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PRODUCT REVIEW  KENWOOD TH D74A ANALOG AND D STAR VHF/UHF TRANSCEIVER
DIGITAL AND ANALOG OPERATION ON 144, 222, AND 430 MHZ, PLUS A WHOLE LOT
MORE.  REVIEWED BY PASCAL VILLENEUVE, VA2PV VA2PV ARRL.ORG  AT THE 2016
DAYTON HAMVENTION, WE WERE EXPECTING THE RELEASE OF A NEW KENWOOD DIGITAL
RADIO.  MOST OF US THOUGHT THAT THIS NEW RIG WOULD BE DOING DMR DIGITAL
MOBILE RADIO ALTHOUGH, FOR YEARS, THERE HAD BEEN RUMORS ABOUT KENWOOD
BUILDING A D STAR RADIO.  SOME PEOPLE EVEN THOUGHT THAT KENWOOD MIGHT GO
ITS OWN WAY WITH ITS COMMERCIAL DIGITAL MODE, NEXEDGE NXDN, LIKE YAESU DID
WITH THE SYSTEM FUSION RADIOS C4FM.  ON THE FIRST MORNING OF THE
CONVENTION, I RUSHED DIRECTLY TO THE KENWOOD BOOTH AND SAW THE NEW D STAR
RADIO AT THAT TIME, IT DIDNT HAVE ANY NAME OR MODEL NUMBER.  THE
REPRESENTATIVE TOOK THE RADIO OUT OF THE GLASS CASE.  I ASKED HIM IF I
COULD FILM IT FOR MY FRIEND WITH MY SMALL ACTION CAMERA, AND HE AGREED, BUT
I COULD NOT RECORD ANY AUDIO.  THAT NIGHT, I POSTED THE SHORT VIDEO ON MY
YOUTUBE CHANNEL LABOENLIGNE.CA, AND 12 HOURS LATER, IT ALREADY HAD ABOUT
5,000 VIEWS.  THIS CONFIRMED HOW MUCH THE HAM COMMUNITY WAS WAITING FOR
THIS RADIO.  IN THE PAST, THERE WAS ONLY ONE MANUFACTURER OF D STAR RADIOS
FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET.  SOME FOLKS THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A
PROPRIETARY PROTOCOL AND STAYED AWAY BECAUSE OF THIS.  THE TRUTH IS THAT D
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