|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
You can
write your own review of the Kenwood TS-520.
|
VE7AZC
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Dec 28, 2007 08:28
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Still blows smoke ... yeah!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
What can I say that dozens haven't already said? This oldie is still a goodie. Weighs a ton a drives the stink outta the SB220 all day long. I use an HC-5 or an M57 mike and the others say it's sharp sounding.
Does it drift a bit? Of course .. but that's part of the fun.
When it's "off the bench" I tilt it on it's side , put a little pillow on it and and use it as a chair. Try that with your IC-7800. Ha!
Is it noisy ... yup! No DSP, very little filtering ... about 15KC's of selectivity. Yowsa!
Is it fun ... ooooooooh yeah! I love talking to the hyper rice burner stations that have $12K radios and automatic adjusting yagis and sound processing and $350 microphones. (why didn't they just buy a cel phone?) They sound great on my 2.3kc bandpass. I enjoy the money they've spend. My whole set-up is just around $1K (TS-520 $100, 40; tower $200, SB220 $550,tuner $250 antenna wire - priceless).
Don't get me wrong ... I also have a Mark V FT 1000 ... but for sheer fun tuning and booting around the lower bands the 520 is a good choice.
Regards,
VE7ZC
|
|
KI4OAV
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Dec 27, 2007 12:33
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
May be the best Kenwood made
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
I can’t say enough good things about my TS-520. It may be the best radio Kenwood has ever made. It’s a simple, reliable 30 year old radio that keeps going strong. I have had it on the air for almost a year now (making on average a contact a night). I am constantly amazed about the strong signal reports that I get and pileups that I break running just 100 watts out into a Gap vertical antenna. More than once I have had people ask me if I am running an amplifier of some kind. The radio rarely gets less than a five nine report. Usually what I hear is what I get back. Recently I had a nice QSO with a station in Cuba on 20 meters who was only running 50 watts on a dipole (out of some old Russian home brewed equipment). He was about a four seven, I was expecting the same report from him but got a strong five nine. My only complaint is that Kenwood dose not make a modern version of this Hybrid with the WARC bands and 60 meters.
It’s strong suite is SSB phone. And its 2nd strength maybe CW the way it was done 30 years ago with a straight key or external keyer. I don’t have the SSB filter or the CW filter but I would expect that I would like the radio even more with the filters installed (Especially on CW). The receiver is very good but the noise level is a lot higher than what you would get on a modern radio. I use an external speaker with audio filters that help a lot.
If you are thinking about buying a 30 - 35 year old radio, it pays to shop around and get a good one that’s been cared for. Also I think you are better of to get one that has just come off the air, than to buy one that has been sitting in a closet for 5 years. I was lucky enough to get one that was just restored (a few caps and resistors got replaced and new old stock tubes) and it was properly realigned. I am only the third owner and as I understand the radio has been in service since it was sold new in 77 – 78. I have heard some people complain about drift in these radios but mine is rock solid (must be the new caps) from the moment I turn it on to the two or three hours later when I turn it off.
A good site with information on the Kenwood Hybrid radios is: http://www.k4eaa.com/ There is also a great “Tune-Up Procedure” which I have found works great.
|
|
YY1MFF
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Nov 27, 2007 19:47
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
will you come back to me, baby ?
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
It was my first transceiver, where I learned to handle hybrid radios. Very good reception and modulation,very clean and powerful, better than my ft-890. I sold mine for give entry to new generation of transceivers in my shack, today I want my radio back in home
|
|
K2NCC
|
Rating: 5/5
|
May 3, 2007 00:07
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
First HF rig. Great for a budget-minded ham!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
The 520 is my first HF rig and has served me well. I've since moved on to another Kenwood hybrid, and hate to see this one go out the door, but gotta pay for the new equipment.
This rig, even in the low part of the solar cycle has given me dozens of DX contacts in the year or so I've used it. If you're looking to get into HF on a budget, you can't go wrong with this transceiver! My HF log can be seen at the link below. Anything before May 1, 2007 was done on the TS-520, usually with less than 50 watts!
If you find this radio for less than 300 bucks, in great condition, you're getting a radio that will last you for years. You can still get tubes for it for about 50 bucks, but new tubes should last you a decade, so a wise investment.
I'd be happy to share whatever I know about this rig, so feel free to email me. You can also find a great Yahoo forum for the Kenwood hybrids.
73. Frank K2NCC
http://evokefrank.googlepages.com/
|
|
VE6EKX
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Mar 13, 2006 21:58
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great radio - 3rd time around
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
This is the third TS-520 I've had and it is still a great radio.. The others were sold at different times when I was forced to sell off my ham stuff in favour of the mortgage, kids etc.. Anyways, a good solid hybrid radio that has decent performance and is very reliable. They're still a bargin, and represent a great value.. I paid $100us for my current one. My next experiment is to try it mobile on 80/40 with an NVIS antenna for emergency communications..it has the built in inverter, but it's likely to be hard on the battery. :-)
My experience owning 3 of these (including a TS-520se) over a 20 year period has been nothing but positive. No repairs or failures of any kind on any of the radios. I give it a 4.5 for simply working as designed with no issues.
|
|
K2NCC
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Feb 20, 2006 22:28
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Excellent Rig for not-a-lot of $$$
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
Being my first HF rig and owning for only a short time, I can still easily say this is a great rig! With a 34ftx2 dipole, only five feet above the ground, I still get solid DX contacts. For less than $300, one can be in the HF arena. Eager to learn? This radio will give you an advantage over those that get too use to the modern, more 'automatic' rigs. Get one and enjoy!
Got a little more money to spend? Consider the TS-520S (gives 160 meter), the TS-820 (but can have some display problems), or for about $100 more, the TS-830 model.
|
|
PA3GQD
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Feb 7, 2006 14:21
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
My boatanchor
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Excellent radio which puts out more power than all others I have. It isn't my main radio, just the 'nice to have an old radio as well' radio. Having said that: I like the feel of the conventional VFO. Receiver is excellent as well, though dynamic range isn't up to standards. Use it from time to time and does everything one can expect from a decent radio. Only flaw I could ever find is the many many switches which can become corroded when in storage. Repeated switching allways cured this until now. I guess prices will only rise from now on, but you can pick one up for very little still.
|
|
KE9K
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Dec 30, 2005 18:17
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
ONE OF THE VERY FIRST
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Has a very very early serial number but works as it did new 30 years ago. NO frills here just a very solid radio that just keeps working. Even with 4 other hf radios in the shack I still get great satisfaction in hearing this radio on. This was my first ham radio and has never let me down. Joe ke9k
|
|
AD5QP
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 30, 2005 07:33
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great Radio!!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
This is my backup radio. I have about $250 in it with new finals and a speaker. It is a grab and go radio, what with the AC and DC power supplies built in. New finals put out full power on all bands. It is easily serviced, parts are available, reliable, sensitive, and sounds good on the air. If I could only have one radio, this would be it.....
|
|
KB5IZO
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 19, 2005 21:15
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Solid performer
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I got my TS-520 from an estate sale. This is the original hybrid radio from Kenwood ( the later TS-520 "S" has 160m and a few minor features) using a solid state receiver deck and three tubes for the transmiter. It has been a very solid performer for all modes CW, SSB and PSK31. For example, last weekend I operated from Camp Wisdom near Dallas, Tx.
My dipole antenna was strung in the trees at about 6 ft of the ground. I was able to work Oregon, Florida, and Australia on PSK31 and South Carolina on SSB (report of 20+ 9 and outstanding audio from the Shure 444d) all this during solar minimum. This rig has all its original tubes and will still crank out over 125 watts (140 on 80m) not bad for a radio thats at least 30 years old....
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
