About this replacement
Kenwood TK-3230 Series — 7.4V Li-ion Replacement Battery (KNB-46L)
This is a 7.4V, 1800mAh Li-ion replacement for the Kenwood KNB-46L battery pack. It fits the TK-3230, TK-3230BKP, TK-3230DX, and ProTalk XLS 464–467 series portable two-way radios. Dimensions are 97.20 × 63.30 × 29.62 mm — same form factor as the OEM pack.
- TK-3230 platform fit: The TK-3230 family shares a common battery bay and contact layout across its variants. This pack matches that connector pinout and runs the same 7.4V nominal rail the radio expects — no adapter or modification needed.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this pack through transmit loads on the TK-3230 platform. The BMS handled the PTT current spike without tripping into overcurrent lockout, and the pack seated and handshook correctly with the Kenwood drop-in charger dock.
- First insertion into the charger dock: If the dock shows a fault LED on first insertion, pull the pack out, wipe the gold contact strip with a dry cloth, and reseat it firmly. The Kenwood charger platform requires a clean contact cycle to complete the BMS handshake before it will begin charging.
Why the TK-3230 cuts out mid-transmission on a new KNB-46L
New Li-ion cells ship at storage voltage — typically 3.7–3.8V per cell, not full charge. When PTT is pressed, transmit current spikes sharply. If the pack hasn't been fully charged first, that spike can drag cell voltage below the BMS overcurrent threshold and trigger a momentary cutout. The fix is straightforward: charge the pack fully before putting the radio into service. A full charge brings each cell to 4.2V and gives the BMS the headroom it needs to absorb the transmit surge without shutting down.
Bar indicator showing one fewer bar than expected on a fresh pack
The TK-3230 reads battery state through voltage thresholds — it doesn't have a fuel gauge chip. A new pack at storage voltage sits below the top threshold, so the radio displays one bar short of full even though the pack is not faulty. Place the pack on charge in the Kenwood dock and run it to a complete charge cycle. Once the cells reach 8.4V across the pack, the radio will display the correct full-bar reading on next power-on.