Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )  (Read 368 times)

VE7GMX

  • Member
  • Posts: 70
Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« on: October 16, 2020, 02:22:27 PM »

Getting back into the hobby after a couple years off and I've got a choice to pick up either of these , fairly reasonable .  If you had the choice , which would you take ?  940 or the 990 ?  I used to own a 990 LONG ago but have never used the Kenwood .  After reading a lot , I realize they are getting on in age and both have developed age quirks ( just like me ) .  Opinions appreciated , good and bad .


73

Jeff VE7GMX
Logged

K1FBI

  • Member
  • Posts: 1475
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2020, 02:43:27 PM »

Getting back into the hobby after a couple years off and I've got a choice to pick up either of these , fairly reasonable .  If you had the choice , which would you take ?  940 or the 990 ?  I used to own a 990 LONG ago but have never used the Kenwood .  After reading a lot , I realize they are getting on in age and both have developed age quirks ( just like me ) .  Opinions appreciated , good and bad .


73

Jeff VE7GMX


Reliability the 990. I have had over half a dozen of these. They hear weak signals incredibly well.
If you don't mind digging into your rig every now and then...and you have to dig deep into layers, go for the 940. I regret ever selling mine. It has the greatest display and the audio is to die for. That was a radio. I even liked it more than the TS-950SD I replaced it with. Wish I kept  that 940.
Logged

VE3TMT

  • Member
  • Posts: 1176
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2020, 02:48:52 PM »

Hi Jeff,

I have owned both. The 940 had a lot of issues, but when they work they work great. One of the best analog radios ever produced.

I pretty much rebuilt my 940. Resoldered every board, connector, rebuilt the power supply, etc. It was a big PITA, but was worth it. The only reason I got rid of it was I new it was only a matter of time before the next issue cropped up. But it is a beautiful radio to operate. Big and massive, no menus, the way they should be.

The FT990 is also very nice but just didn't have the sex appeal the 940 did.

Max
VE3TMT
Logged

VE7GMX

  • Member
  • Posts: 70
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2020, 03:02:27 PM »

Thanks both of you for the replies . Seems to be the general feeling said by everyone about the Kenwood . This 940 did have an issue and was fixed by Kenwood recently .  I would hope , it had a thorough go through by them but I do not  know .  Kenwood seems to really shine on the TX audio .  The 990 seems to always have the internal fan stuck on ( and i have yet to find the fix for that ) , my buddies is suffering that at the moment .

I started out hunting for 570SG then moved on to the need for  a 590SG but I dig the older , big girls like the above mentioned rigs   ;)
Logged

WA1GOS

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2020, 03:08:15 PM »

I've owned the FT-990 since buying it new in 1997. It has all the filters and the TCXO. NEVER any problems, ever. I use it regularly for contesting (CW, SSB, RTTY) and rag chewing. The internal antenna tuner works very well as you may recall. Also, a plus, any filter can be selected in any mode. So, when operating any of the digital modes in AFSK, you can even switch in the 250 Hz filter. Can't do that on the 940. Granted the 940 has a few more bells and whistles that all work, it has those through-hole soldering issues that may crop up and need fixing. It's a toss up though. I can attest to the 100% reliability, at least so far!
Logged

K4FMH

  • Member
  • Posts: 681
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2020, 04:24:24 PM »

Getting back into the hobby after a couple years off and I've got a choice to pick up either of these , fairly reasonable .  If you had the choice , which would you take ?  940 or the 990 ?  I used to own a 990 LONG ago but have never used the Kenwood .  After reading a lot , I realize they are getting on in age and both have developed age quirks ( just like me ) .  Opinions appreciated , good and bad .


73

Jeff VE7GMX

Hi Jeff,

I recently traded my TS-904 in to buy a TS-590SG. Loved the rig. I had one in the 20M serial number range, near the end of production. NEVER had an issue with it over 6 years of service. Even though I had a Flex 3000 and a Drake TR-7 in my shack, I tended to go to the 940 for daily use. It has several features that can be used to enhance it. One is the IF output jack feeding an SDR for a panadapter and controlled via CAT (I had the Piexx - TS-940 Interface Board installed for a serial port connection). It has used with a Heil 940 mic on SSB. Can't doubt the Kenwood sound if fed properly. Do some back exercises before moving it, LOL!

73,

Frank
K4FMH
Frank
K4FMH
Logged

NU7J

  • Posts: 49
    • HomeURL
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2020, 04:31:47 PM »

Like others, I owned a 940 also and loved it, when it worked.  Way too unreliable.  The 990 is a great rig too and is very reliable.  Better yet, get a 590 or an IC-7300 for a significant performance improvement.  Or even an FT-991A for the versatility.

73,

Tom, NU7J
Logged

VE7GMX

  • Member
  • Posts: 70
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2020, 09:03:47 AM »

Well , I see this morning a Yaesu 1000MP has come on the market . More to think about ;)
Logged

VE7GMX

  • Member
  • Posts: 70
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2020, 09:05:35 AM »

I've done a lot of reading now and yeah I'm getting that impression too . Wonderful rig as long as it works . 


Like others, I owned a 940 also and loved it, when it worked.  Way too unreliable.  The 990 is a great rig too and is very reliable.  Better yet, get a 590 or an IC-7300 for a significant performance improvement.  Or even an FT-991A for the versatility.

73,

Tom, NU7J
Logged

KS2G

  • Member
  • Posts: 1171
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2020, 06:56:07 AM »

I recently traded my TS-904 in to buy a TS-590SG. Loved the rig. I had one in the 20M serial number range, near the end of production.


End of production???
Where have you seen that the Kenwood TS-590SG is no longer in production?
Are you perhaps thinking of the earlier TS-590S  (not SG)?

Logged

VE3TMT

  • Member
  • Posts: 1176
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2020, 12:35:11 PM »

Well , I see this morning a Yaesu 1000MP has come on the market . More to think about ;)

I also owned a Mark V Field. I still kick myself for selling that one.
Logged

KS2G

  • Member
  • Posts: 1171
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2020, 05:55:20 AM »

I recently traded my TS-904 in to buy a TS-590SG. Loved the rig. I had one in the 20M serial number range, near the end of production.


End of production???
Where have you seen that the Kenwood TS-590SG is no longer in production?
Are you perhaps thinking of the earlier TS-590S  (not SG)?

Hmmm... My Bad!
Re-reading your post, I realize that "end of production" refers to the '940.
 ;)
Logged

N1RND

  • Member
  • Posts: 111
Re: Kenwood TS-940SAT vs. Yaesu 990 ( AC )
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2020, 10:16:00 AM »

I had a 990, never any issues and  liked it. Only sold it to finance a new rig.  Keep in mind it was constructed "motherboard" style and to do an alignment you need  The no longer available Yaesu board extender kit. Sometimes they pop-up on eBay but are pricey. As a matter of fact there's a Tech out there that mentioned on his website he will no longer accept Yaesu radios that require board extenders to  work on.
I had a 1000mp, nice radio better receive audio than the 990.
Only problem with the mp's is the display backlight is a long thin CFL tube that will eventually burn out and Yaesu has no more.
There was a guy making a custom replacement out of LEDs on a strip of PC board material with the necessary power supply, but I think he ceased production.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up