| KG0WX |
Rating:  |
2006-04-15 | |
| Better than my K2? What??? |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Well, folks, I got the "itch" and went down to the local candy store to see what they had. One of the rigs was a TS-850SAT, with mods, manuals & a MC-60a mic for $850. Played with it a bit then came home and looked at all these reviews. Wow - what a great resource!
Anyways, I learned about the cult like following on these rigs and how it is THE rig if you want to have studio quality audio. Looked up all the mods and armed with this info, went back to the candy store the next week to test/buy the rig.
Now my last rig I built (K2) and everyone brags about how hot the receiver is. True, I tested my K2 with an Elecraft XG-2 generator and it scored a MDS of -136.2dbm on 40m. I fully expected the 850 would NOT be that sensitive so I made a comparison jig (XG-2 feeding both rigs through a coax switch). Here's where I was VERY surprised - the 850 hears the XG-2 better BUT mds testing shows they are very close:
7040.5 kc, mds -137.0dbm
So, the 850's rx is a plus. Now onto the other things I like:
This 850 has had (apparently) the BC rx mod - I've never heard a more selective yet sensitive BC band receiver! Now go lower - the 850 goes right to the edge of VLF (!) and what's more, hears better than my VLF/LF upconverter! A LOT better! Compared to the 850 on LF freqs, the LF converter was a dog.
On to other things - with the MC-60a mic I'm getting unsolicited audio compliments all the time, like many other reviewers have.
Now when I picked up this rig, I had a choice between the FT990 (fully filtered) for $990 or this radio (fully modded but no extra filters) for $850. After playing with both radios for 30 minutes one feature stood out - the dual IF slope tuning on the 850. I could do the same (although not nearly as quick and easy) on the K2 so I knew the value of this feature. The ft990 didn't have that. We'll, that sealed the deal despite the store owner proclaiming that the 990 with all it's filters was a better deal.
Now to put filters & options in and have fun! If you happen to see a clean 850 on the market (good luck - I looked...nada), buy it! You'll be happy.
Ken KG0WX
P.S. as usual, I'll do a follow up report in 6 months or so....
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| N6KZB |
Rating: |
2006-02-28 | |
| Upgraded to old, and glad we did. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
We had a Kenwood 570S, and while a great starter or entry level HF radio, the 850 outdoes it.
We added the INRAD 1.8 Khz SSB filter, and what a diff in selectivity.
Much better radio for my RTTY contests.
At 750-850$ on the used market, this radio still holds it own.
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| WK9L |
Rating: |
2006-02-23 | |
| Very Good |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was going to give this rig a 4 but it is a better radio than that. I have used most of the recent rigs so I do have something to referance it by. The receiver is very very good, and nice quiet. I was surpised that radio compares nicely
with most later rigs. I find myself using it and enjoying it alot. It is also a very good CW rig and the QSK works very good. if you get the chance try one I do think you will enjoy it.
Perry WK9L |
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| ZS5J |
Rating: |
2006-02-22 | |
| Kenwood, at its best |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The decade from 1985 - 1995, Kenwood were without peer. They simply made the best sounding radio's, on rx and also tx. And the TS-850, was one of them. I still have mine.....and prefer the sound of its analogue audio, to my newer dsp radio's that sit alongside - FT-1000MKV, IC-746PRO, FT-100D, IC-7000, IC-706MK11G, TS-2000
etc. These other fansy dsp radio's have an inherent hollow sound when you engage the dsp. They still don't perform like my 850. What will it take us, to convince Kenwood to continue this legacy of the 8 series. A Kenwood TS-880S, with 3 antenna sockets on the back and a cosmetic improvement on the 850 - they dont even need to have DSP, would have me first in line for a couple of them. |
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| W0LC |
Rating: |
2006-02-22 | |
| Best Radio Ever Made |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have used a number of radios over the years and I am so sorry I ever parted with my 850 for something "new".
My 850 worked great. Had excellent selectivity and sensitivity. I would rate it on par with my IC-775DSP and IC-765's that I have had. I like it also because it didn't have the drop in AC Supplies which increase internal heat and weight.
If you look at the product review numbers, they speak for themselves. At the current pricing of used ones, you would be hard pressed to find anything remotely versatile and useful as the 850 on today's market.
I have yet to meet a DSP that makes an S-1 signal into an S-4 signal. DSP is nice on the ears, but to me, has yet to really prove itself as a weak signal puller.
The 850 has a cult following and for good reason. I am trying to get myself another one at the moment, and I am certain, a review of it would be a 5+ also.
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| KE9K |
Rating: |
2006-02-21 | |
| Kenwoods Best HF Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| There as yet to be made a dsp hf radio that can hear as well as a 850s. I have had mine for 10 trouble free years. If you never own one you will never know what a great radio this is. Still waiting for kenwood to improve on this radio. May have a very long wait ! Joe ke9k |
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| WR1H |
Rating: |
2006-02-20 | |
| Never will there be a better unit made by Kenwood |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have had mine operating since 1990.
WHAT ?
Yes sir ! 1990. Thast is 16 years. I have changed the backup battery once.
It now plays second fiddle to my FT-1000MP, but I still use it as a spotter. One of the best receivers ever made in a rig.
HOW MANY RIGS DO YOU HAVE THAT YOU CAN SAY THAT ABOUT ??? |
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| K6CU |
Rating: |
2006-01-02 | |
| I still have mine... |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've been tempted to buy a new radio. Just love those screens on the IC-746 and IC-756 radios. And, lets face it, I've had this one for ten years now so getting something "new" would be great fun.
I just can't do it, thanks to the eHam reviews I've been reading.
The TS-850s is just a great radio. No problems. No sending the radio to the tech for repairs. It just keeps doing its job without any excuses!
Unlike the 746's display and xmit problems, and other issues noted in the 756 reviews, the 850 just keeps working.
The internal antenna tuner is great. For the cw operator, having the built-in keyer is nice too. Another advantage over other radios I've used is the wide variety of filter options that can be selected, and the slope tuning.
The main reason I'll keep the 850 is it's reliable, no issues, and you don't need to dig down through several menus. It's all right there on the front panel, with a limited menu to change some of the basic features. |
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| ZS1AN |
Rating: |
2005-11-28 | |
| Good contest radio but has a couple of niggles |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had my TS-850SAT for just over a year, but decided to wait a while before reviewing it. I've used it for DXing and contesting, almost entirely CW. Some hot and heavy use (including two CQWW DX CW contests) has brought out a couple of niggles. I'll start with these.
1. You can key the rig either from paddles, or from a straight key, but not from both. This is a problem as I like to key from my logging computer, but also be able to add fills manually with my paddle.
2. The sidetone level is an internal adjustment. The level that suits me for casual DXing leaves my ears ringing after a 48-hour contest!
3. The break-in delay is adjusted by a trimmer on the back panel. I often work semi-break-in (when there is a lot of static in the African summer, which makes QSK unpleasant) but when you QRS for a slower station, you need to be able to adjust the break-in delay, which is not possible (at least not easy) on the TS-850S.
4. There is no band data output for operating external antenna selectors etc. Fortunately it was quite easy to build my own using the internal band -select signals.
5. I have both the 1.8 KHz SSB filter and the 500 Hz CW filter installed. I find quite a lot of blow-by with both filters. The noise level also increases when using the 500Hz filter, probably caused by uncompensated insertion loss, which means sometimes you face the choice of having your ears assaulted by a nearby "big gun" or missing weaker stations if you use the 500Hz filter.
Other than this, the rig is superb. It doesn't even blink when the other local contesters are also active on the same band - sometimes I park 1-2 KHz away from another contester who is running high power, hoping that stations that originally heard him and pointed their beams towards South Africa will then also hear me, and get the multiplier without having to wait in his pileup :) Apart from key clicks (which he, being a real gentleman, has now fixed) I never hear a thing.
The internal auto-tuner is excellent, tuning well beyond the 3:1 SWR specified for most internal tuners, although not with quite the same tuning range as my Palstar AT1KM manual tuner.
I love the solid "big-rig" feel of these older Kenwoods. Of course it doesn't have DSP noise reduction, infinitely variable bandwidth or a sub-receiver. I would certainly love all of these. But it does the basics superbly.
It gets a "4" for the niggles. I'm a hard man to please. |
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| PY3KT |
Rating: |
2005-11-09 | |
| Still a Classic |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought my first transceiver Kenwood TS850S-AT in 1994 and sold it at excellent conditions in 2001. Bad idea...
Now I bought another of second hand market, but in equal conditions that I had sold my first and unforgetable transceiver. Pretty, solid and functional. Just enough for me. Without a doubt, still a classic radio.
Greetings from Brazil.
PY3KT - Joel |
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