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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-850.
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N4GW
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 23, 2008 05:26
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Very Fine Rig
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I picked one of these up on eBay. It was in Mint condition. The guy bought it new hoping to get interested in HF and never did, so never used it. When I got it, it looked brand new. I have not been dissapointed in this radio. It has fantastic receive and transmit audio. And it is a very quiet radio. Great analog sound. No DSP to give you that digital sound. Even though it has no DSP, it has a lot of QRM fighting features. The filters in it work great, and I have added additional filters. The slope features really helps trim out nearby signals, and the NB (with a simple mod) works really well. I liked this radio so much, that I shopped around and bought a second one in excellent condition. What a joy to use, and they look great too! These will be in shack for a long time to come
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N8NSN
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 19, 2008 18:36
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Watch the serial numbers
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The "5" rating has a big "IF"...
I happen to absolutely love the TS850S/AT Got one used in 1999 for about $800. This is a very easy to service radio, fortunately.
OK, I got one in the 20 million serial number series. That alone should speak volumes to a lot of TS850S service gurus. It is a fact that Kenwood had quite a bit of problems with their parts suppliers during a range of serial numbers that the 20 million series falls in to. What the range of the "bad" lot is; I do not know.
It seems that EVERY problem that the 850 is inherent to having has been experienced by the particular one here. DDS chips, DC to DC board (with the caps in backwards ! from the factory), poor NB circuits (modifiable) and of course C18 on the display board. The PLL went south on this one too. But that may have been a static hit from a near by lightning strike (I'm not absolutely certain on that one). Hopefully she won't keep breaking down on me. As far as I know, the typical problems of the 850 have all been sorted out with this one. Needless to say, I now know the 850 very intimately.
As good as it performs when it hasn't been on the work bench; I would venture to say that it has been worth the effort to keep this one running. It's a real performer.
Stay away from the MC-60A mic for the TS 850. It , for one reason or another, has not been a very good "match" for this radio. An inexpensive studio microphone is the way to go. Make sure it is about 500 ohms and has a frequency responce of about 50 Hz to 15 kHz and you'll be batting in good order.
Great radio IF you stay in the "good" serial number ranges.
Funny thing about Kenwood... "They" never have owned up to the fact that they sold a good many of the "bad" lot of the TS850. Kenwood offered no support what so ever in my particular situation. Such is life.
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N4WFK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 16, 2008 20:38
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Excellent radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have had 4 of these radios over the years and currently own one of the last ones manufactured. I will not be letting go of the one I have now. I think we all have our favorite brands. For me, the Kenwood label has more of my favorite radios than any other brand, although I do have some picks from the Icom, Yaesu and Ten Tec lines. Of the Kenwoods, I currently own the 520, 830S, 930S, 850SAT and TS-50S. I am the second owner of the 850SAT that I own now. Because I wanted a DC powered radio which looked good on the desk, and because I had owned 3 of them in the past, I went looking for one and got lucky enough to find a decent one on Ebay a few months ago. (Price paid at the time was $800). That was a bit on the high side but I feel I got a good one. I use it along side my 930S. If you are reading this, you are probably comparing the 850 to some other radios. My 930 is probably the most refined rig of the Kenwood bunch, although at this point the 930 is pretty old. Still, if you search the reviews on the 930, you will find that a lot of hams prefer the 930 over a lot of the newer rigs. But, this review should be about the 850. The receiver on the 850 is on par with or at least close to the 930, although the 930 is a tad more refined. If wanting a DC powered rig or possibly a little less problematic rig, go with the 850. The 850 has a much smoother automatic antenna tuner and does a better job of matching antennas though. The controls are all logically placed where they should be, from a Kenwood guy's perspective. The feel of the tuning knob is smooth and precise. The fit, finish and quality of the rig has never been a dissappointment. It has all the modes and features that you basically need and more. One thing I have always liked about some of the Kenwood units was the slope tune setup. My 930 uses the same setup and both function comparably. My other 850's saw quite a few hours of rag chewing, usually used about 4-5 hours a night, at least on receive. Never a problem, at least with the 4 I have owned. I am not into CW as much as I used to be but when I was, the 850's keyer worked great. Of the 4 that I have owned, I have always gotten great signal and audio reports on all of them. I think we all can get carried away with splitting hairs when it comes to specs and features. I am more of a rag chewer and "all evening listener", therefore I am reviewing the radio as such. I typically touch the power button, band switch, volume knob, VFO and occasionally the slope tune controls during operation. From that perspective, my favorite two rigs are the 850 and the 930. I think a lot of other guys have delved deeper into some of the technical aspects of the 850's but I will simply give it a solid 5 and say that mine have all been great radios. I love mine and won't let this one go. Also, if you are reading up on the 850, my advice is to read all the reviews, not just the first few. Eham is a great resource and has really helped make some good decisions on radio purchases. Good luck with yours and 73's.
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M0HEM
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 14, 2008 02:37
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exellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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http://flickr.com/photos/m0hem/tags/radio/ is till have the radio 2day not willing to sell it love it 2 bits
73 jon m0hem
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UT0IG
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 14, 2008 02:05
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Trouble-free as AK-47 :)
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The excellent receiver, the good dynamic range, convenient ergonomics. Up to TS-850 I used IC-756. I have changed him and I do not regret. TS-850 - Russian AK-47 among transceivers of the class!:)
If you have superfluous money - spend them for good antennas! And in a complex with TS-850 it will be simply magnificent.
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MM3XXW
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 08:53
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Just excellent
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The most effective radio I've had the pleasure of using to date.
Outstanding audio reports from the stock mic, hears things my 990 doesn't with the same antenna!
Won't repeat all the info contained in the reviews of this radio, cos they're all spot on, simply to add if you get the chance to pick one up you WILL NOT be disappointed at all.
Simple, intuative and so easy to use.
Just a great radio can't say more than what's been stated previously.
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KB3LAZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 13, 2008 00:38
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Sad to see It go
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Let me start off by saying Im not a big kenwood fan, however this radio was amazing. I got mine a a really nice price (500$). The radio was as close to new as they come. It had cw and ssb filters in it which were impressive. I didnt have it very long as I decided to downsize my shack. Also sold many other rigs with the intent of buying a new Ten Tec and a pro3. All in all I really miss my 850 :(. Give the chance to do it over I would have keep her she was an awesome rig. Does it compare to all of these new 3k$+ rigs heck no. But with the DSP 100 and a little audio gear its a superb radio.
I would definitely suggest buying one if you can come across a nice one reasonably priced.
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VE3TMT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 15, 2008 12:43
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Still one of the best!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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With all the current reviews on the FT950 and FT2000 not really praising those models, perhaps it is time to go back a little. I do not consider the TS850 to even be in the same league as the Yaesu models, but for what it does do, it does it well.
One of the highest rated receivers ever to be tested in the ARRL labs, no complicated menus to navigate, and that renowned Kenwood audio make the TS850 one of the best used radios on the market. Split frequency is easy. Set VFO B to your TX freq, and hit the split button, couldn't be simpler. I wouldn't waste money on a narrow SSB filter as the IF SLOPE tuning does an adequate job for casual SSB operations. Invest in a set of CW filters and you will have one great radio for CW, PSK and RTTY work. My 850 is used for all the RTTY contests and it will put out 100w all day long without breaking a sweat.
I have fitted mine with an internal RS232/TTL converter so it is a simple matter of hooking up a serial cable to run it from the computer. Try to get one in the 40 million serial range or higher, it will have the new DDS chips in it. The early units were prone to failure.
Keep in mind these radios were discontinued in 1996 so there are bound to be some beaters out there. But if you can find a late model unit in good condition I guarantee it won't be going back to the dealer for a refund or showing up on a swap listing two months after you buy it.
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N7IBC
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 6, 2007 15:35
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Great radio!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had one of these in about "95". Got foolish and bought an FT-990 and sold the 850.
Good radio, but not like the TS-850.I now have another, and find it great for SSB,especially as it has all the filters it can hold, and as I added a Clearspeech DSP speaker to it.I am ashamed to say that my ProII is now relegated to digital modes and SWL,but,with the filtering and DSP, it does real well there.
I like the 850 rxcvr as it pulls things out of the depths, that are hard to hear even on the ProII.
It has all the updates and will probably last a long time. I would encourage anyone looking for a little older rig, if they can find one of these, to get it and with the filters, it makes a wonderful backup rig or front line rig.
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N0XAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 6, 2007 12:53
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Worthy replacement for my 930
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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When my TS-930 bit the dust again, I decided to try something newer. I picked up a TS-850SAT for considerably less than they're going for on eBay, even with the matching SP-31. Had to fix a minor ALC issue ($10 part and $11 shipping from Pac Parts) and a bad 7404 on the digital board, which only affects the serial interface. The rig is very nice, especially once the filters are in place! The receiver is almost as good as the '930. I'm not a fan of the RIT/XIT setup, but I can live with it. Everything else is pretty darned good for a rig of this vintage. Serial control is a snap, used it to test out my snazzy new USB interface (www.HamGadgets.com). Operation is smooth and pretty much intuitive, and the internal tuner is fast & quiet.
Pros: Great receiver, great audio, pretty smooth break-in, good controls for the most part, clear display. CW-R and IF SHIFT really help work around QRM. Lots of memories. Good filter selection.
Cons: RIT/XIT could be better (there's no CLEAR button!). Had to mod the noise blanker (easy). I miss the '930's VBT. DRU-2 is pretty much impossible to find. Doesn't make coffee for me, I have to go get it myself.
Overall, I like this rig so far about as well as any I have used. The price is certainly right! And having done two mods and one repair, I can say the rig is pretty easy to service.
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