[Kenwood] Wanted: Kenwood Xcvr

[ad6zu at comcast.net]

Congrats on getting the 450.  I have a 450, 850, 830 and had a 440 and 940.

Notes on the radio you have and wanted to work toward:

The 450 is an excellent rig to "turn on and run".  Complaints on the early QST reviews were goundless if you read the included sidebar.  Be sure to run this and most other Kenwood rigs with the AIP turned ON.  The AIP actually turns the preamp OFF and will greatly reduce intermod and QRM.  The preamp is really only needed on the higher frequencies (20+ MHz) and unless you live very far away from any other RF, really only hinders reception.
Check the coin cell battery.  They have a tendancy to leak even if they are still working.  The replacement procedure is very easy.  Use a coin cell battery holder and a pair of wires to relocate the battery so that you can replace it the next time by simply opening the radio top cover, then note the date of the battey change and tape it to the back or bottom of the radio.

The 830 is a radio that needs to be "worked".  This is loads of fun if you are a dial tweaker and adjuster.  It is a pain if you want to jump around, "band surf" and answer CQ's.  It takes time to warm up and stabilize but it is much more "bulletproof" with the receiver front end.  The finals can withstand terrible mismatches and you can load up a pool cleaning pole for an antenna.  A friend of mine did this with his TS-520 when he was a teenager.

The "gold" 830 is worth about fifteen cents more than the silver 830.  That was the cost difference in the emblems back when they were available through Kenwood Parts.  I have a "gold" 830 and I assure you it is worth no more, no less than the silver one.  I never even noticed it until I put it up to a bright light.

A good 830 should cost about $100-$150 less than a good TS-450 S/AT

Have fun with your new prize,
73
Roy
AD6ZU

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "John Parker" <parkjv1 at comcast.net> 

> I have been waffling a lot about various Kenwood Xcvrs for my first HF rig. 
> I have somewhat narrowed it down to any Xcvr that also has WARC band 
> coverage. For now, my primary operating mode will be CW with a little bit 
> of SSB tossed in on the side. 
> 
> >From what I can tell, the following Xcvrs fill that requirement: 
> 
> TS-130S/SE 
> TS-140S 
> TS-430S 
> TS-450S 
> TS-530S 
> TS-680S 
> TS-830S 
> 
> My ultimate goal would be to own a TS-830S gold series. But reality is set 
> in and I'm willing to work up to owning one and start out with one of the 
> other rigs I mentioned above.