Thanks for this video. I have been curious about the run time of both of these radios. I like my FT5 but would like a D75. Quick note: at 4:52, your result is correct, but the numerator in the division has a typo.
Battery life was why I chose to not go ahead with D-75 purchase. Why they cannot sell a larger battery stumps me. I know you can carry multiple batteries, but a large capacity battery would be a better solution for me.
This was an excellent comparison. It's a shame the Kenwood can't do a little better, but it's not exactly horrible, all things considered. I wonder if there are any settings in the Kenwood that could be changed or disabled that would improve the battery life when comparing its battery life to the Yaesu. BUT without compromising any of the specific features you tested. They both seem like great radios.
Not that I am aware of other than decreasing how often the radio beacons your position. If you don't need APRS, turning off the TNC and GPS will make a huge difference.
I'm curious why you did not use the batteries' watt-hour rating rather than the ma-hour rating. In this case, where the voltage is the same for both batteries, the results would be the same. If the batteries had different voltages, the ma-hour rating would not be a fair comparison of battery capacity. For example, a 24V battery with a 1,000 ma-hour rating would have twice the capacity of a 12V battery with the same ma-hour rating. Another test I would like to see run is both radios with the GPS turned off. In other words, how much of the difference is due to the GPS rather than the radio? Thank you for taking the time to run these tests. Clearly, it was not something you could do in just one day. When considering the purchase of a radio as expensive as the D-75, one appreciates knowing real-world results, not just what the manufacturer claims. DE WA1KLI
Rather than amp hours you should look at watt hours. Both are on the battery but watt hours considers voltage and amp hours to give you the power in the battery. Your comparisons is fare in this case because the voltage of both batteries are 7.2 volts.
Mmm the battery is the battery, as a user I care how long it works with the appropriate provided battery. It’s not like I have many choices ! Ditto for smart beaconing
The battery on the FT5 is horrible also just sitting doing nothing, there probably is something running in the background that I am not aware of.
2 місяці тому
The TH-D75 has a lot of great features but rugged is not one of them. Neither is long battery life. If your D75 gets exposed to a light rain, it will get damaged and Kenwood will void your warranty. Repairs will cost you in excess of $400 on a $750 HT. Buyers beware
Jason it may have been more revealing if you measured the actual current consumption during the test. You could then determine the current during receive, standby and transmission. This would enable you to see where the additional current consumption is coming from. Also, would be a good idea to establish the actual battery capacity rather than relying on the battery stated value, which I find to be optimistic at best.
Thanks for this video. I have been curious about the run time of both of these radios. I like my FT5 but would like a D75.
Quick note: at 4:52, your result is correct, but the numerator in the division has a typo.
Thumbs up and a thanks for taking the time to do this. I’ve heard cycling the battery stuff before, but it doesn’t make sense with today’s batteries.
Nice work Jason! Love the comparison.
Very helpful thank you!
Curious, only 3.39 Watts for 5w radio?
Because of the frequency?
-KV4S
Good test! Thanks for sharing your data
Battery life was why I chose to not go ahead with D-75 purchase. Why they cannot sell a larger battery stumps me. I know you can carry multiple batteries, but a large capacity battery would be a better solution for me.
Im not sure if I'd ever get either radio's but good to know. Thanks Jason. :)
They are both really nice but overkill if you don't use the APRS feature.
The Kenwood D74 had terrible battery life. I ended up selling mine because of that issue. Other than that, the D74 was an excellent radio.
I have the D75 and the battery life also is horrible... I have bought a second battery unit...
Typo: the first test at 4:50 should say 1820/480 not 1280/480
But the answer is correct so it's all good
I have a 2200ma battery from Batteries America for my D74. They use the same battery according to Kenwood.
Which model number gives you 2200? The only battery I can find for the 75 on Batteries America offers 2000 mAh.
This was an excellent comparison. It's a shame the Kenwood can't do a little better, but it's not exactly horrible, all things considered. I wonder if there are any settings in the Kenwood that could be changed or disabled that would improve the battery life when comparing its battery life to the Yaesu. BUT without compromising any of the specific features you tested. They both seem like great radios.
Not that I am aware of other than decreasing how often the radio beacons your position. If you don't need APRS, turning off the TNC and GPS will make a huge difference.
Did you validate the capacity of each battery pack, or just read the nominal value printed on each????
I'm curious why you did not use the batteries' watt-hour rating rather than the ma-hour rating. In this case, where the voltage is the same for both batteries, the results would be the same. If the batteries had different voltages, the ma-hour rating would not be a fair comparison of battery capacity. For example, a 24V battery with a 1,000 ma-hour rating would have twice the capacity of a 12V battery with the same ma-hour rating.
Another test I would like to see run is both radios with the GPS turned off. In other words, how much of the difference is due to the GPS rather than the radio?
Thank you for taking the time to run these tests. Clearly, it was not something you could do in just one day. When considering the purchase of a radio as expensive as the D-75, one appreciates knowing real-world results, not just what the manufacturer claims. DE WA1KLI
I have the D75 and the battery life is terrible... just 4 or 5 hours as much.... I recently bought a second battery unit...
They need to make a TH-D75A DMR version
Rather than amp hours you should look at watt hours. Both are on the battery but watt hours considers voltage and amp hours to give you the power in the battery. Your comparisons is fare in this case because the voltage of both batteries are 7.2 volts.
Mmm the battery is the battery, as a user I care how long it works with the appropriate provided battery. It’s not like I have many choices ! Ditto for smart beaconing
The battery on the FT5 is horrible also just sitting doing nothing, there probably is something running in the background that I am not aware of.
The TH-D75 has a lot of great features but rugged is not one of them. Neither is long battery life. If your D75 gets exposed to a light rain, it will get damaged and Kenwood will void your warranty. Repairs will cost you in excess of $400 on a $750 HT. Buyers beware
Jason it may have been more revealing if you measured the actual current consumption during the test. You could then determine the current during receive, standby and transmission. This would enable you to see where the additional current consumption is coming from. Also, would be a good idea to establish the actual battery capacity rather than relying on the battery stated value, which I find to be optimistic at best.