| KE0SBX |
Rating:  |
2024-06-25 | |
| My First Ever HF radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Although this rig has been replaced with my Yaesu FT-891, I still have lots of great memories with this thing! It was my first ever HF radio given to me by another ham in the community. I frequented 15 meters very often on this and, as a result, I still do. I've had this radio for around 5 years now, and 40 years later (yes, 40!) after leaving the factory, it still operates like it's brand new. When I first got it, the 12 meter jumper was still attached, so if you do get one of these and can't TX on 12, open it up and remove that jumper wire (as a side note, these were made when the 12 meter band was in the process of being approved for amateur use).
10 watts may not seem like a lot for HF operations, and some may consider it QRP on SSB. But I am here to say that I talked across the pond to an Italian station with little to no issue! I also made dozens and dozens of FT8 QSOs without any hiccups. On top of that, my random wire antenna I used was situated in my bedroom! I never operated on 6 meters but I don't see why there wouldn't be any problems!
An Easy-Digi soundcard module paired really nicely with this radio, though later on I opted to use a SignaLink. Both worked excellent and I got excellent audio reports while using these interfaces.
If I had to add some things on, I'd definitely add an encoder board for CTCSS as well as a CW crystal filter. There's a spot to do this in the radio, but I'm not sure if you have to use the one manufactured by Kenwood for these radios or if you can get away with using a generic or homebrewed filter.
I plan on passing this rig on to one of my very young family members who wants to become a ham, and I feel that the TS-660 would be a great radio for him. Despite it having only 15 through 6 meter capability, USB sideband only, no bandpass filtering on CW, and being VERY bulky, this was an excellent radio for me and was my only gateway to HF for my first 5 years as a ham. It's exactly what I pictured when I thought of a ham radio. If you find one of these radios for a steal, GET IT! It is well worth it. You just can't beat these old radios. |
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| KC4IH |
Rating: |
2005-06-24 | |
| Just bought a TS-660 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just bought a TS-660 off Ebay and am very satisfied. The rx seems very sensitive and the tx is in spec. The radio looks brand new and the price was right. There are not many mods for the radio on the net and am wondering if anyone has an idea hom much current it takes to hold the memorys??? Also what voltage? And is there a tone encoder board made for this thing?? I have searched around and seems that when it was made hardly anyone had to run tone boards but thanks to tons of RF from pagers and all the other trashy RF signals that are cluttering up every frequency known to man they are a "must have" these days... Ah, the good ol' days!
I don't really intend to us the FM mode much but it would still be nice to work a repeater if the desire hit.
I really got a steal on Ebay and to find the radio in this condition amazed me. Thanks to the seller for not being a ham and not knowing anything about marketing! Even the 12 meter jumper had never been pulled... learned when testing the output. So I tore it open and sure enough the jumper was still plugged in.
If anyone has any ideas on backing up the memories permantly (battery, not wall wart) or adding CTCSS to it I would appreciate it. Ken@area-net.com KC4IH |
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| N0TONE |
Rating: |
2004-07-08 | |
| Neat rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Two notable drawbacks and a couple of minor ones..
It's USB only (no LSB). That turned out to be a big deal for my application. I was trying to use the rig to transvert to the microwave bands and some of the transverters invert the sideband, so you want an LSB IF rig.
The other notable drawback is that the receiver has a birdie right on the 6 meter calling frequency of 50.110 MHz. It's weak, and a mast-mounted preamp overcomes it.
Minor points - no VOX, which isn't a big deal on phone, but for CW, it's funny to have to manually push the "xmit" button. No repeater offset, but you handle that by entering the TX/RX frequencies in separate memory locations. Also, no built-in PL, but that can be added.
It was the first rig I ever used mobile - not many other rigs were built this small at the time, and had so many bands. If they added 20 meters, then it would cover all of the most useful mobile bands!
Service manual available for free at www.mods.dk!
AM |
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| KG4MUW |
Rating: |
2002-07-29 | |
| TS-660 User Product Review |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I purchased my TS-660 about 1 year ago for $285. I've lately seen them for $400. It was used, of course, but in excellent condition. Complete with original box, documentation, and receipt. I also have the MB100 mount for the radio. I have used it mobile, portable, sitting on a box while camping, and riding on the seat of a rental car with a mag mount.
There is no question, this is an excellent radio. I have several HF/6M radios, most of which I would sell or trade when the price is right. However, I do not believe I would part with my 660. I have worked the prior owner on this rig and the SSB quality is excellent. The AM is not bad, but you will not get any award winning reports on this rig in AM mode. It sounds as good as any rig in 6m FM mode. Although I rarely use FM.
The mic freq control makes it a reasonably safe HF mobile radio, but you do have to use the lock to keep it from switching freq when you hit a bump in the road. A feature badly needed in the old TS-120S. The noise blanker is very effective, and will adequately eliminate most ignition noise.
The speaker is less than adequate, but a good external speaker resolves the problem. The audio output is fine to drive my old Motorola mobile speaker to full volume.
I have never touched the ref osc, and it is dead on freq. The prior owner turned up the output and ran it with about 15 watts for about a year. He turned it back down before I purchased it, but it still makes 11-12 watts on SSB.
I am about to put it back into my truck to run the 6M summer season again.
I would definitely buy another one.
Ken
KG4MUW |
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| KU4QD |
Rating: |
2002-07-11 | |
| I just rediscovered what a pleasure this rig is |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Two years after I wrote my original rview, in which I lamented selling my TS-660, I have one again. I have once again discovered that this rig is simply a pleasure on the air. It's simple, straightforward, and just plain works well in every respect.
I'm on a tight budget nowadays, and this is one relatively inexpensive rig that just keeps going and providing lots of pleasure on the air.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KU4QD on 2000-06-22
I ran one of these little rigs from Kenwood for at least 10 years, and I regret letting it go. The TS-660 came out after the TS-130 series, but before the TS-430, and it has similarities to both rigs. It covers 6, 10, 12, and 15 meters at 10 watts SSB PEP, CW, or FM, and 4 watts AM. Much like the 430, it has dual VFOs, IF shift, split capablility, a blue flourescent display, memories and scanning, and is about the same size as a TS-130V or TS-430V (QRP versions without the heat sinks). It's main strong point is it's receiver, which was excellent for an early '80s vintage rig, and it's outstanding transmit and receive audio. Optional filters are the same as the 430 and 130 for CW and AM. Unfortunately, there is no allowance for a narrow SSB filter. You needed no special add on board for FM. Everything was built in right from the factory. I ran this rig both base and mobile, and got excellent reports in all modes. The choice of bands may seem odd, but for QRP these are the four which are uncrowded enough and open enough to have tons of success. VOX and a speech processor aren't included, but were available as an external (and now hard to find) VOX-4 option. A wall cube for memory backup was also available, as this rig did not have a lithium battery. Of course, that means it can't go brain dead either, like some rigs of that generation. If the rig had a drawback, it's that power consumption was very high for a QRP rig (rated at 4.5 amps on transmit, and nearly an amp on receive), so it's not very suitable for battery-operated portable work. The SP-120 speaker matches this rig for size and color, and the PS-20 was the matching power supply, for those who like to get all the pieces. I've seen these on the market for $350 or so lately, and I kick myself every time I fail to budget one in. This is one fun rig. |
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| W8VKD |
Rating: |
2002-04-02 | |
| Wish I still had mine |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The TS-660 was one of my first HF rigs. It was a solid performer on all bands. Good receiver on 6mtrs. Like the previous review, it was simple to operate, all solid state and good lookin to boot. As I get along in this hobby (22 years now) I find that all my old Kenwood rigs were good solid performers. Which is why I recently bought the TS-B2000. It's got to be the best radio value I've bought yet. Super performance all the way through. |
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| Chris |
Rating: |
2002-04-02 | |
| Great little radio for the $$ |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I bought a TS-660 some time ago, used and I love the pure functionality of the radio.
Easy to use, easy to figure out, no complications. Mine didn't have 6 meters working even
though the seller told me it worked. Found a defective relay driver on 6. Fixed and works FB now.
What I like is you can play around on 15, 12 or 10 and then pop over to 6 to listen to the activity or jump in and work something. The 10W output shouldn't scare you. Most 6 meter amsp use 10 Watts input. For HF DX work, it works fine.
This is kinds of an oddity or rare radio, not sure how to classify it. But it is a fun radio on the same line as the TS-130, another cult following !
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| V73GOD |
Rating: |
2001-11-25 | |
| Sure and Fun |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The TS-660 is now my travel radio for touring the Pacific Region. I have used it from Kwajalein as a QRP rig and now I have it for travelling to islands in the region. The receiver is pretty good for it's age and the audio is always clean and clear. With 3-4 watts it's a kick when 6 / 10 meters are open. Using an HV7A antenna in the sand on a beach in an exotic location with battery power is what communications are all about. It's not as small as others but to me this radio is the golden age of Kenwood. It's a niche radio and has a small but faithful cult following, as does it's cousin the 130V. Bert |
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| VE3EFJ |
Rating: |
2001-09-10 | |
| A Pleasure to own |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| This radio stands the test of time. At the time it was marketed (mid 1980's, est) this radio was (in retrospect) ahead of its time. It really exhibits no bad manners at all. On 6M, it is *very* sensitive and quiet. It is well thought out, easy to operate and is considerably underrated for power output. The market hasn't decided whether its an odd-ball or a bit of a collectors item. If you are interested in operating 15M to 6M with something a little different, I'd suggest giving this radio a try. Kenwood did good! |
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| VE3HG |
Rating: |
2000-10-30 | |
| Love it! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| When my IC-756 wouldn't xmit on the eve of the CQWWDX contest (2000), sent rig to doctor and picked up TS-660 at fleamarket for $300 (Cnd. - about $150 - $175 US.)Fired up on 10 meters and worked 200 plus contacts at 5 watts including Marshal Is., Greece, VK, ZL...using a TA-33 Jr beam up 50 feet. Front end not bad for little rig made in 1980s. Noise blanker very good. Okay, not as good as DSP but $2,500 difference in cost to non-working 756. Dual vfos and 5 memories. Excellent audio reports including two way FM simplex to England with 20db signals both ways. Need to find cheap cw and am filter and desk mic. Love to find accessory VOX unit. (ve3hg@rac.ca). Highly recommend for backup rig despite no coverage below 15 MHz. 73 - Peter |
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