It’s been almost three years since I passed my Extra Class license test and the last time I picked up an amateur radio was when I experimented with satellite DXing in early 2018. This week, I pulled out my Kenwood TH-D74a and Kenwood TH-D72a handhelds to re-familiarize myself with the hobby.
The first step – charging old batteries and updating firmware. The second step – attempting to re-learn archaic user interfaces and menus on these two Kenwood handhelds. Right now, the Kenwood TH-D72a, my primary satellite DXing radio (due to the fact that it’s full duplex) either has a physically stuck “Ok” key limiting my ability to use it effectively, or there is some software fault after the firmware upgrade that will require me to do a full reset to fix it. This is what I am working on right now as my Kenwood TH-D74a sends out APRS beacons.
My hope is that the next generation of handhelds from companies like Kenwood, Yaesu, and ICOM will be more similar to smartphones than analog radios. There is a lot of room for improvement in amateur radio user interface design (as well as functionality), and it would be nice to have a radio with frequent software updates and improvements. If the mainstream amateur radio companies do not pursue this, then I see the latest generation of Chinese manufacturers such as Wouxun and BaoFeng stepping up.