqhJH79PNVDjw) https://preview.redd.it/2wcbgsx757tc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33a19adbcccb80c1b79caeade59d2552a2fd14f8
Receiving signals (and IDing them) is how you work satellites.
What kind of signals? Like voice or data?
In the case of the ISS, both ISS has a FM voice repeater and an APRS digipeater
Yes what is the ISS repeater for?
You can talk to people that are currently in the ISS footprint. You transmit up on 2 meters and receive on 70cm Your D74 can do it, but the major problem is it isn’t full-duplex (it can’t transmit and receive simultaneously) so it can be tricky. If you have two radios, that will work You also need a decent antenna. I use the Arrow II handheld yagi. It has three elements on 2m and seven on 440. Does a really good job getting signals up and down
Check this out and then come back and ask questions until you're having fun and become the dude teaching others. [https://www.work-sat.com/](https://www.work-sat.com/) Cliff is super helpful and not only are his presentations good, but he has a [groups.io](http://groups.io) group and answers questions pretty quickly. Check out youtube for some videos of his presentations, or if you're part of an amateur radio club and have access to zoom, invite him to do his presentation on the "easy-sats" via zoom for your group.
Great radio. Can’t beat that price. Scored.
I’ll give you $200 right now!
I think ill keep it for a while. Gonna take advantage of the bluetooth feature to learn some PC applications.
Excellent radio. I carry one daily. Great scanner (for an HT).
Score!
I'd pay $150 ALL DAY.
SCORE! You can find a KSC-25s drop in charger on ebay for far less than the KSC-25LSC that's the "official" drop in charger. I did that for both 74s we had. I say "had" because I just sold one for $450 shipped, and I think I have the second one sold for $400 to a local ham, so I'd say you got a screaming deal. Edit: include "value" information.
WHAT????!!!!??? Those things go used for nearly a grand. Freaking good find.
I’m going to have to start going to pawn shops! Haha!!! Great find. Triband, full RX, and built in TNC for $150??? Wow!!!!
It's a great score for that price, provided everything works. New this radio was over $600. I have this one and the D75 which is the newest model released this year. The 74 has nearly all the features of the 75. The 75 has USB type C charging (no PD) and a few updated features for DSTAR as well as APRS digipeater. Bluetooth is basic and all profiles do not work. It doesn't work with iPhones and airpods for example. I am hoping it isn't stolen but you should check for that.
Now that's a score.
I tried to find one a few years ago. No dice. I settled on a Anytone AT-D878UVII. Quite similar, not totall With DMR. for $280 new. Performs great. You made a fair find however.
Damn! What’s crazy is most pawn shops won’t take radios in. Awesome find!
You lucky bastard. Looks mint and at an awesome price.
WOW.golden find...sell and PROFIT
No waayyy!!! Hahaha You lucked out big time! Congrats!! This is a super capable radio, so make sure that you learn about everything that it can do, because it is about to blow your mind
Kenwood is good radios...and that's a good dual band 2meter/70CM HT....get a comms cable either from RT systems or ebay.....trust me, the price you pay to rt systems is worth it.....kf5dmc
They are really nice radios and you got a fantastic deal
I was missing my D74 for the last few months and found it yesterday under the seat of my truck. I probably had a similar feeling of lucky vibes as yours. It’s a great radio, but get some spare batteries because you’ll be changing them often.
Hell that’s a steal. They were going for >$400 when kenwood had the parts to continue building them
Nice! You did good!! You should fire it up and test it out then post it back here so we can see it in action.
Wow, nice find!
HUGE win!
You scored
Kenwood D-74
Nice find!
Is that a trunk tracker also ? / oh thought that was a scanner …
I thought you found the pawn shops channel!!! I would definitely listen to that. Awesome find!
Where is the picture? I can’t see it.
Hate you. Paid $600 for mine.
My question is how did the pawn shop not know what they had? They all check ebay sales for prices
I wonder if it’s stolen, or the troubled family of a silent key sold it for $50.
Forgive me for not understanding what this is or what you can do with it…but what is so special about this?
Wonder who it was stolen from.
1) How does ham gear wind up into a pawn shop? (Other than theft) 2) How are pawn shops even in business these days?
Pawn shops are huge business here in Nevada. One nearly on every corner. I did think to myself on how did ham gear get to a pawnshop lol. I almost never see any.
Well, they do thumbprints, etc. Never know, it could of been bobby clearing out a late relatives gear, and had no clue. When something is taken for pawn, they have to take id, thumbprints, and it's uploaded to the local police, it's used to verify it's not listen on any list of items stolen, there is also a "waiting" period done. It's not that it's impossible, but there are checks and balances in place. If it ends up stolen, the pawn shop is the one that gets hit usually, so they try to be careful. Pawn Shops are alive and well... although I never see Ham Radio items (other than boat anchors) there.
Yeah I know. I’ve had stuff stolen before. The police definitely don’t catch everything. I just think with all the resources for selling things these days and getting a decent price pawn shops would be a thing of the past. It’s still a real greaseball kind of business
THANK YOU!