Question about Kenwood Corp. TK-3701D

Hello Daniel,
Yes, PMR radios generally have a very limited range due to their low transmission power (5mW).

In urban areas, you may therefore only have a range of 2km or less. Longer distances should be possible in open fields. When it comes to PMR, the rules are very strict, i.e. any modification of the devices is prohibited. This means that the transmission power may not be increased and, for example, the aerial may not be changed.

Alternatively, you could of course try to achieve a greater range with a CB radio and appropriate antennas or apply for a licence from OFCOM and work with real VHF/UHF devices - but this is far too laborious and costly for the little bit of private radioing.

Greetings Niels

Set squelch to 1, but only possible via PC with suitable cable and software, see accessories. The software is available cheaply from the best-known online auctioneer. This means that weaker signals are also output by the device.

The range of a radio device is specified by the manufacturer with a number (here, for example, 9 km). However, this figure is not an absolute value - it is not the case that the radio waves travel exactly 9 km and then cease to exist.

Think of it as if you were to drop a stone into calm water -> circular waves are created which spread out and become continuously weaker. However, if the water surface is interrupted, e.g. by a protruding stone, the waves are stopped by it. There are no more waves behind the stone.

It's the same with radio: if you are transmitting in an open field with line of sight, the TK-3701D can easily cover more than 9 kilometres.
However, in urban areas, where there are many obstacles that attenuate the radio waves, it is quite possible that you will not get a connection after a few hundred metres. There don't necessarily have to be "many" obstacles - a thick concrete wall is enough to massively restrict the connection.

Unfortunately, we use these devices within a 500 metre radius

2 km in the city area has never been a problem for me. Please check whether you are in Zone2 or Zone3 on the digital channels. By the way, the transmitting power of the devices is 500mW.