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| Reviews Summary for Kenwood TS-700 |
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Reviews: 16
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Average rating: 4.1/5
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MSRP: $799
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Description: Mid-70s 2m multi-mode transceiver, 10W on TX. Completely analogue (although the S model did sport a digital display), one of the choice 2m rigs of its day.
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KA2AYR
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 15, 2007 17:38
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Would have loved this in 1978
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love weak signal work, so when I saw a TS-700A at an estate sale a few years ago, I bought it on sight. The only things that came with it are the power cord and a CB mic wired to an appropriate connector. I didn't have a manual, but found a PDF of one on the internet.
Initial impressions: 10 W is pretty weak. I guess back in the day, it was state of the art. Looking back at my old KDK, that was on the light side, too. Receiver sensitivity is not as good as modern radios. There is a multi-contact relay inside that has oxidized and I can't get at it to burnish it. Some of the pots are also dirty. These lead to some intermittent operation. The frequency is a little off from the dial.
Renovation: Using a service monitor and the manual I found, I attempted to realign the radio as best I could. It's better than it was before, but requires "calibration" when switching from band to band. I added a GaAs FET preamp to bring the receive up. I also added a Comm Spec 64 tone encoder. I have not addressed the relay. I doubt I will find an exact one and I don't think they are available anymore. One of these days, I'll replace the pots.
Summary: This radio was popular when I first got my license and I remember my Elmer having one. He did everything he could to point me toward HF and even called me names when I told him I was interested in VHF/ UHF stuff. Nonetheless, I thought it was slick. It is not a modern radio, and unless you know what it is, and what it's limitations are given the performance of today's stuff, you'd probably be disappointed. I've made a few contacts with it, but I need to underline few. On several occasions, I was told my audio was absent (on FM), but it came back after tapping on the relay. It's not as reliable as I'd like it to be, but that's the radio's age, condition and my stalled restoration attempt. If you do see one that was taken care of, and you can appreciate this vintage of equipment, it may perform well for you with some updates and perhaps an outboard amplifier/ preamp. I do not recommend this as a beginner's radio or an entry into weak signal work.
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KA4KOE
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Rating: 5/5
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May 7, 2007 10:23
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Still like it
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Used it on a KMA50500 LPDA on an opening recently. The rig does quite well and seems to have adequate sensitiviy. When you plug the antenna in the noise increases, which is what it is supposed to be if your receiver is good.
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W4VD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 8, 2007 07:30
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Great Classic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had a couple of these babies, they are still fairly common on the used market for 150-200 bucks,
Worked 38 states and 2 EME QSO's with W5UN on mine with a AM-6154 and ARR gaasfet preamp.
Wouldn't mind having another....
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KA4KOE
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 6, 2006 19:00
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Great for what you get
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Paid 100 bux for this little rig to match its brother, a TS-600. Worked only repeaters so far, but need to get up a decent antenna for 2 meters.
These little rigs are about 30 years old and built like a tank. Gotta love these little boatanchors.
PHILIP
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G8KHS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 7, 2006 04:11
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Classic SSB Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own a few examples of the TS700, and always have one tuned into the ssb end of the band. I never use fm with it, so pl tones are not my concern. Overall it's a well engineered tough mono-bander that's a pleasure to use, and great as an exciter for 23cms ssb.
A 100% Gold Classic, one of Trio-Kenwoods finest.
73 John
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VK4KVK
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 8, 2006 02:48
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Reliable in the LONG term
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hello,
I purchased a TS700s in 1978. It was the bees-knees back then. Itr cots me somehting like Oz$800.
I still use it today. It sits on a busy local repeater 24/7. It has never played up, it has never let me down, it has never been serviced (it hasnt needed it).
Sure - it may not be technologically fancy as my ft847, it may not be as good even as my ft100,(or any of the icom of kenwood gear) but how many rigs can we buy today and expect them to last trouble-free for 28+ years.
Every time I key the mike, this rig performs and noone has ever had a less than nice word to say about the modulation quality.
We can all only wish that other 'newer' rigs ar emade with the same quality and longevity as the TS700.
How long owned: 28 years. I havnt met anyone who has had one longer.
Great classic old FM/multi-mode rig!!
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SM5SRR
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 23, 2006 11:23
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A TANK
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned 3 of these rigs. I had the last one for 15 years and sold it recently. Positives: solidly built and you can repair it yourself. Negatives: no PL, no DTMF tones, "only" 10 Watt and needs a good preamp on reception. When it came out, this rig was top of the notch, but by todays standards, it's obsolete. For beginners on a low budget: go for it. I had a lot of fun with mine!
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K7UA
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 29, 2005 14:01
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Good old rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had one of these in the 1980s that I used on SSB, CW and FM. I worked a lot of 2m to 10m Oscar stuff and had a lot of fun with the TS700A. On FM the receiver was not as good as other FM radios that I had, but it was not bad. I used it with a 160 watt amp, a 8 element Hygain beam at 50 feet and it got out very well on 2m simplex. The original did not have repeater offsets for the lower part of the band. I got a kit from Kenwood to change that. It was a pain to install, but it did work.
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W1WAB
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Rating: 3/5
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May 1, 2005 09:23
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Beware of old caps
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Have owned the TS-700a about 10 months. Purchased used from eBay, the rig has truly great receive - and I get good reports on air.
No PL tone capability and no repeater offset for 144-145. Some drift in TX/RX frequencies, but adjustable using RIT. Only 10 watts -- needs a good antenna (I have a beam) and/or an amp for any type of distance work over 10 miles.
The technology used does cause a problem however. The paper caps soak up humidity (I'm in FL) and causes the power supply to shut down frequently. There are a lot to replace .. and probably would cost me more than the price I paid for the rig.
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VK5KEE
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 29, 2005 06:02
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Stable Rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is a rig I picked up from a local amateur for a reasonable price. The thing that inspired me to this purchase was the all mode capability. Unfortunately I have not used any other mode than FM on this rig. A small function I like about this rig is the meter centre function, in which I can calibrate the VFO to our local repeater.
The only issue I have had with this rig is its output is heavily bassy. This may be due that it is overdue for a general tune-up (as this rig has been sitting dormant for 2-3 yrs) although the solution has been to install a capacitor in line with the microphone. This has helped matters immensly, as I am starting to sound more legible. Finding the right capacitance is a trial and error task.
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