We first supplied the Japanese brand of Kenwood analogue radios in 1997 and found them to be great sounding and reliable if somewhat reassuringly expensive. With the launch of the half size 1U DMR repeater the NXR1700E series it is now possible to have a multiple repeater system (smart trunked if needed) fully installed into a much smaller cabinet than ever before.  Getting the best performance from Kenwood hand portables and repeaters can take some time. It is not all about power output, rather it is about finding the best possible aerial match, the best possible software/firmware tweak to extract another 1dB of receiver performance, it’s about testing, learning and knowing the exact and best length of any duplexer to repeater fly lead to ensure the lowest duplexer losses or harmonics on any given UHF or VHF frequency specifically on the NRR repeater, it’s about making 10W of repeater power work as well or better than the 25W. On the Kenwood hand portables it is about increasing and improving the IP sealing and rating, it’s about sourcing and supplying bigger capacity batteries of the highest standard, it’s about sourcing and supplying an even better aerial than standard to give the hand portable an extra 1 or 2dB of effective receive sensitivity. It’s about combining all of the above with the most cost effective and reliable POC gateway, the JPS NXU-2B to ensure that your comms go further, last longer and can be heard anywhere in the country if required using Zebra, Zello Pro and other approved POC service providers.