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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-430S.
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KC6O
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 25, 2009 14:49
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Right Alongside The TS-520S
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Just a sweet little rig. Does everything nicely. Not a TS-950, neither is it in the same price range.
Smooth, warm sounding rig with a friendly and easy to use face.
Loved mine. Miss it. Used to have it alongside the 520 and it was in use more often than was the beloved 520.
Also, I wanted to offset the moronic 0/5 and 1/5 erroneous ratings.
73
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2E0XOM
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 22, 2009 19:04
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nice old skool set
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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simple to use just the radio for a started radio for hf
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W4VFZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 9, 2009 15:40
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Third Kenwood TS series I've purchased.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Having previously bought two TS120S transceivers for fellow hams, I wanted one for my motor coach. I recently paid $330 for one in excellent condition (minus FM board) with power supply. This model will receive from 150 kHz. to 30 mHz., so its also good for SWLs.
The Kenwood TS series are easy to operate, and amazingly easy to work on. Documentation is readibly available on the Internet. When buying, just be sure if it has the 10 meter FM board, and what filters are included.
One of the Kenwoods I bought was a basket case, but it was so easy to work on, that I had it back to factory condition in short order. I'm looking forward to using the TS430S both barefoot and to drive my Clipperton Linear.
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NZ0T
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 26, 2009 16:02
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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 given to me with blown finals. After a bit of a struggle I ended up putting new finals in and it works very well. I'm using it as a back up for my K3 and while it's certainly not close to the K3 in terms of performance it does an adequate job especially considering the age of the rig. I also had a very nice TS-830S but chose the the 430 as my backup mostly because it's easier to use than the 830. The 830 has moved on to another owner now and the 430 sits proudly next to the K3.
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CA2VMP
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 1, 2009 19:13
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Superb HF Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've bought it about 3 months ago ,used , the receiver is pretty good compared to my TS-50 , very impressive audio , When you talk you get TRUE 100 watts PEAK Not 75 like in other radios , AM reception is very muddy ,like someone talking on a can , it can be corrected by turning the RIT to get a better audio on AM , The receiver works well out of band , it a very fun Radio to operate mobile, or camping portable , field tested a month ago. Great value for the price, Not a good starter rig, cause its a bit complicated , But i gave a five to it for STABILITY, POWER , And a Superb receiver Very quiet when you ground the chassis.
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KC2QYM
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 26, 2009 10:22
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For what it is it works fine
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The 430 I have was a gift from a local senior center HAM radio club as it was surplus to them. Therfore I can't comment on cost vs. performance; only on performance. Without any problems at all I have worked Africa and Europe. Mated with a hand me down Turner 251 microphone I have received endless Great sugnal/audio reports. OK the AM reception is muddy and I have to use an external SWR meter but this thing just keeps on ticking and she puts out just fine. The receive on SSB is great as mated with an old 12" speaker. Kenwood is to be commended for a simple to use die hard rig that I have have not one problem with.
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WA8MEA
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Rating: 3/5
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Feb 25, 2009 09:14
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Have had better....
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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For the age of this unit, I have had better results with numerous other rigs from the same era. My Icom IC-745 keeps plowing along.
However, this quirk with the PC board around the final amp transistors is a pain to deal with. I bought the unit in mint shape from "The Ham Station" in Evansville, IN for a song. Worked good for a couple of months and then the reports of audio distortion started happening, along with varying output and erratic ALC levels. (Like the X-Box "Ring of Death". You know exactly what the issue is and it makes you mad....)
If you are looking for a $300 to $400 used rig, look for other rigs that don't have this quirk. There are plenty of them out there.
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26TM119
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 26, 2008 00:49
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IT,S A KEEPER
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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i have had my ts-430 now for 3 years,chance purchase on evil-bay after reading reviews on here.well they were right it,s a cracker,i have the narrow ssb and uprated am filters installed and the variable power mod so i can run neighbour friendly outputs.easy controls and a good speech processor/mike combo(astatic teardrop)it really booms out.i intend to keep this one!
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N3HAM
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 13, 2008 09:23
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Never Tire of Running It
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I think it's about time I wrote a review. If an inanimate object could be one of your best friends, then this is one of mine. I have tons of QSOs mostly CW with this rig since first aquiring it used back in '89 when I finally got my ticket. It's been a workhorse with not much of a problem except for the intermittant PA problem which was fixed after watching N4DA's maintainence video. After a botched AM filter install (by me), I had to get it repaired (N4DA). It's back and working fine now. AM receive now is crisp. It always seemed immune to the RF interference that surrounds me. Thats more than I can say of my FT990. I just bought my elmer's 430, he moved 'up' to a 450. Yes I have two other make rigs with menus that are nice in their features, but I'm reading about some of the not so user friendly menus in the newest rigs. Not for me or my style of operating. I don't think I'm making a mistake owning two of these.
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WA4UF
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 1, 2008 07:32
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Good second/portable rig
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I was looking for a second HF rig for portable/vacation use, as my TS-830s is a bit cumbersome to pack on long trips. I was tired of pulling the FT-100 out the car. The target rig was the Elecraft K2, but it's too rich for my hobby budget. After reading a slew of reviews I set my sights on the TS-430s. There were several TS-430s offered at the 2007 Orlando hamfest; I bought one in ok cosmetic shape at a good price that included the matching power supply. When I cracked it open to install a narrow sideband filter I discovered that it also had the FM board. Sweet!
I take the 430 with me when I'm traveling, along with an MFJ tuner and a twinlead-fed 40m dipole. It does the job very nicely; it works as well and sounds about as good as my 830, and only takes up half the space in the trunk. It's very easy to move from one Kenwood to the other, as the controls and capabilities are about the same. The 1.8KHz sideband filter, combined with the notch and IF shift, made the 430s much nicer to use for Field Day than the FT-100, especially in the feeding frenzy on 20m.
I strongly recommend picking up a TS-430s if you're in the market for a solid used rig for portable use, or if you haven't that much real estate for a ham shack at home. I'm even toying with picking up another one to put in my car in place of the FT-100.
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