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Reviews For: Kenwood TS-670

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

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Review Summary For : Kenwood TS-670
Reviews: 5MSRP:
Description:
All Mode 10W Quad Bander
Product is not in production
More Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TS-670/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0054.6
W1CBI Rating: 2007-06-22
great QRP rig Time Owned: N.A.
I have used the TSS670 as my 1 watt 10 meter phone rig with excellent results.I use the Heil Classic mike to give it great SSB and AM audio quality.I have used it on 40m AM at 3/4 watt carrier modulated to 2.5 watts and tube transmitter good audio,found getting it to 1 watt,500mw and 300mw phone pretty easy.

RECIEVER: very good rating hears zero S unit audio,now on 10 meters I was using an antenna of reasonably high gain.....4 element over 4 element stacked monobanders(modified and stacked at 16 feet apart. 40 meters only a dipole and on 6 meter a cushcraft 617B,15 meters used an R-5 vertical.
JA1ML Rating: 2004-12-26
Kenwood TS-670 Quad Bander good rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
There are very few of these transceiver in the United States. This rig was sold as a novice rig for the Japanese amateur running 10 watts only on 7, 21, 28 and 50 Mhz as per the license structure. Once upgraded the amateur in Japan could buy the matching accesory linear amplifier made by Tokyo Hy-power, Quad Band Power Amplifier model HL-670Q. If you own a TS-670 we would like to hear from you. You should join the Yahoo group for the TS-670
See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TS-670/
K7VO Rating: 2004-07-03
Neat QRP rig, very good on 6m Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Kenwood TS-670 is the second generation of the "All Mode Quad Bander", 10W rigs which covered 6m and three HF bands. The original, the TS-660, covered 6, 10, 12, and 15 meters and is absolutely brilliant with a fantastic receiver. It was replaced by the TS-670 somewhere around 1985, after the TS-430 but before the TS-440 hit the market. The rig looks like a cross between a 430 and a 440, and it does, in fact, have the same microprocessor that would later be used in the TS-440S. The TS-670 covers 6, 10, 15, and 40 meters, and a mod to add 12 meters does exist and was quite popular among owners of the rig when it was Kenwood's latest and greatest. Ouput power is 10W maximum SSB/CW/FM, but can be adjusted to less than a watt. AM power output is 4W.

Unlike the TS-660 (at least in the U.S.), the FM board was not standard on the TS-670. The FM-430, the same board as used in the TS-430S/V, adds FM capability. Another neat option board was the GC-10 which added general coverage receive capability from 500kHz to 30MHz.

I got my first TS-670 when they first hit the market, trading in my TS-660 for the latest, greatest HF/6m rig from Kenwood. The addition of 40m and the general coverage receive option made the TS-670 seem very attractive to me. At the time I regretted buying a TS-670 very quickly. My original TS-670 had problems. Evrry 100kHz the sensitivity would drop to nearly nothing and these deaf spots across all the four bands drove me nuts. The GC-10 general coverage receive board was deaf compared to the main receiver. Other times the rig would lose sensitivity for no apparent reason, but if I went up or down a band and then back again the receiver would cut back in. The rig made a couple of trips back to Kenwood who proclaimed my complaints to be "design issues" and not something they could repair. I sold my TS-670 in disgust and bought a used TS-660 to replace it.

Over the interceding years friends who were active on 6m and HF QRP simply raved about how good the TS-670 was. I couldn't understand it. Probably two of the most technically savvy members of our local ham club think the TS-670 is one of the best products Kenwood ever made. I decided to give it a second chance and found a very clean one in an estate sale, complete with the FM-430 and GC-10. I quickly added the YK-88CN 270Hz CW filter and the YK-88A AM filter.

Bottom line: the TS-670 is a very good rig, but I still prefer the TS-660 for outright performance and a seemingly flawless design. The TS-670, however, has enough advantages over the TS-660 in features and band coverage and is good enough to be a very good choice.

For example, I've just had nice ragchews on 6m and 40m SSB (yes, at 10W on 40 at night!) and the rig gets consistently good transmitted audio reports. The receive audio is very good as well, as you might expect from Kenwood rigs of that generation. Kenwoods always seemed to have great audio. The GC-10 is not quite as sensitive as the main receiver but it is hardly deaf. I tune around 17m or 20m and it hears pretty much as well as other rigs. It's just that it doesn't compare to the truly hot receiver the TS-670 has on the four bands it was designed to primarily cover plus 12 meters.

I don't have the deaf spots my original rig has, but I do hear an audible click if I tune slowly across certain frequencies ending in .x00.0. I guess Kenwood partially sorted out the issue in later production runs, but it's still not 100% perfect. Yes, I'm nitpicking. Most people probably don't even notice.

AM receive audio without the optional AM filter just plain stinks. Yes, you can tune off some and it will become about tolerable, but I think the TS-670 is worse than the TS-430S/V in that respect. Add the AM filter and the TS-670 becomes a wonderful rig for SWLing with absolutely gorgeous AM audio. Add an external speaker to really appreciate how good it is.

The stock SSB filter bandwidth is 2.5kHz. While that's awfully narrow for AM it is way too wide on crowded CW bands, like the bottom of 40m. The 270Hz YK-88CN is very good and doesn't ring or sound hollow. With that filter the TS-670 is a very fine CW rig. Of course, it only has the typical Japanese semi-QSK. I wish it had true full break in capability.

Unlike the TS-430 and TS-440 there is no place for a narrow SSB filter which, IMHO, is a pity. I use a Mizuho AP-1D Audio Processor (see my review) for QSOs on a crowded band, especially in among the broadcasters on 40m. A good DSP unit would do even better.

The rig has 80 memories which is more than enough for even the avid SWLer. You can also use the keypad to directly enter a frequency, a nicety the TS-660 and TS-430 lacked. FM repeater operation is accomplished by running split between the two VFOs. The memories cannot be used for split operation. There is also no allowance for a tone encoder. If your main interest is 10m and 6m repeater work the TS-670 is probably not a great choice.

The noise blanker works well, the IF shift is quite effective, and the squelch works in all modes, something that wasn't the case on the TS-660. That makes the TS-670 great for listening for 6m band openings without having to hear white noise the whole time.

Overall the TS-670 is a very good rig and I'm going to keep mine. It does have some quirks and flaws as I've described, so I can't rate it a 5, but it comes pretty close. If you can find one at a reasonable price with the options you want by all means consider it. If it doesn't have the options you want (i.e.: filters, FM board) you can find them but it will add to your total cost and may make the rig less attractive. If you want the GC-10 board make sure the rig comes with it installed as those are very rare on the used market, as is the VOX-4 external VOX and speech processor option.

So, yes, I recommend the TS-670 with some caveats. I think my original one was just a lemon. My current one is anything but.
LA0GE Rating: 2004-05-14
Thank you Rin Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi. Just got the rig from my friend Rin in Japan.
My TS-670 looks brand new and works like brand new.
Very good receiver on 6m and as good as any receiver on the other 3 bands.
Have been working some qso's on 6m this evening with very good results. Do you want a no nonsense rig? This is it. Not easy to find.
Thanks again to Rin for the help finding one for me.
I have had the radio for 2 days now so this is only my first impressions of the rig.
Mine has the general coverage unit GC-1 for receive from 500khz to 30mhz.
Feel free to contact me for any questions.
WA0TML Rating: 2000-06-26
Very Good QRP Multi-Mode Transceiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a very good radio as a base or portable. It provides coverage of 40 Meters, 15 Meters, 10 Meters and 6 Meters with an output power of approximately 6.5 watts (it can be adjusted for 5 watts out). The modes are LSB, USB, CW, AM and FM (with optional FM unit - FM430). The radio also functions as a General Coverage receiver with the GC 10 unit. It comes standard with a SSB filter. CW and AM filters are available as options. There are two VFOs for split operation or selecting frequencies on different bands. There are even 80 memory channels (in banks of 10) and two SO-239 antenna connectors (one for all bands and one just for 6 meters - switch selectable). You can even add a Voice Synthesizer just for kicks. Matching accessories include a power supply (PS-20) and an external speaker (SP-430). The mounting bracket for mobile work is the MB-430.

This radio covers three of my favorite bands - 15, 6 and 40 (in that order). The receiver is selective and sensitive, it hears much better than my old tube rigs. There is an IF shift and you can select filters from the front pannel. You can dial in a frequency or enter one from the front panel key pad, very convienent. Even though the rig only puts out approximately 5 watts, I have found it to be more than enough for my casual and some serious contest operating. I have worked all continents, 80 + DX countries and most of the states. This radio does not have a speech processor but I have received many compliments about the audio quality. It comes with a handheld mic with up/down buttons on the top of the mike.

The front panel is laid out nicely and everything is easy to find. On my unit the key pad is a bit sensitive and I have to enter a frequency with a light touch. The filters work great and the CW filter is a lifesaver during CW contests. This radio does not interface with a computer but I can live with that. It is a pleasure to use and is not really that old mid 80s vintage (I think), well 80s anyway. Again if I can hear them I can usually work them. If you do not mind not having all the bands available in your radio, then this is a good bet.