[Kenwood] TS-50 Buttons and other problems

[ken.d.brown at hawaiiantel.net]

I was able to fix the button foam problem by replacing the deteriorated 
foam with plastic sheet. I used the kind of plastic sheet that is 
commonly used as a shiny clear plastic cover on a notebook. I cut the 
plastic sheet into appropriately sized pieces for each group of buttons 
and then punched holes for each button using a leather punch tool. Now 
the buttons are working well.

I still haven't replaced the memory battery I cannot find any 
distributor that will ship a lithium battery to Hawaii.

Unfortunately the radio has a few other problems. Biggest problem is the 
display is messed up, so I cannot tell what frequency the radio is on. 
The radio transmits and receives in all modes. The transmit power is way 
too high and I am being careful not to transmit for very long for fear 
of overheating the PA and damaging it. I am the original owner of this 
radio and have never made any adjustments to the ALC or other TX power 
controls. So the high power must be due to a bad contact on an 
adjustment pot, or some other component failure.

I'd like to hear from someone who is familiar with servicing the TS-50 
and could give me a few pointers for where to start troubleshooting it. 
I'm also considering selling it in it's present condition to someone who 
can use it for parts or would know how to fix it. The radio has never 
been abused other than letting it sit unused for years.

Thanks, Ken N6KB