[Kenwood] Myth of the "Gold Edition" TS-830s

[David Simmons]

Thanks to all who responded to my question about the "Gold Edition" TS-830s.  A few people asked me to post what I found out, so here is a distillation of all the replies:

First, there is no significant difference between a regular TS-830s and a "Gold Edition".  Don't pay extra for this alone.  The only visible difference is the color of the badge below the main knob.  There are no circuit improvements, spec changes or performance upgrades.

Younger rigs (later in the manufacturing period) reportedly have some of the service bulletin fixes done, but these aren't too hard and can be accomplished by anyone with reasonable soldering skills.  There are lots of resources online with these for free download.

There are some differences between early and late TS-830s, but these do not seem to correspond to the badge.  Later rigs have the K12 Murata 455khz filter (CF455K12) replacing the K5 filter (CF455K5).  The later K12 filter is reportedly a better unit.

The only way to check for the filter type is to remove the top of the radio (remove a bunch of screws, and don't toss the cover aside with the speaker wire plugged in) and take a look.   You should probably do this anyway to check for the optional CW filters, which can run over $50 each on the used market.  Two are possible for the 2 IF stages, significantly changing the value of a prospective purchase.

For what it's worth, at some point Kenwood reportedly offered a CW filter pre-installed at the factory at the normal price.

Some interesting 830s links:

"Kenwood TS-830s Survival Guide" (http://www.geocities.com/om6523/) - a downloadable file with a compilation of material, reviews, modifications, etc.

"Circuit Improvements and Maintenance Procedures for the TS-830S" (http://www.vcnet.com/measures/830.html).  Troubleshooting and alignment info.

"Welcome to TS-830" (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/martin.atwsm/TS830S.html) Has free downloads of the user and service manuals, troubleshooting, etc.


Hope this helps,

 - Dave
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