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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-570D(G).
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26JLH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 19, 2009 18:51
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very very good audio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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got this kenwood 570d today and all have said what have you done its the best ive heard you.i must say this one was boxed with the cellophane protector still in place over front panel.i like the dial it is big and easy to see,its easy to setup as the menus are logical most settings can be done from front of set.it is very well made like a ham radio should be, not like some of the guff out there. i like icom and kenwood other radios are just pants as far as i can see they just look cheep and nasty and sound bad. kenwoods are well priced,beware of expensive imatations a lot of rig for a little monney is the 570 d the best out there used pure and simple ...jeff M6-GLH ..
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PA3CRC
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Rating: 3/5
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May 16, 2009 13:56
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nice SSB, poor CW
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Got one since 2001. I agree with many of the reviews, but want to make an amendment if it comes to CW.
The set is OK for SSB, but poor on CW reception, even with the IF filter installed. (and without that filter the set is even worthless on CW)
Those "toys" like the CW Autotune is not really necessary: it does not make it a CW set.
My QSO´s are 50% CW, 50% SSB, mostly 80m and 40m.
For SSB the set is fine, the receiver performs nicely and audio quality is good.It is a very sturdy chassis, I carry it around every holiday (camping in a tent) and it always worked well.
But on CW you get intermod in the receiver´s AF-section (or DSP?), which can get very annoying if there are two strong CW stns in the IF passband, even with the CW filter selected. This produces intermod products that sound like beeps switching on and off ("on" when both carriers are on)
I´ve got home brew rigs that perform much, much better on CW. (and yeah, I know, those do not have all the nice convenient uP-based features a TS570 has)
The ear is much more sensitive to those intermods in CW mode than it is while receiving speech. With speech, the intermod products are "hidden" in the 300....3000Hz speech spectrum while with CW these products really stand out.
The problem is that for good CW you need dynamic range right up to the headphones and not only up to the IF filter (which is OK for SSB). On 40 and 80, the change getting more signals within the IF passband id big, even with a narrow filter.
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K3RAP
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 7, 2009 14:50
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Good Overall - Some Flaws
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Overall, it's a pretty good rig. As new, it had a lot of features for the price. It's been discontinued and is now only available used. From the used prices I've seen, it's still a pretty good value. I've had mine since 2001 and use it almost daily. It has never failed. The multi/ch control has gotten a little jumpy requiring the contacts to be cleaned. This is fairly easy to do and is documented several places on-line. I use the radio on SSB, CW, digital (psk31, rtty) and occasionally on FM and AM. The mod for MARS or 60M use is simple.
I regularly get unsolicited "very good audio" reports using only the radio and a decent microphone (Heil Gold line or BM-10 head set). The internal tuner works great (but will not work on 60M). The AF DSP works fine under certain circumstances. When I'm jawing on 75M ssb, and it's crowded, I can eliminate QRM from the side very effectively. This works only if the signals you are trying to receive are strong. The CW auto tune works well. Noise reduction NR2 works well on CW. The Inrad 400Hz filter works great. If you plan on working CW, a CW filter makes a huge difference and is pretty much required. Also, if you have the CW filter installed, but tell the radio it's a ssb filter, it works great for psk31. The radio has three CW memories that come in handy. The NR1 noise reduction on ssb is OK (I leave is set around level 7). I don't recommend the auto setting as it makes the receive warble. The NB works OK for certain types of noise. The beat cancel feature eliminates the annoying tuner-upper on ssb, but the AGC will still pump away on the signal if it's strong. The rig runs very quiet. The cooling fan works on a thermostat and comes on very rarely. You have to run the rig full out, high duty cycle, for quite a while to get it to kick on, and even then, it's pretty quiet. It has two antenna connections which can be useful.
It has some issues however, that others have mentioned. There is no way to turn off the AGC. It will act on an adjacent signal and wipes out the receive. This happens when you are trying to work a weak one and some big signal is within the IF band pass. There is nothing the AF DSP will do about that. One mechanical filter slot!?!? Why? It can't be that costly. The Inrad 400Hz filter is super. So is their 1.8kHz ssb filter, but you can only have one in at a time. If you are like me, and work both CW and SSB, I think the CW filter is a better choice. The CW keyer, at times, mal-functions and sends out an extra character. Also, more than once I've been poking around in a menu and somehow invoked the memory keyer to start sending, which is just bizarre. There are two antenna ports, but you can't have them switch for TX vs. RX. It would be nice to have the radio automatically switch for a receive antenna. I know it's not a "high end" radio, but I would expect AGC off, and two mechanical filter slots in any modern era HF rig.
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N5IVZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 23, 2009 16:34
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Back to Top Form!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Had my 570DG sent to the shop for a receiver intemittent problem and it was solved quickly by Clif at Avvid near Dallas.( a loose wire )
I heard and worked DX today!!
And working the locals here in North America is a breeze again running 40 watts input to a buddipole "hidden" in my lemon tree.
I am a happy camper again...
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K4LVR
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 5, 2009 19:41
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Great features, great value, fixable Receiver
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I recently sold off my venerable 22 year old secondary rig, a Kenwood TS430S and replaced it with this rig. I wanted to get a more modern radio with computer controllability so as to be able to attempt SO2R in contests, and to lighten the load for portable ops, something with a built in tuner and keyer.
My primary radio is another old warrior, a fully InRad equipped Kenwood TS-850S/AT. The ‘570’s operational controls and features closely match the ‘850’s. There is almost no learning curve in the transition. Most of the controls are very similar if not identical. Even most of the function buttons and knobs are in the same place and are labeled the same.
Make no mistake about it; you really CAN feel the difference two thousand dollars make in the controls… However, the 570 has excellent build quality, great styling and is packed with big-radio features like fairly decent QSK, RX and TX audio equalization and “CW Auto-Tune”, among others, that are rare for this price range. If you’re just starting out in HF, it will train you right.
The biggest issue with the TS-570D(G) is the receiver. While it has a very pleasing sound and features both IF shift and Slope Tuning like its Uncle, the TS-950SDX (in this rig, its implemented in “steps” digitally via the AF DSP system) the receiver, in factory stock form, is W-I-D-E. I was warned about this, and those who warned me weren’t kidding.
The biggest problem is that the AGC loop grabs signals in the wide passband and pumps away like crazy. There is nothing the AF DSP can do about this. But this can be minimized with a narrower filter for the I-F.
Another issue is that the rig’s architecture forces you to make a decision… Will you optimize the receiver for SSB or for CW? Why do you have to decide? There is only ONE filter position for a narrow filter!
So, if you own one, or are thinking of getting one, the FIRST thing you should do immediately after you fork over the money is decide on what mode you will optimize and immediately order a narrow filter! This will literally yield quantum leaps in the usability of this radio in a crowded band.
I made the choice to optimize for CW and purchased an InRad #103 400Hz CW filter. This simple to do addition will yield a pretty well behaved, clean and selective receiver, letting you slug it out in crowded DX piles and the occasional contest with confidence.
Although the difference is less pronounced in SSB, I plugged in an InRad 1.8kHz SSB filter from my TS-850’s deck (they are completely interchangeable) and the receiver became much better behaved in SSB mode as well.
With these narrower than stock filters, and in conjunction with the built in AF-DSP, the radio will hold its own and even surpass most in its price range. And the world renowned Kenwood transmit audio quality is built in.
There are LOTS of these rigs out there, and the price is quite reasonable. This rig offers a great value for casual operators as is, is a great second radio for existing Kenwood owners and can become a super starter radio for Rookie Contest Operators. The Big Rig features are all there, and with the addition of a simple, relatively inexpensive, additional filter, you will end up with a solid rig that will serve you for years to come.
Lu-W4LT
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K0PIR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 3, 2009 03:28
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Outstanding Audio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned mine for years and always get great unsolicited audio reports.
The only cons I have are the filters, ie. only one filter bank and the receiver occasionally drops after unkeying when using an amp on SSB. That has to do with the relay I'm told.
Great radio and great price.
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DL7ISA
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Rating: 0/5
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Nov 18, 2008 09:51
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Useless
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The TS-570DG I had, had the serial number 20400158. The Transmitt Audio was bad, that gave me a hard time and I tried many Mics. The DSP produced only Distortions. When the warranty time was almost over, the Finals blew. Glad I got rid of it.
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W6NFL
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 4, 2008 13:59
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Nice rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own both The Kenwood TS-570DG and an Icom 756PROIII. A gentleman a couple of posts back mentions he can hear weak cw signals better on the 570. Well that is certainly not the case with me. The digital IF filtering on my PROIII enables me to hear a better on it vs the 570 which btw does not have digital IF filtering. Its dsp is only in the AF. The 570DG stands tall in its price range but please dont try to compare it to the PROIII. The 570DG is no longer in production but the Kenwood 480sat is and i also give high praise for it and own one of those too. Its every bit as capable as the 570 imho.
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W3NRL
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 3, 2008 20:35
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My Little work horse
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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What can i say that the previous reviews haven't said, I am not going to compare this to my
FT-2000 or my Icom 756 PRO, or TS -2000 or TenTec jupiter or any other rig i have in my shack no this is my fun radio and my work horse i have my TS-570D(G) on 24 hours and worked the world. Yes i know the NB does very little if any thing but my other rigs NB does about the same.... i use my TS-570D(G) on digital mode, am, CW, SSB i enjoy working the world with my little work horse.
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K4ZMI
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 3, 2008 20:06
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compared to the ic756pro3
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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With the 270hz filter turned on in the menu, dsp on 200, noise reduction on 2. during high atmospheric noise,my little kenwood pulls out weak cw signals better than my ic756pro3.
during these high noise periods, the icom has pops and clicks when using the noise reduction. the pops coincide with the peak static crashes and the s meter shows jumps with the peak crashes. my kenwood does not have these problems.
I've posted this same comparison in the ic756pro3 section and have practically been told that I don't know what I am talking about. cmon guys n gals, just because you spend 3 grand for a radio doesn't mean it has no faults. is it being proud of the money or the radio?
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