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write your own review of the Kenwood TS-130SE.
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KE6YX
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Rating: 5/5
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May 15, 2009 19:38
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A great solid rig!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am giving this rig a five because while it is not a five compared to some of the modern rigs, for the period when it was built and sold, it is a strong five.
I now have my second TS-130SE. The first one I purchased new in the 80’s along with the PS-30 power supply, remote VFO, mobile rack, all the filters, and a matching speaker. About 3 years ago in a moment of brain fade I sold it just after purchasing a used Ten Tec Corsair II.
After awhile I realized what a dumb decision that was, and started thinking about finding another one to replace it. Well fast forward to 2009, and I just bought another TS-130SE off QTH.com. I also acquired a 500 Hz CW filter, and now I am a happy camper.
It does not have the selectivity or QSK like my Ten Tec, but it is a very simple rig to operate, and with the 500 Hz filter CW contacts are easy. It also makes a very stable platform for PSK-31 using a SignalLink USB, and Digipan software.
If you are looking for a good backup or a first time rig, or maybe you do not want to spend a lot of money for your primary rig, the TS-130SE should be on your short list as long as everything works.
I am having a lot of fun with mine.
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AI4WC
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 22, 2009 09:53
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It's a keeper!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I wanted a backup radio. I found the TS-130SE on EBay for sale by a non-ham. After sending it to Clif at AVVID for minor repair and tuneup, it serves me perfectly. It has the "old" Kenwood quality, good audio, low noise and best of all, NO MENUS! It is plain and simple - just a few push-buttons and switches. If Kenwood made them today, I would buy a new one; otherwise, I'm keeping this one. My other radios are a Kenwood 850SAT, Yaesu FT-897, ICOM 208H, NorCal 40 and several hand helds.
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VE2ITZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 7, 2008 08:16
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Exellent solid simple rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Simple to use. with the KISS concept in mind.
In the Early 80's when i was a teenager i drooled over one of these.
And then one day i found one in very good condition on e-bay.
It perform very good. Many people have commented on the good audio. I run it barefoot and most of the time i get 5/9 reports no problem.
The 2 things that is are bit of a hassle is the frequency drift that takes place when the rig is not warm enough. Also it does not operate split frequencies. You have to get an external vfo.
Otherwise i would give it a 5!
This radio is exellent for a novice ham who wants to get their feet wet in the hf bands! Plus it can transmit on the WARC bands as well.
It feels like a solid rig. I really like it as a base station since it is a middle sized radio. I know these days mobile rigs are smaller but if something goes wrong how can you see the components?
I am a happy camper and think about keeping it.
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W5VAN
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 31, 2007 20:14
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A Fun Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is my first HF radio. I set up a G5RV antenna the same day I got it. Right away I was able to make contacts all over the country. The radio is protected against high SWR, just in case there is a problem. The controls are simple, but effective. They layout is easy to understand.I was able to use it without opening the manual, but I found a few tips in it.
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W8ZNX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2006 11:37
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lots of radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Iv had my 130SE for over 10 years
friend found it for me at Dayton $350
my first all solid state JA rice box
0 to 5 is realy too crude a scale
i give it a 4.6
use it on cw and fone
its a very good little radio
with no real vices
solid cast iron kick around radio
I like the analog/digital dial read out
does not have all the bs extras
you do not realy need in a hf xceiver
one flaw
for a few years kenwood had probs with
cold solder joints
TS120/130 it most often happened at the feed through grommets, easy to fix
de mac w8znx
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M0DSZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 7, 2005 00:36
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Near-perfect
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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With all the filters fitted I can't see any need for another rig.
PROS: This set tolerates nearby VERY strong signals and high SWR.
Good filter choice, tuneable IF useful.
Audio compression works well.
Easy to dismantle, I recommend replacing both the lamps with LEDs once one has failed. Removing the VFO entirely facilitates this.
CONS:The lack of 160m could be for saving space with the PA and other coils. It means retaining another transceiver for this band.
The VFO does drift a little to start.
Split VFO could be useful but then you can always use an external one if that's what you want.
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PY3KT
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 6, 2005 12:31
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Great old radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My Kenwood TS130SE is a backup radio. I use it sometimes, one or times a week. It´s working fine in all bands availabe, but I prefer QSOs on 80m and 40m SSB. Very nice RX e good TX (signal and audio). The speech processor is used only in bad propagation conditions.
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KG4TWX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 12, 2004 13:13
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Good and simple
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This rig is my one-and-only Hf rig. It is rock solid, sounds great and is simple to operate. I have been in the hobby for 3 years and have been around it all my life an I have seen some pretty nice rigs but when I make a contact 59 and the next fellow to call in to the dx station was running full legal limit and he was never heard because of audio distortion. The only rig that I think really overshadows the '130 is the ts-520 and considering that rig is still unmatched today, well that should tell you something.
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NE0P
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 20, 2004 03:10
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Good simple rig
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I had one of these transceivers back in 1985, and it was alot of fun to use. It was great going to solid state after having a FT101B which required tuning when going from band to band.
The TS130SE is very easy to operate, with just the basic functions. It was a small mobile rig back then, but is kind of large by today's mobile standards. It came with a speech processor, IF shift, and narrow/wide options for each mode. It did not have general receive coverage, but modding it to work on the WARC bands was simple, just unplug a wire. Much better than the remove tiny diodes we have to do today. I really miss the "cut the green wire" mods that rigs used to have. The 130 was also simple enough to operate that you never really needed to open the manual.
I gave it a 4 for 2 reasons. One is lack of 160 meter coverage. That is a fun band if you have the space. I am guessing that they left it off because it was intended to be a mobile rig. The second reason is that it only contained the 1 VFO. Made it next to impossible to run splits, although you see the external VFOs from time to time.
I have seen some good prices on these recently, and they are solid rigs, but I would recommend an Icom 730 over this if you can find one for the same price. That way you get dual VFOs.
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AG4RC
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 16, 2003 22:58
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Rock Solid Rig!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Licensed Amateur-Extra in April 2002 and worked only 10-meter band with a President HR-2510 until I bought my first HF rig (Kenwood TS-130SE) in Feb 2003.
I bought it from an older HAM in Orlando FL (area) for $260.00 cash! He announced the rig in the local Traders Net on 2-meter band. Thanks for the reviews on eham web site and such to help make my decision!
One disappointment, at first, was no AM or FM mode - However who really needs FM and also learned quick by tuning down to the side-band of an AM transmission (Short-wave signal and such) reception is 100% readable - Shift the IF adjustment a bit and it sounds fantastic!
So as it stands the only "negative" is a slight degradation of RF output on 28 MHz on up - Perhaps the finals are getting old?
Other than that I've worked all bands (80 through 10) including WARC barefoot through an MFJ-941E tuner into a homebrew dipole center feed with 450-ohm ladder line. Nine-out-of-ten times if I hear a station they can hear me equally well with fantastic audio reports!
For phone transmissions I user a Turner Plus 3 desk mic and occasionally a D104.
For digital transmissions I use my homebrew audio interface between the rig and my computer. I've worked the world on CW, PSK31, RTTY, and SSTV.
I'll soon be receiving a used Autek QF-1A audio filter. Again thanks to eham for the great reviews of this product - Saved a few bucks instead of buying a used crystal filter. The audio filter (should) help with QRM and narrowing down that weak SSB / CW signal.
Bottom line the Kenwood TS-130SE is a great basic rock-solid rig and I don't anticipate replacing it any time in the near future.
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