Brand

Used Kenwood radios

Kenwood started on 21 December 1946 as Kasuga Radio Co. in Komagane, Nagano, and sold its first amateur radio in 1958. In 1960 it became Trio, which is why older ham gear carries the Trio name, and it opened a US office in 1963. The Kenwood name came from Bill Kasuga, who co-founded Trio's American importer. He paired Ken, a name at home in both Japan and North America, with wood, which also hinted at Hollywood. The export brand grew better known than Trio, and in 1986 the company renamed itself Kenwood. That's why 1980s manuals like the TS-940S's say Trio-Kenwood, and why some TS-940S radios were badged Trio. Kenwood ham gear flew on the Mir space station in 1995. Kenwood merged with JVC in 2008, and the radios now come from JVCKenwood.

6 models we cover.