December 2, 2000
GMRS
Web Reviews the
New Kenwood
UBZ-AM14
FRS Radio
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"Budget FRS
radios like the UBZ-AM14 compete against the big-guns very well on their own
merit."
by
Paul Shinn
GMRS Web Magazine Technical Editor
What we really liked!
- Excellent receive audio
- Excellent transmit clarity
- Reasonably rugged
- Features easy to learn.
- Superb sensitivity
- Receives GMRS well.
- No squelch tail with CTCSS
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What we didn't like.
- Antenna does not fold down like
previous Kenwood models.
- No rotating volume control.
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UBZ-AM14
Review
Kenwood is the manufacturer of my
favorite FRS radio, the UBZ-LF14. Kenwood has moved on to produce newer
models, of which I was initially skeptical.
Kenwood decided to make a budget model
FRS radio dubbed the UBZ-AM14. The UBZ-AM14 competes with the inexpensive
models available as no-name brands. The price? About the same price as a good
lunch for two. Kenwood succeeded with the UBZ-AM14 and produced an exceptional
radio for the Family Radio Service that does not cost very much.
My first impressions of the UBZ-AM14
were that the radio is very well built, especially considering it is sold as a
‘low end’ radio. The case is molded from plastic which seems a little
thin. The radio DID survive drop testing extremely well however. Hardly a
scratch was visible on the test radio! The antenna is a soft molded-plastic
antenna, permanently affixed to the top of the case. This is different from the
cool ‘fold down’ style we are used to seeing from Kenwood. Now the
antenna is just a boring average fixed antenna.
The volume from the speaker is very
loud and very clear. Likewise, the transmit audio is very clear with no need to
yell into the microphone. In fact, this radio sounds best when you speak a few
inches away from it, as the microphone sensitivity is above average.
The UBZ-AM14 has the usual features
like all 14 channels, all the normal CTCSS tones, a monitor button which opens
the receiver squelch no matter if a CTCSS tone is selected or not, a call
button (YUCK!), and even a very bright display backlight.
(*)
(Editor's note: Call buttons do not excite us. This feature is rarely used
properly. It is most frequently a toy feature for children who play the cute
beep tones and melodies to annoy or toy with others. We would like FRS
manufacturers to look at other signaling technologies that don't pollute the
FRS channels with grunge.)
After installing the 4 AAA batteries,
the operational learning time went without a hitch. The one thing Kenwood
missed on the UBZ-AM14, which has been the strong selling point for their other
radios, is a volume-control knob. Too bad this radio did not get one too!
Instead, the UP and DOWN buttons share the function of changing the radio
volume, channel, and CTCSS tone. It is a little awkward to learn at first, but
comes with time. The FUNCTION button steps you through the function you want to
control with the the UP and DOWN buttons.
(Editor's note:
We think rotating volume controls are important for simplicity
sake.)
The greatest structural plus of the
UBZ-AM14 design was the new belt clip. Rather than use a screw (which falls out
when it wants to), the UBZ-AM14 uses a snap-in clip similar to the one found on
most Motorola pagers. The clip can be removed by using a coin and wedging it
under a small plastic lever, then sliding the entire clip from its rails. Even
though the clip itself is made from what appears to be flimsy plastic, I could
not break the clip under abusive test conditions.
(Editor's note:
Paul uses the FRS radios he tests at work and play. Paul is a Professional
Broadcast Engineer. He works in hostile mountain-top environments, (where only
spiders, bugs, and wild animals dare to tread) climbs towers, (talks to birds)
squeezes into transmitter cabinets (to set mouse traps) , pulls cable and wire,
and supervises others that use and work on two-way radios. He and his wife Tina
are avid hikers, bikers, and walkers. The family is also radio-active. Each
radio Paul reviews is tested in his family's real-world conditions. In many
ways, Paul can be tougher on his radios than most. )
When it came to operational testing, I
discovered a unique feature that I have not found in any other
FRS radio tested to date. Motorola calls similar technology
‘reverse burst’. What reverse burst means to the average person is
the following. When you let go of the push-to-talk button, the Continuous Tone
Coded Squelch System tone ceases transmitting before the radio actually stops
transmitting a radio signal. Just a brief moment after your transmission is
complete, the CTCSS tone shuts off, and then the transmitter shuts off. When
you use CTCSS decode mode, it will eliminate the squelch noise burst that
occurs in either UBZ-AM14 radios listening to you when you are done speaking.
To enjoy this feature buy TWO UBZ-AM14s! The operation of the UBZ-AM14 is very
quiet and very easy on the ear with no squelch tails or flushing noises every
time you let go of the push-to-talk button. This subtle feature makes using the
radio a real pleasure! Thank you, Kenwood!!!
The transmitter power was right up to
par at nearly 500 milliwatts. The receiver sensitivity was exceptional. The
receiver bandwidth is wide enough so that operation with family members using a
GMRS radio is a breeze. The receiver in the UBZ-AM14 has selectivity as good as
the high end UBZ-LH14, and slightly better sensitivity. How’s that for a
‘low end’ radio??
In the field, the UBZ-AM14 is easy to
carry and the size is perfect for a shirt pocket. Since the microphone
sensitivity is so good, and the speaker volume is also very good, I did not
have to remove the AM14 from my pocket when using it. The AM14 is just small
enough so that I could button the shirt pocket and still use the radio.
The UBZ-AM14 display clearly shows
which FRS channel you are on, the speaker volume setting, the CTCSS tone you
are using, and whether you are transmitting or receiving a signal. The receive
indicator lets you know that there is traffic on the channel even if you are
using CTCSS mode. This is extremely helpful in preventing interference with
other users of the channel.
Kenwood asked GMRS Web why we do not
rate the budget radios separately from the high-end more expensive radios. They
also were curious why we do not hold high-end radios to higher standards than
the budget models? Well, this radio is the perfect example. Sometimes the
budget radios are not inferior at all! Budget FRS radios like the UBZ-AM14
compete against the big-guns very well on their own merit. We have found on
many occasions that the budget radios out perform the high dollar ones.
Now, if you want to buy a loaded
high-performance FRS radio go ahead. You can, however, get a pair of really
excellent radios for the price of one with the UBZ-AM14.
GMRS Web Magazine would like to
extend our thanks to Kenwood for submitting this radio for review! We do
appreciate your interest in GMRS Web and our readers! Thank you Kenwood!
Doug Smith, Editor
