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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-130s.
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WD5NOT
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 29, 2008 19:01
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First HF Rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The TS-130S is my first HF rig and I must say for what it is a no frills rig it has already paid for itself with the hours enjoyment of listening. The only downside is not with the radio itself but the antenna system that I have been forced to use by the CONDO COPS where I live. So I have had to improvise and I am using a Hustler mobile mast and the assorted resonators mounted on a bracket that I clamp to the carport at night and that has given me some decent results and good contacts. While it is no TS-870 or TS-2000 I am very pleased with the results that it has given me.This is a good first rig or backup. I will be keeping this radio for a long time to come.
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AA5JG
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 30, 2008 22:20
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The rig is OK
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had a TS130SE back in 1985-86 and it was a pretty nice rig. Decent receiver, plenty of options for the time, and no general coverage, which improved the receiver performance. I used it on 12 meters the first day that band was open for amateur use, and worked quite a bit of DX on it. It was a step up in several ways from the Yaesu FT101B which it replaced.
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KE4ZHN
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 23, 2008 10:35
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Good little rig
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I had one of these when I first got my general. The receiver wasnt the greatest in the world as it was quite noisy. But, if you ran the RF gain throttled back and adjusted it to the noise on the band it wasnt too bad for what it is. Mine had no optional ssb filters so this is why it wasnt exactly a Collins. The receiver AGC would pump on strong signals just a bit. After all, its not a 950SDX. TX audio was good as one would expect from a Kenwood. The processor was all but useless as it was either blasting or nothing. No adjustment to tame the compression down so unless you use a very low output mike this is a waste of time. Performance on CW wasnt all that bad as I made quite a few contacts on 40m with this little radio. It would drift a little but thats to be expected from an early pll rig like this. No crystal oven so it would shift around a few hz when it was cold but wasnt bad once warmed up. For a back up rig, or portable operation this is a nice little radio. Also good for a new ham on a budget to get started on HF. Its no world beater but its compact and performs adequately for its class.
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KA4WJB
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 23, 2008 09:29
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Great rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased new in '82. It was my main rig for years. The 130 is great for Field Day use, easy to use. A great mobile rig also. Dedicated knobs, no menus to fiddle with while driving. A digital readout and dial readout also a plus when radio in full sunlight. I'll always own this great little rig.
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KC0ZZH
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 4, 2008 09:04
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Good backup/starter rig
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Let me first say that even I gave this rig a four I think it is more around a 3.5 out of 5 due to several reasons stated below. I also have a spare TS-130S for spare parts.
Dislikes:
First the PTT relay is very loud, but I got used to it fairly quickly. Second, I miss a true power meter, the Ic meter is a different approach than I am used to. I prefer a relative idea to output power.
Likes:
Solid construction, good rx audio with an outboard speaker. No menu's or sub-menus to contend with...everything you need is right out in the open with decent sized knobs and lettering. Analog S meter and analog dial knob. Decent size to allow for good fit into my operation.
Overall:
My main goal with this radio was to aquire a backup/fielday rig. The TS-130S provides all of that easily. The clean look of the rig, decent layout of all functions and a good audio quality does make this little rig a good performer but not as great as my Kenwood TS-440SAT.
I am the second owner of this rig with all but one optional filters installed and with a MC-50 desk mic. I get great audio reports. My receiver does not seem to overload on strong nearby stations.
I've owned several radios over the years and as far as simplicity and basic operation goes this radio is hard to beat. The new all mode all band radios may offer a lot but I think the overal preformance starts to suffer in those. There isn't anything this TS-130S can't do the thousand dollar rigs can't on the HF bands in my opinion.
I can say I love this rig a lot for the purpose it was boughten. I you find one that has no problems, don't hesitate to get it into the shack. It is a very nice 'no nonsense' rig.
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OE5BFM
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Rating: 5/5
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May 29, 2008 00:14
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Unproblematic Transceiver!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I donīt want to repeat the statements before, just want say the following:
I bought mine not from a smoker, he was the Master of smokers! So I found the S-Meter showing much to less, and 12 Meters suddenly failed (no indication from the digital readout)
Some contact spray, turning a bit the VR1 (S-9 adjustement for the S-Meter) and ready. By the way, the service-manual is wrong here, it shows VR2 even for the starting-level for the meter and also for S-9 adjustement.
This radio can be repaired easily in comparison to modern Transceivers.
So this little rig impresses me with his really fine audio, the sensitive receiver, the mechanics of the switches, the pleasing cabinet and you never need the manual again after reading it one time!
Small, but nice! And the perfect extension in my shack to the big brother, my TS-930S.
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N6GEO
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Rating: 4/5
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May 26, 2008 21:00
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Relays replacements
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Great little rigs. Unfortunately, more and more are showing up as "tech specials". The main reason is that the 4PDT relays stop working. I bought one recently (non-working) for $80. The Omron relays on the IF board was stuck and didn't switch. The one on the PA board keyed, but some of the contacts were dirty. Some squirts of a contact cleaner caused the rig to sporadically work. Contrary to an earlier posting, "drop-in" replacements are available. Panasonic offers a flatpack 4PDT with the same terminal pattern. Look for NF4EB-12V on the Digikey site. A pair of replacements cost less than $20 with shipping.
The IF board relay is easy to replace, follow the instructions for adding filters. The PA filter board is more difficult.The board lifts out from the rotary switch end. I also unsoldered the power leads to allow the final amp to be laid aside. The coax must be unplugged from the filter board, but don't pull on the coax, use forceps to pull on the connectors. Mark the coaxes with a permanent marker.
Good luck!
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ON4VP
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 25, 2007 06:13
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Love the back to basics approach
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Let me first say that even I gave this rig a five, every transceiver has room for improvement, but from my point of view the TS-130 got a solid five for several reasons.
Dislikes:
First of all the PTT relay is loud. I got to get used to that. Second, I miss a power meter, the IC metering on the 'S' is a different approach. I prefer a relative idea to output power.
Likes:
Solid, all metal frontpanel, good sized knobs, fast vfo dial (a little difficult to adjust very small steps), needle signal meter, easy to use overal, no hidden menus, no double or triple button functions. Good receiver.
In a nutshell:
Being off the air for over more than a year I had to look for a rig all over again. Since I don't have that much time to spend in my shack I was looking around for a simple but decent HF rig. MY main goal was to go 'back to basics' where I have an easy frontpanel, decent knobs, and functional layout. The TS-130S provides that. The clean look of the rig, decent layout of all functions and a good audio quality does make this little rig a good performer.
Mine came second had with all optional filters installed and with a MC-50 deskmic. I get good audio reports, and with both filters I can make a selective and good reception of most stations. My receiver does not seem to overload on strong nearby stations. But I use the attenuator and filters in line when going lower bands when the going gets tough.
Just dial in, set power (carrier or mic gain) and make the qso. Easy to use, does warcbands and I get the feeling the rig makes it all worth all over again.
I owned all kind of transceivers, from the big guns to the smallest ones. I can tell that most of the allmode-allband rigs today don't even come close. They are a lot more difficult to operate and reception is loud, noisy and worse.
I worked around a solution to hook up a laptop ussing ubuntu 7.10 linux and gMFSK to work digimodes like RTTY, PSK31 and others. I use the AF out on the remote connector on the back of the rig and the same connector has a lead out for keying the TS-130S. Input I provide to the mic connector in the front. I needed a little experimenting to adjust the mic gain, the TS-130S seems a little dificult to adjust but once you got the feel of it, it works just fine.
I only can say I love this rig a lot. I was lucky to find one that was in mint condition and had all optional filters installed for a small price. I you find one, don't hesitate to get it into the shack. It is a very nice 'no nonsense' rig.
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AB9LZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 12, 2007 06:49
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Great Old School Rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Fired mine back up after moving to N.C. and setting up a shack in a hot outbuilding, didn't want to subject the "nice" radios to that environment.
I agree that the intermod can be bad with strong signals around... the reason I stopeed using it in chicago... otherwise the receiver is better than average otherwise, quiet, and almost as sensitive as the TS-850 and much better than some newer radios, like the FT-897. Otherwise the thing is great, nice solid feel, metal front panel, little or no plastic anywhere.
The relay is a little loud for CW, once you get over the distraction it works well enough. A simple mod allows the wide/narrow button to switch between a 500 and a 270hz filter, great for DX work.
The it's reputation for good SSB transmit audio serves it well for PSK31 use, although the rx intermod mentioned above can swamp the waterfall when there are strong nearby signals.
Overall a keeper.
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DG7JX
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 23, 2006 23:55
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Disappointing!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Got a TS-130S from ebay for 200 Euros in a near mint condition. Everything worked, but the RX was very disappointing! Massive problems with image rejection and intermodulation problems even on a 3.5m short vertical antenna, especially on the 40m-band.
Would not buy one again. There are other, even older models with better receiver sections.
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