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Reviews For: Kenwood TS-480HX

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : Kenwood TS-480HX
Reviews: 125MSRP: 1499.95
Description:
All mode AM/FM/SSB/CW, HF/VHF (six meters), 200 watts, detachable face, 13.8 VDC, DSP.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communications/Amateur_Radio/HF_Base_Mobile/TS-480HX-480SAT
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151254.8
K4MZW Rating: 2005-10-25
Great little package Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just bought one of these little powerhouses.
First impression: WOW what an easy radio to use.

I've owned almost all of "em, run mobile with everything from a Heathkit "Lunchbox" to a Yaesu FT-990. This is by far the best, easiest to use mobile rig ever.

Great work by the engineers at Kenwood.
N6ZUC Rating: 2005-10-22
Ugly? eye of the beholder. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Though I've had this rig a short time, I am convinced I bought the right rig. I looked at just about everything that was out there, studied every thing I could about this rig, and then made the decision to buy it. Even though there is a lot to learn about it's set up and operation in order to use all the features built in, You can pretty much take it out of the box, plug it in and operate. Not everyone will use all the features in this rig, but I'd bet money what you do need is there. One of the simpelest things I'm impressed with is the little speaker built into the remote head. Even though it is facing backawards, away from me, the audio quality on it is amazing. I don't feel the need to use and external speaker on this rig. The AF pass band filter, which is setable is also very nice. No ringing what so ever. Really helps to cut down adjacent noise. It can be easily accessed and changed in order to help tune it for the voice of the person you are speaking with, making them much clearer. My unit will run nearly 250 watts as checked with several meters. With the TX EQ set, the processor set, the audio reports I get are very good. The analog noise blanker works extremely well for taking out pulse noise. The digital filters I'm not as impressed with, but they work ok. Maybe I don't have them set up properly yet. As I said, there is a lot to learn about this rig. All in all, I don't think you could buy a better rig.
NM6E Rating: 2005-10-09
Awesome Remote Controlled Radio Out of the Box Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this radio based on the review of others and personal email exchanges with folks who have it working 'remotely' over the internet at hot spots, at work, etc.

A few of the folks travel extensively, such as myself and boasted how they remotely controlled their radios from wireless hotspots or from their work.

That's was caught my attention and it was an impulse buy! I work for a major router/switch manufacturer and being able to use technology I design and work on around ther world for my own personal enjoyment was what drew me more to the Kenwood TS-480HX. I wanted to remotely control my home station and be able to not miss any DX or ragchews when I was away at work, or travelling for work. That's what I wanted. A near virutal radio.

In anticipation of the VoIP application, I decided to upgrade my SBC DSL service from the 1.2Mb down, 256 up, to a 3Mb down and 512K up for a mere $5.00 more a month (DHCP).

I bought the TS-480HX with the sole intention of 'remote base operation' over the internet. I purchased the TS-480HX and the Heil Pro-Set Media Pro Multi-Media headset. The headset works great and sounds much better than a vanila headset for a laptop. (I use my companies IP Communicator VoIP application for my office extenion and Heil Pro-Set Media head set replaced my Plantronics DSP-400!

I also had custom built a 'cheap PC' at one of the local PC shops (Intel Celeron 2.81Ghz, 80Gb HD, 512Mb ram, bare bones PC, built in NIC/Sound Card for $380 with mouse/keyboard--no monitor).

The radio to PC setup was quite straight forward, after figuring out the audio ports on the PC sound card and the radios RJ-45 MIC connector, audio levels etc

The radio's DSP works great. I wanted to keep the investment to a minimum but didn't want to add a CW filter yet. I installed the free Kenwood ARHP-480 software on the PC and on my laptop the ARCP-480.

I also joined SKYPE and within a few hours I had a fully remote controlled VoIP station with QSO's in the log already using my laptop from the kitchen!

I like the radio very much. The RX and TX is quite good. I currently have both power cables being fed off one Astron SS-25 power supply and no hash at all. I currently limit the power out to 75 watts.

I don't know if my radio has the newer firmware updates. I need to check that.

I even let my buddy N6ED living in an antenna restricted area of Los Angeles (I live near San Francisco), use the setup and he worked the Kure Island K7C DXpedition on CW and SSB with the remote base setup!

The Kenwood programs have some issues issues but YOU CAN get the radio working over the internet with some minimal amount of software.

All the radio functions work great remotely. The audio sounds great and most folks were in shock that I was 'remotely' controlling the radio from my work office about 15 miles away. The audio on Skype is very clear with a fast WAN/LAN connection.

I am very pleased with the radio and I don't care about the looks of the control head as I don't even have the face connected to the radio as everything is PC remote controlled. I look at my screen, not the control head of the radio.

Remotely, I am using Skype for audio pass thru and I am sure MS-Netmeeting is the same, you have full control and it actually sounds as if you are in front of the radio except you control it via a PC/Laptop.

As I get more use out of the radio, I will follow up my review on how my remote base is coming along but I already have ideas that will improve the application in my setup.

If you are thinking of using the TS-480HX remotely over a WAN network/VoIP application, I highly recommend it but take into consideration the following things:
1. TRX-Manager Software for remote control/TELNET to your home PC/radio connection, its very cool software and much better than the free kenwood software. The free software from Kenwood gets you started but you can make it much better with 3rd party software.
2. A Static Broadband IP address for the home station--currently using DHCP at home but it has major drawbacks if your home router resets/ the ISP releases your DHCP address etc, PC reboots etc)
3. SKYPE and/or Netmeeting to get the audio working from Radio<--PC-->WAN Connection
4. Router configuration for the DMZ 'remote connection' to go directly to the Host/Control PC. I am currently using a Linksys Wireless B Cable/DSL Router
5. Firewall software on the host PC--I am using McAfee Internet Security Suite and it is working (Firewall, Virus Scan, Spam, etc)
6. Teaching someone at home to reset the PC/Radio connection and start your Skype/Netmeeting application if you are away from the radio and things don't connect.
7. If you have multiple antennas, getting an automatic antenna switch. The radio has 2 antenna ports but in my situation, I have a 10-20m beam, 40m/17m rotatable dipole, 80m dipole. All coming down from the tower on one coax from my Ameritron RCS-10 antenna switch. The solution is the new Ameritron RCS-12C antenna control box in my case. The RCS-12C is programmed to follow the information from the Band Data port of the radio. After programming the RCS-12C, it automatically switches to ther correct antenna based on what band the radio is on!
8. Rotor control.

Points 2 & 3 I think are the most crucial.

Javier NM6E
WD0CT Rating: 2005-09-28
good value Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought mine used and I have to admit it was better than I expected. It is easy to use with no need to get into menus to set every little thing.

The transmit and receive audio were very good. The extra power is good to have and would eliminate adding an amp for many mobile users.

I think the receiver just shines as to dynamic range and useful features. It is unheralded but just set it beside any 706 model and you will know the difference.

Mine was sold to a friend but I would not hesitate to own another if I liked the price.
K9EID Rating: 2005-09-23
The PERFECT remote transceiver Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The Kenwood TS 480 is a great value but it's most important feature is the ability to be used as a remote base - straight out of the box! Three cables; the serial cable and two audio cables make this little jewel come alive through the internet. Visiting Kenwood's amateur radio site and downloading the free control programs are all you need. I had a problem with getting the Kenwood audio to go through firewalls and routers in hotels and airports, but I started using SKYPE - the high quality internet phone program and those problems are history! I can't believe that Kenwood - or their dealers are not bringing this one single feature to the front as it certainly answers the problmes of apartment dwellers, condo housing antenna situations, etc. The one point that MUST be told is that when used as a remote, it is impossible for the stations you contact to know that you are remote. No extra 'clicks', buzzes, tones, etc. It works as smooth as if you were sitting in front of the rig AND you actually have more control remotely than if you WERE there at the station. I was on the patio at a Southern California Starbucks last week with my wireless lap top working my 40 meter buddies back in Illinois through the remote system. All you need is a high quality headset for the computer and you are on the air form anywhere! Truly wonderful. Don't MISS OUT on this TS 480 feature. Bob Heil, K9EID
KE9OI Rating: 2005-09-23
Great and easy to operate. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been running mobile since 1993 and have had three different radios. Kenwood has done a good job with this rig. I installed it in our motorhome and run a predator screwdriver antenna. 200 watts with this antenna is a great combination. I have not found a downside to this rig. It is easy to operate and the menus are easy to navigate. With my 706 MKII I have to keep the manual at my side and pull off the road to make it do what I need. We recently returned from Georgia where I operated on the 3905 Century Club Net and I was hearing stations that no else was. The ssb filter was great with no adjacent interference. I did use #6 stranded wire and used my house batteries which supply 550 amps of power. I get about 200 watts output. This radio is so much easier to operate than my 706. The dsp or noise reduction is good. I have had great fun operating this rig, it is a joy. Thank you Kenwood.
K3ICH Rating: 2005-09-03
Works Great, Looks Great Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had some sort of HF radio in the car since 1967 and have used most of those avaialble at the time, so this is not a review based on an ad write up or a personal preference of appearance. The '480 is a perfect mobile radio, and is the best compromise I have ever used for that purpose. I feel that Kenwood got it right with the remote control panel being the size it is and I am very glad it is NOT the size of the TS-50. (Had a couple, too small.) Also, by keeping the size of the main chassis small enough to fit today's small cars it is ideal. This is a very easy radio to use for mobile. (You can't convince me Kenwood ever intended this to be a "base" radio even though some have tried it.) In other words, you don't have to take your eyes off the road to navigate multiple menus. Just learn the relative positions of a few controls and operate safely.

It is very unfair to give this radio a 2 just because you don't like the looks. Performance is what counts and that, in my opinion, is a solid 5.
G8LIK Rating: 2005-08-05
Impressive! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This really is a wonderful piece of technology,the 200W in such a compact package is great and according to the in depth Kenwood report actually runs cooler than its 100W brother (because of the dual fans) on extended transmit.Not only that but the price has dropped significantly in the UK over the last year and is now a real bargain considering overall performance.On air audio reports have been as good as always for Kenwood kit. The sensitivity is great too.Can't really fault it except to agree with some other reviewers that an optional large front panel unit with a big tuning knob would make a super addition and probably a nice little earner for Kenwood too.
W7AM Rating: 2005-04-01
Outstanding Mobile Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had all three versions of the 706 but recently decided to try the TS 480HX because of all the good things I have heard about the radio. I was able able to buy one used at a good price with both the cw and ssb filters installed.

I intially had some installation problems. I could not get the radio to tune my High Sierra 1500 screwdriver antenna properly. After some input from other hams I determined that my antenna grounding had gone bad due to corrosion. I also had some noise issues relating to power cable positioning and the famous ford fuel pump noise. I moved the cable and applied four DX Engineering toroids to the fuel pump power cable and all was good.

Now as to performance. All I can say is this radio leaves the 706 way behind. The receiver is much better. The dsp, nb, and the new dnl all work much better at eliminating any noise problems than the 706 ever did. The placement of the controls greatly aids operation and I find I don't have to go through all kinds of menus like I did with the 706. I also like the receive eq function as my aging ears need all the help they can get. I normally use high boost 1 or 2. Something else I really like is the display. It is clear, sharp and very easy to see.

Another function which greatly impressed my is the tx monitor. It is actually better than the one in my 1000mp and really is helpful in setting up your audio. Speaking of audio, the hand mike does a good job but I have been playing around with an old Heil HM-10 duel mike which does an even better job. By the way for some reason Kenwood reversed pins 3 and 5 (mike ground and chassis ground) in this radio. So if you going to run a mike other than the one supplied it is a good idea to switch these pins to avoid any rfi feedback. I made a short adapter cable so I did not have to modify either the mike or the radio.

Another issue some have reported is not seeing 200 watts on high power. My experience is you will not see 200 watts with the internal meter. I checked mine with a Nye Viking power monitor and it does do 200 watts cw key down. I see no reason to try and adjust the internal meter now that I know the radio is performing as advertised.

One final issue some have with the radio is the lack of 2/440. It is not an issue with me. I have always ran another fm radio for those bands and found that I never used them on the 706.

What really finally sold me on this radio was the firmware upgrade capability via the internet. I did the upgrade in about 15 minutes. I don't know why all manufacturers don't do this.

Bottom line is that I highly recommend this radio. In my opinion it is the best mobile on the market. I like it so well I am considering selling my FT-897D and getting another one for the shack.

73, Richard
N4WDU
K6RSG Rating: 2005-03-01
Goodbye low audio -- HELLO Speech Processor Upgrade!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
If you didn't know, Kenwood revised the TS-480HX/SAT Firmware. Read the details at: http://www.eham.net/articles/10286

I performed the firmware upgrade on my rig, and assisted others with theirs. A straight forward process requiring less than ten minutes.

The improvement to the Speech Processor's audio is Amazing! Gone will be the low audio signal reports.

In the past week, I've received impressive audio reports from many stations, even those I've been in contact with for months. Some commented they thought I was using a linear!

The improved Speech Processor audio performance at an input drive level of about one-third (i.e. PROC.I set at 30~35) is approximately equivalent to the non-upgraded speech processor set to maximum (i.e PROC.I and PROC.O both set to 100).

The US rigs already have the full 40 meter band accessible, but the firmware upgrade opens 40 meters (7.000 - 7.200) for those using European rigs in the UK.

Very 73

Rob
AK9G
(Previously K6RSG)

P.S. My rig's the 100W version, but HX owners are nonetheless entitled to this information.