well, unless one really really needs the display, which I never did when I 
had the radio, you can get them real cheap from guys who haven't thrown them 
out or had them repared...a dead or very dim display to a sighted ham is as 
good as nothing, and the radio is basically useless to them.
a voice chip for 50 bucks, they're a snap to put in, and you can probably 
get the whole thing for less than $200.
that is, if as a blind ham, one can live without the display working.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tom behler" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:03 PM
Subject: Re: Kenwood V7a


>    Phil:
>
> Sorry to hear about your frustrations.
>
> I used to have three TMV7A's--the displays for two of which ultimately 
> went
> bad.
>
> I still have one of them yet, and can use it in a pinch, but it's not 
> worth
> trying to get the display fixed.
>
> Save your money, and get a TMV71A when you can;  you won't regret it.
>
> I too have had similar problems calling Kenwood on the west coast, and 
> I've
> heard that the Virginia repair center is much easier to deal with.
>
> Another thing you might do is contact Cliff Holland in Texas.
>
> I had him replace the finals in one of my TMV7A's a number of years ago, 
> and
> was extremely satisfied with both his charges and his workmanship.
>
> Cliff's e-mail address is:
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> Good luck, and let us know if we can be of any more help.
>
> 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 3:27 PM
> Subject: Kenwood V7a
>
>
> So, after not using my V7A for a long time due to my newer radio
> application, I go to fire it up the other day and after reading from the
> cheat sheets and manual and everything I could lay my hands on, I waited
> till my young son got off work to read the display for the individual menu
> changes I needed to make.  No display!  The dumb thing was dim and only 
> half
> the display even worked.  I got a friend to walk me through the steps to
> turn the brightness up and that did nothing.  Now I find out, Kenwood 
> admits
> the display going out on the V7A models years ago was their biggest 
> problem.
> I called Kenwood and listened to their 10,000 menus on the phone, finally
> found what I thought I wanted, called that number, a kids who sounded 15
> years old said, "What are you talking about."  It was the Kenwood ham 
> radio
> west coast repair department and he didn't even know what radio I was
> talking about.  What was I talking about; Icom radios?  Come on!  So, 
> since
> he had the I Q of a grasshopper, he said, "I'll ring the guy who handles
> that radio.  It rings 4 times, a female recording comes on and says, "You
> have reached..." with a blank spot for a person name who handles those
> calls, and then she says, "So leave your number and we will call you 
> back."
> I left a message longer than the U S Constitution, hung up, dialed up the
> website, type out a request email, and then when it saves and sends, it
> says, "We will answer you in 3 to 5 days."  What?  You heard me.  In this
> technological age of the internet, Kenwood can't answer emails about 
> repairs
> for 3 to 5 days.  Ain't being a ham fun?  If I had the money, I'd get the 
> 71
> but you know how that goes.
>
> Phil.
> K0NX