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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-50S.
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AG6RN
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 10, 2013 12:35
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Can't be beat for the money
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I picked up a TS 50 with the matching AT 50 tuner this past summer for $500 from a friend. I got it right when 10 meters was opening up and worked the world from a 10M ham stick on my Chevy Avalanche. Europe, Asia, even broke through pile ups on some rare stations (calling out mobile after your call sign helps).
Large easy to read display, even with the sun on it, no need to go into menus once operating, and 100 watts out on 160-10 makes it the perfect mobile rig for me. I also love that when changing functions, it gives an audible cue in CW so that you don't have to check the display
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KG4FET
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 11, 2012 04:47
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Great bare bones HF rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This was purchased to keep from using my FT450AT in the mobile. The 450 is just to big for comfortable operation in our Tuscan. For a bare bones HF radio this is one heck of a rig. I haven't had it but a few days but initial impressions are the receiver is nearly as good as my FT450AT with all the "toys". Transmit audio is very good on the stock mic. Everyone I have talked to has told me it sounds like me. It is a nice compact radio for mobile operation and with the quick release MMB it's easy to pull in and out of the mobile. I don't run hf mobile often so it doesn't stay in there. With the AT50 this is a very good base/portable too. On the bench with a Mystery hooked up the AT50 has tuned 160-10 with no balks except 15M before I hooked a ground up.
Cons: No extra filtering, added a Autek QF1A on the bench and BIG improvement.
You can wire and after market mic but you will loose a bunch of functions
over all this is a great first rig, or as a backup. It has been used more then my 450 the last few days because of the AT and the ease of use. If you have a chance to get one do so!
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KJ6ELV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 28, 2012 15:17
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Love this radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Got this as a first HF rig for about $300 after I became licensed, all I can say is that I love it! It is small and has all the features you need.
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KD5TXX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 9, 2012 20:10
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great rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned multiple ts50s. I always come back. Just an all around great hf rig. Tough built and sounds great. Just last week had it running off a condo balcony and worked all over. Easy to use. Cant say enough about it. I prefer it over my.706 and 857. It is that good.
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MW1CFN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 8, 2012 09:43
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Outstanding Rig!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought a lightly-used second-hand TS-50 off ebay for £270 to see if I really would enjoy amateur radio, having never transmitted in over 15 years of holding a licence.
This box of tricks has worked the globe with only delta loops or verticals in a few months of operating, only once got a not-so-good audio report and then from a very elderly gentleman who confessed to having a broken antenna!
If I could get my hands on a shelf full of TS-50s to keep me going for the next 50 years, I would gladly snap them up! True, no bells and whistles, but most of those are just justifications for keeping the prices up!
The only bad point with mine is the tuning doesn't respond to fast/slow hand inputs, so I just use 'scan' in combination with the tuning wheel to achieve the same.
They call it a living legend, and that's what it is.
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KA3ZHX
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 31, 2012 21:27
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An excellent radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have had this radio for 90 days now...using it everyday...I have worked SA and Eur on a dipole with no issue during contests on SSB. I get excellent audio reports on both AM and SSB. For my application, rag chewing it is an excellent product.
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K6SDW
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 16, 2012 15:00
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Like a tank
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I just replaced the internal backup battery in this rig, a 5-min job.
TS-50 is a tank, built solid and a bit heavy.
By today's standards for HF rigs, this is a very basic radio, no DSP or bells and whistles which makes it perfect for my needs as an HF rig in our truck for camping.
Two cons: No built-in keyer for CW and the receiver is definitely "noisier" than the new stuff out there.
I paid $350 for a clean one and it came with the much desired YK-107c CW filter which is no longer in production and damn expensive now!!
Cheers all!
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VU2OB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 3, 2012 09:29
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Excellent
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Very compact and useful for field days and travel. I am using it with a LDG Z-Plus tuner on all bands.
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G7TOK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 1, 2011 07:43
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Peerless
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Within the last 10 years I have owned several Kenwood TS-50S transceivers, varying from rough, scratched ex-cb owner examples to pristine boxed examples that have only seen light use.
All of them have one thing in common, they have been faultless in operation.
A good example can be picked up for as little as £200 in the U.K. but more often than not you will have to pay £250 or so for a boxed example.
The unit is compact but re-assuringly heavy, the build quality inpires confidence.
There is little in the way of rear ports or expandability, but this belies it's mobile purpose.
The multifunction microphone is a delight, the four programmable buttons are a godsend.
I have them set up for power level, A/B VFO, VFO/MEM and mode.
At 100w the fan is quiet and triggered only by heat.
Down to the nitty gritty.
The receiver will not win competitions, it's not greatly sensitive, nor will it enjoy 40m after dark in Europe either, close in, there is a noticeable level of intermodulation, with the noise blanker adding to the racket.
However, for the price, little else comes close.
Judicious use of the AIP and ATT functions removes all but the worst effects.
For similar money you can pick up the elderly FT-840 or the Alinco DX-70TH, neither are really as good in receive or build quality respectively.
Transmit audio is punchy but economic, I've never heard a bad report, even on the standard mic, no real need for either a desk mic or any outboard gear here, nor is there any speech processing or compression built in. It simply isn't needed.
Considering that some quarters are paying more than £250 for mono-band 10m sets for their nefarious reasons, you wonder why they would, when the abilty of this radio for the price knocks the pretenders into a cocked-hat !
In summary, at this price, it's peerless.
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ZS6DJD
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 3, 2011 15:14
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An outstanding radio. A living legend.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Best decision I made to buy a TS 50. This radio is so good I do not know where to start. I joined ham radio five years ago needed a good radio to work DX. But my money went bad So I got a second hand TS 50 and never looked back. In five years I have worked thousands of DX stations from S Africa. The radio has been rock solid reliable and a fantastic recieve I hear,work stations others miss It recieves better than Icom 7800. But this radio works better with external speaker. And it will work with any mike.
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