[Kenwood] One more question on the 870

[Rob]

The knob may be the least of your problems with this rig unless the  
missing knob is due to the shaft and pot (or whatever component is  
used) being smashed in.

To me, the strange meter behavior is indicative of a more serious  
problem, namely that someone went into the factory menus and messed  
around and botched up the rig.  Unlike other rigs such as Yaesu  
1000MPs, the factory menu in the 870 is set differently for each rig  
and is really supposed to be set up at the factory just like an old  
analog rig would get aligned at the factory and all the little trim  
pots and slug tuned inductors are forever after meant to be left alone  
unless you have test equipment.

Many hams have thought that they could go into the 870 factory menu  
and kick up the power output or make a little change to the ALC  
response only finding too late that they set off a domino reaction  
with one adjustment altering settings in other places.  They didn't  
write anything down, so they don't know how the other menu settings  
were originally, and when they try to put things back they make  
everything even worse.   When they finally give up, they dump the now  
totally !@#$% rig on the used market and hope to make it someone  
else's problem, or they try to find a shop to set it back up right.   
It might be only the factory has the equipment to re-set it; not sure  
about that, but this notorious factory menu problem alone makes used  
870s from unknowns a gamble.

It all started years ago when a ham in Portugal posted the factory  
menu information on mods.dk website.  That has led to who knows how  
many 870s getting screwed up.

I'd run from this deal if I were you.

There are two TS870 groups on yahoo groups.  Join them, and search the  
archives with a search term such as "factory menu" for all the tales  
of woe.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TS870
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ts870s

73

rob / k5uj

p.s. If you ever get a TS870 that is okay, for heaven's sake don't  
ever go into the factory menu and change anything!




On Feb 4, 2009, at 1:12 PM, <hamradio at twcny.rr.com> wrote:

> The seller (nice guy) just called me to let me know that the meter  
> only goes to 1/3 scale when transmitting but it does have full power  
> output on the
> wattmeter, the other thing he noticed is that the ALC meter pins to  
> the right when keyed.
> So I am wondering if any of you folks might know what the problem  
> could be, If its something simple I can call the seller and
> he can try it on the rig
>
> thanks folks
> Nick
>
> Sure is tough to find a realy nice 870 for a decent price I guess
>
>
>
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