Mods — Kenwood Tkm-707

Modifying marine equipment requires caution, as these devices are life-safety tools.

For the advanced technician, modifying the audio processing stage on the transceiver's IF/Audio board yields excellent results.

The most common modification for marine transceivers is enabling transmit capabilities across the entire HF band. Kenwood Tkm-707 Mods

was originally factory-locked to marine frequencies (2 MHz to 30 MHz for RX, but restricted TX). Operators wanting to use it for amateur radio typically focus on several key modifications:

Before diving into the soldering iron, let’s look at the "why." The stock TKM-707 is limited to: was originally factory-locked to marine frequencies (2 MHz

: Squelch sensitivity can be fine-tuned via the SQL key or internal trimmers to better suppress background noise during weak signal reception. Common Performance Optimizations

: Built to meet stringent marine standards, the unit features a die-cast aluminum heat sink and a weather-resistant front panel. Some third-party developers offer burned EPROM chips that

Some third-party developers offer burned EPROM chips that completely rewrite the memory management system, allowing full VFO flexibility directly from the front panel microphone buttons. Audio Quality and Filter Upgrades

Note: Frequencies generally unlock from 1.6 MHz to 30.0 MHz continuously for both receive and transmit. 2. Microphone and Audio Modifications