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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-130s.
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VK2MS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 5, 2011 21:00
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yes well, ok....same set wrong model
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Time owned: months
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Hi...all my writing about this brilliant radio and the great reports on 8W then I just rembered mine's a 130V!!..not a 130S...Oh well,if the S is anywhere near the performance of the 10W V it's a great set!The rest of what I wrote is worth pondering so go for it..cheers Tony
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VK2MS
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 19, 2011 07:37
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Great set
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hi..I don't want to repeat the plusses others have done.I also don't want to be as ambivalent. I have used many sets and made many..starting with the 1 valve regens with plug in coils. Without a doubt the best RX was my URR391 which I bought during Vietnam and sold only 3 years ago...My uprated Drake comes close. The greatest fun I have had with any set is the TS130S since I contacted the wonderful and so generous Sandy Lynch (SK) 7J1ABV/WA6BXH when I was almost distraught, in tears ,with the ignorence towards a first day Ham on cw. Don't keep telling us what it "can't do as well as something else...I have had reports which would shame your KW users on 8W input. Someone complained about only an LED power meter..easily fixed...use an ampmeter in the line and read input power...nothing is really going to give you true OUTPUT power as cheaply as input power. It's a great set, has at least some feeling of ham tradition as opposed to those button pushers and console operators who want push button perfection when maybe once upon a time they actually enjoyed making gear perform through their own skills and not selecting someone else's with a button. What's "Ham Radio" about hooking up your set to a computer using manufacturer's softwear? For me the 130 is a closer connection to the tattered remnant of Ham Radio which remains today. It can run QRP.You have to put some effort into making it work best it can. You can literally make an antenna "the difference" Sure I like the cigarette tin QRP one can take up a mountain in France, string up some litz wire or take a small directional loop and run cw and get the excitement...but in the interim stages, this is a great set...sensitive and simply a great set. 4/7 into Wales at 10W on an offset dipole at 7pm on 40m is as good as you'll get running a kw....A kw!!, it's the mentality which is way past the technical skills of Ham origins of actually building a linear when they were uncommon. It also bred a ham pretentious culture..I have called on a net for hours being over-ridden by massive overpower when the controller is too lazy to listen for low power rigs...Someone says eventually "some guy has been coming back every over since you logged me 2 hours ago..how about giving him a go...ok,"... "huffy" controller "can we back off a minute whos's the VK been calling for 2 hours or so?...ok VK2...take 4/5..thank you...I'm 4/8?? is your beam pointing at me? You are using a diole...ok fine QSL QSL...ok let's get back to it...KW1...The point if it isn't clear is that Ham Radio is dead in the water with kids as young as 7 being licensed,not even having to make a low power set and show they have some ability to become a real ham. It keeps sales of commercial gear up though and provides students for electronics schooling run by the advocates of the "foundatio" licence. Amateurs operating with digital modes and so on is hardly even in the panorama of traditional R but the excuse is "we are experimenting".Really?! Commercialised highpower use is just a glorified CB radio with killer power. Fortunately some diehards trying to hang on to the traditions using hand keyed cw and I am very much appreciative of their work and skills ...Tragically some think AR is using a keyboard to generate cw....I could weep!. We also have computer operation...I'm sorry, for me that's just not Ham Radio...so grab a little 130, run it at 10 watts and get the real joy when someone has enough manners to answer a 3/5 or 3/4 or some fading cw...and not sit there waiting to use their set as a glorified telephone. Did I make a dent? I wonder.
I have been off the air for some years owing to the kw culture and also with US contests spread right across the bands so you can't even use it...and doing what "ok ZL..5/8 Qsl...That's not Ham Radio. It WAS when you could QSL for a puropse and then move away for some CO's or a sked but sometimes now there's just nowhere TO go with highpower rigs, vastly overpowered and dB inefficient controlling all the bands at once. It has one big plus though ...it gives the impression we actually use our bands...and that's essential but it doesn't have to be in huge power. Personally I'd limit Hams to 100Watts so they have to become real hams again, guardians of tradition, experimenters.It's a tragedy that post WW11 Hams didn't demand their bands be enshrined in law...they certainly deserved it as they were the passage to where we are today.
This letter actually IS about the 130...it's the core. I mentioned Sandy Lynch . He wrote to me on 26 November 1991 when after years of hanging around hamshacks and disposals stores I became seriously injured and studied for my licence. I did all three including cw on the one day and highest marks were in the advanced. As VK2GPN I was so excited and went on the air from 10am to 2am on the 11th November 1991 I think it was . The last 2 hours were spent on cw with Sandy. The condiitons were so bad Sandy, an ARRL examiner then in Japan, sent me a long letter and a"First Contact ARRL Certificate, dated 12 Novemeber 1991 for communication under impossible conditions: "in recognition of the courage, perseveranceand tenacity rquired to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds against the establishment of two way communications by Amateur radio.
I was using an icom 735 I think with a V dipole about a meter above a galvanised roof.I later found the RFI was enough to blank my tv when I pressed the key so I felt guilty in case my neighbours were affected but no one complained and I ensured it never happened again. I doubt I was radiating much efffective power but was booming into Japan and Russia all daylight hours.W operators would come back and when I asked, please be patient, this is my first day on the air as a licensed Amatuer they would without exception, not come back. I went from embarrassment to rage and then to tears. Then cme Sandy at about 11.30 pm out of the mess of noise.He saved me!
He wrote to me he didn't understand how I could understand the Japanese address so well on cw..and then made a mistake when IO addressed a letetr to him. Sandy wrote "I can copy 45-50wpm' and then later "During our 1.5 hour QSO it became clear to me you possess rather good skills. Your nervousness subsided(probably from fatigue)..actually I think I was at my best whilst asleep..which I was!!...after 20 minutes or so then your sending and receiving ability came shining through...etc...He wrote about not getting "automatic" after a few hundred QSO's. He wrote that his wife Akiko could no longer read my cw as it was going so fast.
He wrote many things. I used to write letters to him with yarns...all in cw. He was so pleased then to have a child back in USA, then he suddenly died, a young man.
I met all kinds of Hams from post war pilots, great people using old airforce equipment so very well (348's and 1930's panel board transmitters, rrebuilt AR8's and home brew Tx's waiting for a signal from Antarctica on some sked,concentrating for the the signal,suddenly getting a cw at at low headphone level then rising ...Lovely men like Ted Barlow VK2GQ and Terry Thorpe, VK2TT as I recall always gave their time...down to the to the lowest of human beings posing as "Hams" in our primary Ham Radio Society in my first 16 years of life .
Of them all I met, Sandy Lynch was the epitome of Ham radio even though he preferred "powerful modern gear" he reckoned..because as a man he was sensitive, caring, communicative generous and encouraging... and as a Ham, he was still connected to the roots of Amateur Radio tradition. He didn't need a kw signal...he was prepared to hang in with a first day Ham for 1.5 hours in the worst conditions short of bllank-out solar flares. The roots of HR are so very important and I hope that there's a sudden rush on TS130's or other sets which can operate QRP!! My view...don't worry about what the 130 can't do as well as something else or some deficiency which makes it 'less desirable" what it WILL do is wht it's worth buying-for and cherishing. Then work on your antenna. Cheers
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N6MYA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 14, 2011 11:57
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Excellent rig.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The one i have now is my second TS-130S. I wish i had never sold the first one. I spent a few years chasing all of the 'latest and greatest' transceivers from various manufactures with the digital this and the digital that until i happened upon a good deal for another 130. Bought it and put it side by side with one of the last digital rigs i owned. No comparison .... the microprocessor loaded radio could not pull in the weak stations that the 130 could hear. In fact couldn't even hear them or tell that they were even on frequency while the 130 gave me smooth clean audio on a signal that did not even move the S meter. I have built a DDS VFO as a stand in for the companion VFO-120 and now i have the exceptional RX along with zero drift from turn on to shut down.
I will keep this one, i learned my lesson.
'Nuf said.
Cheers and 73.
N6MYA
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N6GEO
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 16, 2010 08:43
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2 yrs later and still good!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Back in May of '08 I wrote a review on a DOA TS-130 I picked up at a swap meet. After replacing the relays and adding filters I placed it "on the shelf" as a backup rig. In the last two years I have used it as a contest rig, most recently the Cal QSO party. I take it when I'm operating remote and don't want to worry about damage. The TS-130 has been very dependable and has a "bullet proof" transmitter as I've had to operate into less than perfect loads. I've also used it for demonstrations to Scouts because it's so intuitive to use. I recommend it as a good backup rig!
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KF7DMY
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 22, 2010 08:04
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Its an old rugged rig.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Its my first HF radio and I think I would not be able to part with it.
Like any old radio it is inferior with its design, performance and features. I bought my TS130s used from a ham who doesn't need it anymore. First problem encountered was the blown lamps. I did replaced them with white LEDs after blowing the lamp replacement so many times. The LEDs enable me to see the meter and dial clearly as my site is poor.
Second problem was the frequency drift. It happened for two months. After settling in the backroom of the house the drift issue slowly faded away and it has been months since that bad experience. It is stable now. Temperature possibly contributed to the freq drift but I also suspect myself tinkering and replacing the pilot lamps might also have something to do with it.
I've made so many QSOs with my TS130S. The radio didn't come with a narrow band filter so my CW QSOs were a little challenging. As a new ham, I was excited enough to experience the world of DX communication. The receiver is sensitive.
The radio becomes hot during long contacts or when I'm engaged into CW ragchewing. It also happens when my SWR is less than perfect. There is an automatic cooling fan that takes care of that.
I really like my TS130S. It will work for you as long as you know how not to abuse it. Its an excellent entry level rig.
Hope my little TS130S review would be an encouragement to the new ham.
73, Al
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GI0LGV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 9, 2010 06:29
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Excellent basic transceiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought mine 10 years ago and don't intend to part with it. I is as good as many modern entry level tx/rx. It frequency drifts for 30 minutes from cold.
Every year I spray switch cleaner on the band-change switch contacts, also into the front panel control pots. Use cleaner that leaves a trace of light oil.
Also it is good to tighten down the screws that hold down the circuit boards.
Check that the cooling fan hasn't unplugged.
It is sturdily built and the PA is pretty bomb proof.
It is nearly 30 years old, so there will be some that have been badly treated or badly stored.
If you find a good one you will not regret buying.
The controls are well set out and it is easy to operate. I use mine most days, mostly to listen around the bands.
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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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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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