Die Hard 2: Die Harder
Dulles International Airport, Christmas Eve, 1990. A snowstorm has grounded every flight, rogue military operatives have seized the airport's communications, and reporter Richard Thornberg is trying to break the story from a makeshift news desk. On that desk sits a Kenwood TS-711 base station radio — his direct line to a story that could save or condemn hundreds of lives.
Renny Harlin's sequel ups the stakes from a single building to an entire airport, and the communications equipment reflects that escalation. Where the first Die Hard gave McClane a single stolen Kenwood handheld, the sequel fills the frame with base stations, portable radios, and the airport's compromised communications infrastructure.
The TS-711's appearance on Thornberg's desk is a perfectly observed production design detail. In 1990, a dedicated journalist covering a breaking story from a remote location would absolutely have a ham radio base station for monitoring emergency frequencies — the TS-711 was one of the most popular 2-meter all-mode transceivers of the late 1980s.
The Kenwood TS-711 (also designated TS-711A for the U.S. market) is a 2-meter all-mode base station transceiver produced by Kenwood from 1984 to the early 1990s. It offers SSB, CW, and FM modes with 25 watts of output power — a serious piece of amateur radio equipment, not a toy.
The film also features Kenwood TH-series handheld radios continuing the franchise's established association with the brand. The Die Hard Wiki specifically documents the Kenwood ham radio as a 'staple of the series,' noting that McClane has stolen a villain's radio in every installment.
The TS-711's presence on a newsroom desk was period-accurate. Before the ubiquity of cell phones and internet, broadcast journalists routinely used ham radio equipment to monitor police, fire, and emergency frequencies during breaking news events. A TS-711 was expensive but standard equipment for a well-equipped news operation.
Just the fax, ma'am. Just the fax.
— Richard Thornberg, Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 grossed $240 million worldwide and cemented the franchise as the defining action series of the era. The film's Kenwood equipment connections — from the TS-711 base station to the handheld radios — extended the original film's association between the brand and high-stakes communication.
The Kenwood TS-711 is a respected and collectible transceiver in the amateur radio community. Working units sell for $250–$500 on eBay, valued for their excellent receiver performance and solid build quality. The Die Hard connection adds a pop culture premium for collectors who appreciate both the radio and the film.
The Die Hard franchise's consistent use of Kenwood equipment — from the TH-21BT in the original through the TS-711 in the sequel — has created a unique brand association that neither Kenwood nor the filmmakers specifically planned. It's an accidental product placement that benefits both the radio collector and film prop communities.
Kenwood TS-711A Base Station
2-meter all-mode base transceiver with 25W output. The serious ham radio that sat on Thornberg's news desk during the Dulles crisis.
Kenwood TH-21BT Handheld
The original Die Hard radio — the 2-meter VHF ham handheld that McClane stole from Hans Gruber's men. Screen-used props sold at Propstore for thousands.
Kenwood TH-D75A
Current Kenwood tri-band handheld with APRS, GPS, and D-STAR digital. The TH-21BT's modern descendant.
Icom IC-9700
VHF/UHF/1.2 GHz all-mode base transceiver — the modern evolution of the TS-711 concept.
BaoFeng UV-5R
The everyman's dual-band handheld — steal the villain's radio for $25.
