Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Kenwood R300

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Kenwood R300
Reviews: 6MSRP: 239.99
Description:
1970s analog general coverage receiver
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0064.3
AA4WA Rating: 2021-08-06
A great 70's receiver often overlooked, a real band cruiser! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After years of seeing this radio I decided to buy one for my bedside use. I was very impressed with it's quality. First thing I saw when I took the top and bottom covers off to inspect it, was that the main individual boards use card edge connectors for ease of removal and service! Who does that on a consumer grade radio! Well, Kenwood sure did. It's built like Kenwood's top audio equipment of the 70's, solid and well built. The tuning uses extra heavy flywheels for very smooth tuning, like their AM/FM stereo component gear. The highest frequency band also uses double conversion, which was rare for basic general coverage receivers of that time period. It has wide and narrow filtering in the I/F to give reasonable CW/SSB reception. The LSB and USB adjustment on the BFO actually is useful for good reception on the proper sideband. The radio is very sensitive on all bands. This radio was definitely a cut above it's Radio Shack and Lafayette competitors of the day.
Another plus, is that to get to all the alignment adjustments, the cabinet has either holes where needed and by removal of the internal battery compartment on the bottom, you have access to all the RF / Mixer / Local Osc adjustments. Very service friendly! To remove the battery compartment, be sure to remove the one screw on the side you have to pull first, because the other side has a lip mount.

One easy reversible mod to aid in CW/SSB reception is to add an external 5K pot to the (-) side of the S-meter and ground, to give a true I/F gain control. The radio's RF gain control is actually a front end attenuator and the RF and I/F circuits run full blast with only the AGC to adjust it. Ever since I started as a ham 47 years ago, you always use the RF (and I/F) gain control to reduce the signal, especially on CW and SSB, for better signal to noise ratio. It also helps with blocking from nearby strong signals on AM reception.
I have done the same thing for my FRG-7 receiver by putting a 10 K pot to ground between the MUTE connection and ground. We did that to all the old vintage gear to reduce signal on receivers to hear our own signal while transmitting.

The R-300 is replacing my FRG-7 as my bedside radio because it is almost as good a receiver and it is so much easier to operate in the dark with my glasses off and my eyes shut. I can cruise from 5 to 10 Mhz at night with only one switch of the band, where my FRG-7, you have to retune the Mhz dial every Mhz.

The R-300 is a real band cruiser! I wish I had discovered it much earlier!
KQ4O Rating: 2019-06-03
Excellent LW/MW Receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
All of the previous reviewers were spot on regarding the pros and cons of this old rig. Mine is the broadcast band version as opposed to the version with bandspread for the ham bands.
That does make things a bit difficult for utility listening, as there is no digital readout or even analog frequency scale outside the main listening bands. Not that you can't tune around the general vicinity of, say, 6-7 MHz and find aero signals, but it will be true bandscanning just discovering what shows up instead of punch in and listen (that's actually not such a bad thing, it forces you to actually LISTEN for a signal).
Sensitivity is good on HF but where this receiver really shines is below 2 MHz. If you're a MW DXer this is a great rig as it's not deliberately attenuated in the domestic AM broadcast band. Though heavy and bulky compared to the popular new portable radios, it's great for DXpeditions as it operates on 8 D cells and I can't imagine a more sensitive MW receiver that can be carried in the field. On LW it is a killer NDB hunter regarding sensitivity. The stock filters are dreadful, however. Depending on your needs, the filters should be changed to the Murata metal case filters of your choice. I installed a CFJ455K5 for narrow and it improved NDB hunting tremedously. I plan on using an even narrower filter as on a good night many beacons will come in and require even better seperation. Better than the Palstar R30A on LW/MW reception but of course no digital readout.
FPX77 Rating: 2009-03-12
Good receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just have bought a nice R300 at 83 Euros (107 dollars).It is very sensitive,only slightly below my FRG7.Sensitivity is great on MW and LW.A warm up is necessary to listen to SSB.The annoyance is the audio distorded on strong signals.It is an AGC problem.I have found a great improvment in soldering a 300pf capacitor in parallel of C9 (33pf) on the IF printed board,also you can replace 0.47MFD by non polarised on the AF board.Construction is above the average with printed board on connectors as in professionnals receivers,maintenance is easy.
In all an interesting receiver.73.Olivier.
KA2SHU Rating: 2009-02-15
Very MW Sensitive Receiver Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The Kenwood R-300 receiver is a beautifully built receiver. Given the time period it was produced, it represented excellent value for its selling price. It is a very serviceable receiver since many of its circuit boards can easily be removed. This is one of the few receivers I know of that is NOT deliberately desensitized on the MW band! All of you MW DX'ers take note. This radio is a "dog that can hunt" on MW and even on LW!

Here is the good:
1) Fantastic sensitivity on MW and LW. Very good on the other bands.
2) Very low power consumption if used with 12 volts external source or internal batteries.
3) Has beautifully lit tuning drum dials that are reasonably accurate when keyed with the crystal calibrator as well as a nice looking well lit S-meter
4) Antenna Trim control is very effective
5) Excellent overall construction, both tuning controls are flywheel weighted for smooth tuning feel.

The not so good:
While the note of the BFO is clean and SSB signals can be nicely heard, the radio lacks stability during the first 30-40 minutes of operation. If you plan on listening to SSB signals, it's best to let it settle down before you attempt to walk away from it.

The Ugly:
This is why I did not rate the radio a "5". The audio from the radio's A.M. detector stage is dreadful. Fortunately it can be improved with judicious adjustment of the RF gain control. The AGC circuit may be to blame here since a +10db or greater signal will be recovered with significant distortion. With a decent outboard front firing speaker, the radio's audio can be brought into the acceptable range.
W5EI Rating: 2008-01-10
Good receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As a newly licensed ham back in 1977, I bought a new R300 for general coverage reception. The Yaesu FT101E I had at the time was ham-band only, so the Kenwood seemed like a good companion for it. One thing I did not like about the R300 was the heavy use of plastic on the front panel. It gave the radio a cheap feel and look. My set also tended to drift significantly in SSB and CW modes.

Sensitivity was quite good, however. I agree with the other comments that a good outboard audio or DSP filter is a must unless one is interested in AM only reception. SW broadcast stations were what I usually listened to with the set, so overall, my experience with it was pretty good. I sold it a few years ago at a hamfest. In my opinion, it ranks as a good backup SWL receiver.
JUDAH_SMITH Rating: 2003-08-25
KENWOOD TRIO R-300 a great SW radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love this radio. It is very sensitive. In fact in sensitivity I have to compare it to my FRG-7. It's a close second place to that excellent radio. I can't say it is more sensitive...but it certainly holds its own. Selectivity is quite good. Although the narrow filter could be a little better. Audio is a little bit tinny. But their is a "SOFT" option that makes it sound more pleasing. And it certainly sounds as good as any portable SW I have owned. The sound is comparable to a YB-400 by grundig. Perhaps just a little more tinny. But I'm being fussy. It is still quite good. I just can't say it sounds as good as my FRG-7. But is is very nice. Alot of options. The antenna trimmer is great if you using a random wire antenna. The radio looks beautiful and is solidly build. I love the looks. I am surprised this radio was not more popular....but maybe it came out at a time when digital radios were becoming the rage. If you buy one definitely find a manual. So you can learn how to use the bandspread option. It takes a little time to figure it out....but once you do it is easy. And the readout (although analog) is very very acurate. It has a built in MARKER button so you an align the radio for near perfect freq. readings all the time. I can't say enough good things about this radio. It blows away a newer 100-150 dollar portable in my opinion. If your looking for a nice table top set, that will look cool enough for you wife/gf to not want to hid in the closest this is the one. I live in a poor reception zone (SOUTHWESTERN USA) were SW stations are hard to get, and this baby with a 100 ft. wire brings them all in. It is better looking that and FRG-7, built just as solid..., sensitivity is not quite is good, but a close second, selectivity could be a little better but not terrible. Audio is good, but takes second place to my FRG-7...and is equal to my Grundig YB-400. If you want a sensitive radio, but can't afford a Yseasu FRG-7....find a nice KENWOOD TRIO R-300. It a great analog table top for the price. With lots of options, and a great look.