Kenwood FreeTalk UBZ-LH14 (14 Channels) Two Way Radio

This quality two-way radio from Kenwood is well worth some serious consideration if you?re shopping around for a high-end FRS unit. But there are compelling reasons why the UBZ-LH14 may not, in fact, be the radio that you?ll ultimately decide to buy. If audio quality is more important to you than any other feature on an FRS radio, you need look no further. This would be the radio to choose. But if other features and ease of use are important to you as well, I?d urge you to take a close look at what the LH14 offers and what it doesn?t?or you may be in for a surprise or two.

A few months ago, I developed a severe addiction to FRS radios and happily immersed myself in researching almost every model ever produced. I eventually selected the Cobra 310wx as my product of choice; and that excellent, full-featured radio still gets my vote for top high-end radio. However, my fascination with FRS radios has continued; and I?ve subsequently purchased a couple of other units which struck my fancy. The Kenwood UBZ-LH14 is the latest addition to my growing collection.

I certainly considered the Kenwood LH14 at the time I purchased my Cobras. The Kenwood gets some good online reviews, and I was initially drawn to it. But when I dug deeper into the FRS user forums and downloaded and read the LH14 manual, I discovered that this Kenwood model actually lacked some key features which I really needed (for example, a vibration alert) and that the LH14 was not without some significant drawbacks. I?ll try to clarify those drawbacks in this in-depth review, but first let me call your attention to this radio?s strongest feature--its truly excellent audio quality.

Sound Quality

Because I?d read that the Kenwood LH14 had even better sound quality than my Cobra 310s, I was dying to hear for myself what all the fuss was about. When I tried the Kenwoods for the first time, I was indeed totally impressed. Yes, although the Cobra 310s have very, very good sound, the Kenwood LH14?s audio is just superb. Voices sound completely natural and are extremely sharp, strong, and clear--with no perceptible distortion. And when the radios are in range, background noise is virtually undetectable. I?ve had an opportunity to use 8 other two-way radios and compare their sound quality. Without hesitation, I can report that the Kenwood LH-14 is the hands-down winner.

If you?re new to the Family Radio Service (FRS), you may be wondering how important good audio really is on a two-way radio. Obviously, none of us really needs CD quality to listen to high-level transmissions like ?Johnny, meet us at the Food Court in 10 minutes!? In fact, I?d guess that many people don?t even notice audio quality issues on their two-way radios; they?re simply thrilled that these 21st century walkie-talkies actually work! Still, even for short telephone conversations, I think we?d all prefer a phone with good, clear sound. But if you don?t think that super sound quality is essential for your walkie-talkie usage, then the LH14 may not be your best choice. At a current street price of $61-$66, the LH14?s great sound comes at a premium. And in exchange for this radio?s outstanding audio, you?ll definitely have to do without some other rather significant features.

What?s Missing?

There?s just no denying that the LH14 is missing some important features that are typically found on other FRS radios?especially on high-end radios in the same price class. Actually, two very basic features are inexplicably absent from the LH14: 1) a simple, single-press call button and 2) a monitor button. Oddly enough, you can only get these two basic buttons if you purchase and use the optional SMC-34 speaker/microphone (lowest street price - around $27). The SMC-34 has the 2 missing buttons! I?ll describe the SMC-34 accessory later in this report, but just below are some additional details on the missing features which kept the LH14 out of the #1 spot on my FRS shopping list.

No ?Dedicated? Call Button: Clarifying?the LH14 DOES have a Call function which will send a ring tone to your receiving radio--alerting the receiving party that there is an incoming transmission. But you must press a 2-button combination on the LH14 in order to send that ring tone. (You have to hold down the Push-to-Talk button and then press either the right arrow key or the left arrow key.) Every other FRS radio I?ve seen provides a simple, single-press Call Button for this frequently-used function. You can certainly just make yourself get used to the 2-key call function on the LH14, but there is an associated problem. If you experience a momentary psycho-motor attack and press the 2 buttons in the reverse sequence (as I often do), you?ll actually change your main channel setting and completely (and probably unknowingly) lose contact with everyone in your radio group. (This unpleasant development will occur unless you remember to lock the keypad.) And there?s another odd thing as well. In addition to having to use a 2-button sequence to send a simple call alert, you also have to hold down the 2nd button (the right or left arrow key) for the duration that you want the ring tone to sound. If you just give the arrow key a quick press, the receiving radio will barely ring on the other end; and the abbreviated ring tone can easily go unnoticed. Other FRS radios don?t require this niggling bit of manual exertion; you simply press a Call Button quickly and the ring tone will sound on the receiving radio for a pre-determined duration (usually, 2 or 3 seconds, depending the radio).

No Monitor Button: It?s also astonishing that the LH14 lacks a physical Monitor button. There is, in fact, a monitor function on the LH14 which allows you to turn off the radio?s auto-squelch feature, but that function is only accessible through a menu?which is only accessible through a power-on sequence?which requires you to turn the radio off and then back on again. If you?re new to all of this?pressing the monitor button on an FRS radio de-activates the radio?s auto-squelch feature--the feature which silences (squelches) a lot of obnoxious background static and any weaker transmissions which may be present on the main channel you?re using. The only time you?ll want to de-activate the blessed, ear-saving auto-squelch feature is when you?re drifting out of range of your radio group. In this case, you?ll actually WANT to hear weak transmissions on your channel because you may be able to hear the weakening transmissions of your radio buddies as they drift out of range. Other FRS radios provide a simple monitor button for de-activating the squelch temporarily; you would typically hold down the radio?s monitor button to disable the auto-squelch feature while you listen for activity from your group. Again, on the LH14, you can only get this useful monitor button if you use the radio with the SMC-34 speaker/microphone accessory.

No Roger Beep: Unlike many other FRS radios, the LH14 does not provide the automatic ?roger beep? feature. On radios with this feature, a short trill of electronic beeps is automatically sent out at the end of a transmission to signal the receiving radio that the sender has finished talking. Some people find the ?roger beep? annoying, but I like it and almost always use it on my other radios. (The LH14 does, however, offer the button beep feature which sounds a beep whenever a keypad button is pressed. If you find the beeps annoying, you can turn them off via a menu option.)

Other Missing Functions

Limited Scanning Abilities: I rarely use the Scan function on the radios I have, but there are some people who use FRS radios to scan for busy channels and then listen in on what?s going on in radio land. If you?re one of those people, you will not want to buy this radio. The LH14 can, in fact, scan for busy channels, but only on a particular sub-channel of your main FRS channels. (The LH14?s scan function will not work at all if you?re not using a CTCSS sub-channel.) For example, if you?re set to main channel 8 and sub-channel 16 and then activate the busy channel scan, the LH14 will automatically scan for busy activity on channel 9-16, 10-16, 11-16, 12-16 and so on until it finds activity. This type of scan is obviously not useful for casual scanning. As a point of comparison?other FRS radios with the Auto Scan feature will typically allow you to scan for all activity on each of the main channels, including activity on all sub-channels within the main channels. They will also allow you to scan for activity on all sub-channels within a particular main channel. If all of this sounds like Latin to you, you probably don?t need to worry about this feature. It?s a big deal to some.

No Vibration Alert: This useful feature is typically found on other high-end radios, but the LH14 does not have it. If you expect to use your radios in noisy environments like malls, theme parks, or casinos where you may not be able to hear the radio ring, you?ll probably wish that you had a vibration alert. A silent alert is also useful in quiet settings, like libraries or museums, where you don?t want the radio?s ring to disturb those around you.

No Battery Meter: The LH14 does provide a low-battery alert (a beeping alert and flashing icon). But it does not have an actual battery level indicator which is constantly displayed on the LCD and allows you to see at a glance how much battery power you have remaining. Other high-end radios typically provide a 3- or 4-bar battery meter to give you this quick visual indication of battery condition so that you?ll have a clue about whether or not you need to carry extra batteries with you.

Some Good News

You may have gleaned from my description of the Call function above that the LH14 has some issues with its user interface. It does. But the LH14 also has a few nice design elements as well. The unit?s fold-down antenna is a really big plus for my uses, making it very easy to slip the radio into a pocket or purse. The body of the LH14 is also quite compact at 4 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 1 (including the volume knob). These LH14s are not quite as wide across as my Cobra 310s and, for me, have a better fit and feel in the hand than the Cobras. (I have small hands.) The LH14 also offers a large, clear, backlit display which is easy to read. However, in certain low-light conditions, the backlight on the LH14 is not strong enough to illuminate the unit?s large LCD properly. (Only 1 point of light illuminates the LH14?s display; many units have backlights with 2 points of light.)

And although the LH14 is missing a couple of important buttons, the buttons it does have are quite large and easy to operate. The Push-To-Talk button on the side of the radio has an especially nice touch and is very responsive. The LH14 also provides a knob on the top of the radio for controlling volume. This feature is a big must-have for me. It?s just so much easier to adjust volume quickly with a simple knob rather than having to fiddle with the small ?up/down? buttons which many radios offer for volume control. Another little extra related to volume control is the fact that the LH14 is turned on and off with a Power button, rather than by turning the volume knob to an ?on/off? position the old-fashioned way. With this design, your volume knob can remain at the volume setting you?ve chosen and doesn?t have to be re-adjusted completely every time you turn the radio on.

Other Good Features

When it comes to features, the LH14 doesn?t offer loads of options. It lacks the weather feature found on many high-end radios as well as the significant features noted above. But the LH14 does offer an interesting transponder feature, voice scrambling, and a few other functions described below.

Transponder: The LH14?s somewhat unique transponder feature (called Communication Range In/Out Detect) signals you with a distinctive warning beep if your radio partner has moved out of range. If your partner is in range, an In-range icon appears on the LH14?s display. Very few other FRS radios offer this type of feature?only the Cherokee 465 models and the ICOM IC-4008A, to my knowledge. The transponder function on the LH14 works by transmitting a signal to the receiving radio every 20 to 40 seconds to determine if the receiving unit is still in range. Although the transponder feature can be useful in some settings, it?s not quite as fabulous as it sounds. First, because your radios are constantly transmitting and receiving those test signals, using the transponder will take an extra toll on battery life. (The feature is selectable, however; you don?t have to use it.) Does it work? Well, yes?most of the time. But I have noticed a few quirks. For example, a couple of times, the in-range icon on my unit has remained solidly on, long after my radio partner?s unit has gone totally out-of-range and become completely unable to communicate. So I wouldn?t suggest that you absolutely rely on this feature to keep track of children. And the out-of-range warning is, of course, never instantaneous; you won?t hear it until the radio sends its test signal and detects that the other radio is out of ?earshot.? The transponder feature also only really works well if there are just 2 radios involved. If there are more than 2 radios in your group, you won?t know which radio went out of range. And if there are other LH14s around with the transponder feature activated, you may get some false alarms from the radios of total strangers. Another minor drawback is the fact that if you have your volume turned up high in order to hear the LH14 ring, you may become annoyed by the frequent whooshing noise which occurs every time your radio transmits or receives the test signals.

CTCSS Sub-channels: Whatever radio you choose, I?d strongly recommend that you get a unit with the CTCSS sub-channel feature. The Kenwood LH14 offers this important feature which provides 38 Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System sub-channels for each of the 14 main FRS channels available. Having these sub-channels available enables everyone in your radio group to pre-set his or her radio to the same channel/sub-channel combination. If all radios in your group are, for example, set to 8-16 (main channel 8/sub-channel 16), you?ll only hear transmissions from other FRS radios set to this same channel combination. With any kind of luck, those transmissions will only be the transmissions coming from the people in your group. (If you do the math, you?ll note that there are 532 possible combinations available.) If you don?t have a radio with this sub-channel feature, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when you attempt to use the units in places which typically have heavy FRS traffic--like big theme parks. Without a sub-channel setting, your radio will pick up every ring and conversation being transmitted by other radios within range which are set to the same main channel you?re using. Even in your own neighborhood, your radio usage can be spoiled if a young child gets hold of the family radio and starts playing with the Call Button. But if your FRS radio has the sub-channel feature, your ears will have a strong fighting chance of surviving. Although other radios set to the same main channel (without sub-channels) will still be able to hear you, you will not be able to hear them.

Voice Scrambling: The LH14 also includes a voice scrambling feature which Kenwood calls Private Talk. Unlike CTCSS sub-channels, this feature actually does add some degree of privacy to your conversations. If you activate it, your transmissions will sound garbled and unintelligible to many other radios. But you?ll still want to refrain from bad-mouthing Aunt Minnie while using this feature. Your conversations will not, in fact, be completely private. Any other radios within range which use a compatible voice scrambling technology will be able to hear you. For example, my Cobra 310s, Motorola 6220s, and Panasonic 325s were all able to hear every word of my ?scrambled? Kenwood LH14 transmissions. You might also want to be aware that using the voice scrambling function on radios with this feature will usually cause the radio?s audio quality to degrade somewhat. On the LH14, I?ve noticed only a very slight affect on this radio?s excellent audio when the voice scrambler is activated. (You must be using a CTCSS sub-channel for the voice scrambling feature to work.)

Clear Channel Search: Although the LH14 doesn?t offer much in the way of scanning functionality for searching out busy channels, it does have the ability to scan for free channels?a very useful feature not typically found on other FRS units. (You must be using a CTCSS sub-channel for this feature to work.)

Key Lock: Although the Lock feature on the LH14 is ridiculously hard to get at, it is there and is an important feature to have on an FRS radio. On the LH14, the Lock feature locks the channel buttons and Mode button so that you can?t accidentally change channels, sub-channels, or your voice scrambling setting.

Lamp Control: The LH14 allows you the option of setting the display?s backlight to stay on continuously. This is a feature I haven?t seen on other radios, and it could be very useful if you?re using the LH14 at night or in dim lighting. Using it will, however, clearly affect battery life to some degree.

The So-So Features

Transmit Power Save: This feature is a battery-saving option which will cause the LH14 to stop transmitting if the Push-To-Talk button gets depressed inadvertently for an extended period of time. I have to question the usefulness of this feature, but it?s there if you happen to cram your LH14 into a pocket in such a way that the PTT button gets pushed in and held in the ON position. There are 2 settings available for this feature: 3 minutes or 10 minutes.

Automatic Power Off: After experimenting with several FRS radios, I?ve concluded that this feature has limited usefulness, but a strong potential to backfire. While an automatic shut-off can be extremely important on a coffee maker, it is only useful on an FRS radio if it provides a good range of user-definable settings which allow for a long interval before the radio automatically shuts down. If you plan to use your radios for several hours at a time, the Kenwood?s APO feature will prove useless. It only provides 2 settings: Off or 2 hours. (Some radios offer a better range of settings; the Motorola 6220, for example, allows for settings from 0 to 8 hours.) The problem with this feature on the LH14 is that if you neglect to turn it off after a short outing, you may forget about it and be in trouble on your next longer outing when the radio shuts off automatically without your realizing it.

Multiple ring tones: If there are more than 2 people in your radio group, the multiple ring tone feature on FRS radios can provide a useful audio Caller ID function. If everyone in your group pre-sets his or her radio to a different ring tone, you?ll know who?s calling by the distinctive ring. The problem with this feature on the LH14 is that the ring tones are not very distinctive. I have trouble telling them apart. And I?m afraid the ring tones are rather boring as well. (Some other radios offer much more unique-sounding electronic tones.) And although there are 4 ring tones available on the LH14, you really only end up with 2 that are of practical use. For some reason beyond my knowing, 2 ring tones are assigned to the right arrow key, and 2 are assigned to the left arrow key. Again, to send a ring tone, you have to press the PTT button and then the right or left arrow key. You?ll probably have decided up front which of the arrow keys you?ll use consistently for the call alert. If you decide, for example, to use the right arrow key, then you?ll only have the 2 tones available for that key. I can?t believe what I?m having to explain here, but it?s all part of the poor user interface which greatly detracts from this product?s overall appeal.

The Inexplicable User Interface

The term ?user interface? refers to everything about an electronic device?s design that enables the user to work with the unit?how many buttons there are, how the buttons are arranged, how simple the keys are to operate, how the menu system is accessed, how easy it is to navigate through menu choices and modify options...all of the things that collectively define how easy the device is to set up and use. I had come across a few pretty good pans of the LH14?s user interface in my research, so I was prepared for the worst. Once I got the radios in hand, I was relieved to find that the interface wasn?t QUITE as bad as expected. But every time I have to change a setting on the LH14, I shake my head in disbelief and wonder how any design engineer or corporate executive could possibly have thought that this interface was a good idea.

Most FRS radios (including other Kenwood models like the UBZ-GR14) have an easily accessible menu system for changing the radio?s settings. You press a button labeled Menu (or Function or Mode) and cycle through the menu options available. When you come to an option you want to change, you press the radio?s ?up/down? keys to select the setting you want. Things aren?t so simple on the LH14. The radio does have a Mode button; but that menu key only gives you access to 2 menu options: the CTCSS sub-channel setting and the voice scrambling setting. Adjusting these 2 options is a breeze. But all other features (except the Lock feature) can only be accessed via a 2-handed, 2-button power-on sequence which takes you into a different menu system. You must hold down the right arrow (first this time) and then press the Power button. So, yes, you actually have to turn the radio off in order to do the two-handed power-on and get to the menu system which contains settings for 9 other features.

Turning on the radio?s Lock feature requires that you remember yet another power-on keystroke sequence. Again, you must first turn the radio off. Then you must turn it back on by pressing and holding the Mode key and then pressing the Power button. What can I say? On most radios, the lock feature is far easier to enable. On the Cobra 310 and the Panasonic 325, you simply press a lock button.

So if you?re wondering why I?m recommending a radio with an interface as squirrelly as this one, I can only tell you that the audio quality on the LH14 forgives an awful lot. I should also point out that a description of the LH14?s user interface in writing sounds worse than the interface actually is when you?re handling the radio. The LH14, like any FRS radio, doesn?t really have a huge number of features to fool with, so you soon just get used to operating it and come to remember the annoying power-on sequences. I think, too, that many people will set up their options once and then just use the radio?s basic functions. But, without a doubt, the Kenwood LH14 gets only 1 puny star on my scorecard for ease-of-setup and ease-of-use.

The SMC-34 Speaker/Microphone Accessory

I would think that most people who use two-way radios just want to grab one as they walk out the door to the mall, the park, or wherever--without having to worry about an accessory attachment. But if you do want to use your FRS radio with a speaker/microphone accessory, you can transform your LH14 into a much more friendly device by using Kenwood?s excellent SMC-34 accessory. This accessory attaches to the speaker/mic jacks on the top of the LH14. You can clip the LH14 itself to your belt or slip the radio into a pants or skirt pocket or into a fanny pack and then clip the SMC-34 to your lapel or some other spot that is easily accessible. The great thing about the SMC-34 is that it includes a volume control dial, so you can really use this accessory as a mini-radio. And the SMC-34 includes both a Call Button and a Monitor Button as well. The dimensions of the SMC-34 are 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 1 (not counting the clip). So the unit is not too big...but it?s also not so small that it?s difficult to operate. Audio quality through the SMC-34 is not quite as good as it is when you?re using the LH14 ?standalone,? but it?s still excellent. The SMC-34 also includes an earphone jack and a clothespin-like clip on the back of the device which rotates and makes it very easy to clip the device to your clothing at a variety of different angles. The most significant downside to using this accessory is the fact that you will probably be stashing away the radio itself with the antenna down and the unit very close to your body. So your range will be reduced. A relatively minor issue with the SMC-34 is the cord which connects the accessory to the radio. It?s a little bulky because it?s a coiled cord like the handset cord on a telephone.

The LH14?s Range

If you?re new to FRS radios, I must alert you first to the realities of range on all FRS radios. The 2-mile range specification listed on the packaging of these radios is EXTREMELY misleading to the average consumer. In typical settings, you will not achieve anything close to 2 miles with your FRS radio. Realistically, you should expect a range of only 1 mile or LESS. You can only achieve that 2-mile range in an ideal environment--an open, flat area with no ?line-of-sight? obstructions between your sending and receiving radios. Trees, houses, hills, buildings, etc. which obstruct that line-of-sight between your radios will dramatically reduce your range. One location, however, where you can achieve unbelievable range with any FRS radio is a location on a mountainside or at the top of a high hill. In these locations, where the radio?s antenna is at a high point, FRS radios have been reported to achieve ranges exceeding 30 miles! But, again, if you use an FRS radio in a more typical setting, you?ll be lucky to hit the 1-mile mark.

When I tested the Kenwood LH14 using my standard range test, I was a little disappointed. Not that the radio didn?t score an A. But I was expecting the LH14 to deliver significantly better range performance that the other 3 high-end radios I had tested in the same setting. In fact, the LH14 came up a little short of the other three (the Cobra 310, the Panasonic 325, and the Motorola T6220), although not by much. I tested all 4 radios in a very FRS-unfriendly setting--full of line-of-sight obstructions. The area is a heavily-populated residential neighborhood in Boston with hilly terrain and many trees and two-story houses. With the receiving radio inside an aluminum-sided house on the second floor, the Cobra, Panasonic, and Motorola radios were able to achieve a very respectable maximum range in this hostile setting--1/2 mile. I was surprised when the Kenwood LH14?s transmissions began to break up about 30 yards shy of that mark. Because I was testing the LH14 on a different day, at a different time, and under slightly different weather conditions, I re-checked the range of the Cobra 310 on the spot. The Cobra was still able to hit the 1/2 mile marker without any break-up at all.

I also tested the LH14?s range in a car-to-house experiment with the second radio inside the same aluminum-sided house on the first floor. In this test, the LH14 delivered the same range performance as the Cobra 310 and the Motorola 6220--4/10 of a mile.

If these range results seem lackluster to you, I can only say, trust me. These are excellent range scores given the serious line-of-sight obstructions involved. However, if you live in a less populated area with flat terrain, you should get somewhat better results than mine.

Batteries

One of the Kenwood LH14?s strongest points is its battery life. The LH14 uses 3 AA batteries, and Kenwood rates alkaline performance at 40 hours?well above the 30 to 35 hour battery life claimed by most other FRS radios. I can?t say if the 40-hour claim is accurate, but I have noticed that the battery life on the LH14 is significantly better than the battery life on my Cobra 310s which use 4 AAA batteries. Re-chargeable batteries are also available for the LH14 if you prefer those.

Color Choices

The LH14 was originally available in 3 colors: black, yellow, and silver. The silver/platinum model was discontinued some time ago and is now almost impossible to find. I developed a serious crush on the silver unit and had a heck of a time locating 2 of them. I had to order the units from 2 different vendors because each of the two merchants I contacted had only 1 left in stock. (If you?re interested in the silver model, beware that some online vendors still show the silver model in their product listings but do not actually have it in stock.)

Uses for the LH14

Like many people, you?ll no doubt find more and more great, practical uses for your FRS radio the longer you have it. The possibilities do seem endless. These radios are a terrific, time-saving convenience for staying in touch when you?re out shopping with family or friends?when you?re hiking, camping, or skiing?when you?re driving in a car caravan?when you?re at the beach?when you?re at amusement parks?or when you?re keeping track of the kids while they?re out playing with friends in the neighborhood. At my house, our FRS radios are great step-savers when we use them to create a portable intercom system. I just love saving those trips up and down the stairs!

Conclusion

I had really expected to dislike the Kenwood LH14. The user interface sounded just awful, and I had concluded that this product was much over-rated. To my surprise, I find that I like the LH14 despite its drawbacks. I just absolutely love the truly exceptional audio quality that this radio offers. And there?s no question that the LH14 has a high quality receiver. So if this radio?s missing features and weak user interface are not show-stoppers for your usage, the Kenwood LH14 may serve you well.

For a better all-around choice, I?d again suggest that you investigate the Cobra 310wx. Another solid radio with good high-end features is the Panasonic KX-TR325S. It doesn?t have quite the quality of the Cobra 310 or the Kenwood LH14, but it?s very easy to use and is currently available from walmart.com for an unbelievable $19.

Best of luck, then, with your FRS shopping! Over and out!