| VK2MS |
Rating:  |
2022-07-19 | |
| The best commercial trx on performance and weight |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Never had a problem in the 15 years I have owned the set. It's not QRP as some claim as it will run 10W however one can wind it back to QRP input. I fitted the narrowest cw filter which suits me fine....my laziness to exclude interference.... It's the set I said I'd never sell but asbestosis sees me trying to sell of my things and not leave it for my children to cope-with or the 'estate sale' vultures ripping them off perhaps ending up on eBay with grandiose but evasive claims...as is commonplace.
The 130V is not 'moderny' light, but a lot lighter than say an 820S. It is extremely sensitive and has all the features one can wish-for ...including RIT and excellent filters...or should I say 'ancilliary filter potential' which when added, are extremely good.'. I have hauled it out again (2022) as have been focused on restoring BC348's and others to sell, perhaps 'unconsciously' 'avoiding' selling the TS130V. (I have sold my ART-13 recently but still have ART spares to go and several 348's)..My decades as an SWL with regens (I still have three ) and primitive military sets taught me to be a ham, rather than an 'armchair-operator'...and also to deplore rarely-giving of call signs and interference from high power operators with seemingly no awareness even of SWL's. . ...It was so frustrating particularly when long time waiting to get a call sign, overcome by high power Tx or hanging in there in the fade when kW users ruin it. Maybe that made the 130V attractive ..a sort of protest...
I still give ithe 130V five stars not-withstanding exposure-to and use of 'ultra modern' transceivers with every conceivable utility. I disagree strongly and rationally with those who praise the 130 but dismiss its 'features' as incomparable' with modern sets. Why even go there? Ok...for me modern sets are an appeal to bank-balance narcissism and bragging rights of little use even if/unless button-pressing obsessed by 'dx-competition'. I feel I am lacking nothing...tot he contrary with my 130V ...I was raised on simplicity and wealth was what one became, not what one could buy, not luxury. (yes...it WAS post-'dust bowl!!)
The 130V should be looked-at for the service it so brilliantly hands us...as Amateur operators rather than para commercials. Aware of arguments against so please don't.......I'd prefer to have hamband operation reduced to 100W max PEP. I suppose that's attempting to recapture the old days where experimentation was primary and examinations very testing as to join the group was not a 'constitutional right' but a hard-earned success post WW11. In explanation:
The TS 130V will do everything TRx necessary to make good communication within its PEP and the conditions. The 130V faced with a mania for kW's breaching the once commonsense Ham courtesies has the same 'problem' as other rigs. It was long a courtesy...and ARRL held dictum of using only the power needed to maintain communication AFTER taking due diligence to ensure you are not disturbing existing comm's. If so desperate to be heard that one resorts to kW into hi-gain rather than just 'missout' then power should be wound back to minimum on contact...as is required in marine licensing.
I have example as did another of excellent comm's with distant operators using many times the input to the 130V. My examples were "I had no antenna so used the club antenna at Gold Coast club. I was running at 7W measured input into an offset dipole. At miday oI QSO'd with a chap from Canberra .. 5/9 plus both ways. What gear are you suing he asked "TS130V running 7W input"...'not possible...that's just not possible'...well that's what it is, why what's the problem?' "You are same report as myself and I'm running 400W into a 12dB beam'...'(I laughed...)...well you see power and performance are not linear' He muttered and we finished up. That evening I hooked into the beam which was not operational and pointing who knows where. Heard a Kiwi just finishing QSO witha chap from Wales who was about to shut down. I grabbed the Kiwi who gave me 7-8/ 4...couldn't believe I was running 7W...'said let me call back (Wales) for a check for you'. He did and got the chap just before he closed down.... I was 4/4 into Wales . I think the beam, which would of course have a multiplier effect must have been pointing at one or the other location and I was going long path to one of them. That might have been 'god' saying 'last chance before I completely buggar the HF system '
I'd own a TS130V over any more featured , more modern set,...that means ANY however pretentious and 'advanced' it might-be. The results I get from the 130V are 'earned' through skills not through just pressing another button...It's the difficulty, not the ease which always attracted me to SWL and the Amateur radio Service. Ok.. I admit to envy at one stage of those with new, flash Kenwoods, but when many years later the 130V turned up and I decided to buy and try...it 'got'me owing to its astounding performance.... and .25microvolt for 10dB is seriously good performance. I still use 'more primitive' receivers nevertheless...such a s 2 and 3 tube regens...with plug-in coils. One of mine is a design masteriece.
Back on track...after perhaps provinding some 'memories' for older hams ...I heartily recommend (of course a well-working) TS130V ..bearing in mind that Kenwood no longer services them...however in 20 years or so I have never had a fault...
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| SQ5RDM |
Rating: |
2022-07-18 | |
| my favorite |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Kenwood 130V.It is small , very handy and durable. I use 130V together with bazooka antenna on 14 Mhz , which does a good job.
Especially the receiver is very sensitive. I am glad that I bought this 130V and I really recommend the purchase , if you hit a bargain buy it and you will not regret it . I will not compare it with modern transmitters because there is not even a point . I am for them to resume production of this transmitter . I recommend
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| DL6ZB |
Rating: |
2017-01-25 | |
| Nice radio still today. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
It's been a while since the last comment about that rig. In short: I'll give it a 5/5.
The TS-130V was my first shortwave transceiver way back in 1981. Performance is great still today. TRX still works fine. The receiver mixer is simple but effective. Thanks to the well built 5 MHz VFO the PLL works fine. Frequency stability is not as accurate as with modern DDS driven oscillators, although it is good enough for CW and SSB. After 15 minutes warmup the thing is rock stable. SSB modulation is surprisingly good. Audio is clear.
The rig is easy to maintain. Spare parts are still available today, mostly on ebay.
I changed the CW AGC hold time to about 1/3 of the SSB AGC hold time, since it was too fast for me. The TS-130V switches the AGC timing with the front panel mode switch.
The receiver audio hissed between slow CW dits and dahs. The AGC modification makes the CW reception much more comfortable. The modification for that CW AGC timing is very simple. Send me a mail if you need assistance.
CW filter is a must for the serious CWer. Most offered TS-130V have this built in. Check this before you buy one.
Reasonable price is about $/EUR 250 when TRX is in good condition. Works best in SSB with genuine Kenwood microphone. The Switchable SSB processor is a great thing and works well.
What I miss with this is an internal SWR meter, an internal CW keyer and 160/60 meter band option as well as QSK, although this does not lower the fun. QSK mod should be possible.
The TS-130V draws 700 mA in RX mode and about 3.8 amps in TX. This is low enough for an outdoor day with a relativly small battery. Anyway, the TS-130V is a tiny, beautiful mobil and portable shortwave transceiver of the 80's still today. You will hardly find more fun for the buck. |
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| GM0HKS |
Rating: |
2013-02-11 | |
| What a rig ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I was fortunate enough recently to acquire a TS130v at a very affordable price. Its all been said before but I reinforce the positive comments made by other owners. A remarkable receiver and transmitted note is superb. If you operate CW, fit the narrowband filter and see what a difference that makes. A fantastic improvement. The filter is installed at IF rather than audio and so really does what its supposed to do. I had to change the Omron IF board relay as it suffered from the historical latching problem causing loss of audio after a period of transmitting. Simple troubleshooting narrowed it down to the Omron relay fitted on the IF board. The relay contacts are extremely fine and delicate and I would not recommend any attempt to clean them. The long term solution is a replacement. No issue as I was able to obtain a few spare relays from Ebay and the installation was relatively straightforward. I have a 130v now which performs as though it has just come out of the showroom. If anyone needs instructions/guidance with photos as to how to change the IF board relay, get in touch. I've uploaded a file to the 120/130 Yahoo user group as well. It offers guidance with pictures which is always useful. 5/5 for me this little rig. I hope I manage many years of fault free operating with it. As to a previous comment re putting it up against the K2; I would not disagree with that. The receiver is extraordinarily good and front panel ergonomics a breeze to work with, even though I am left handed hi ! |
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| F5MUX |
Rating: |
2010-12-31 | |
| Realy outstanding QRP Rig ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Hi,
I just received via the post office this radio yesterday morning in perfect condition, like new. I'm Kenwood Fan, particulary vintage RIG like TS-850, TS-930 ... It's amazing what you can do with this compact radio. Take a look on YouTube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGelPQtkOYU
5 clips are now available ...
Just a quick remark, the S-meter is not generous in comparaison of the TS-850 or Pro-III. If somebody have a good idea to calibrated this analogic s-meter, It's will be fine !
See you next year and have a fun on QRP.
HNY 2011, Lee f5mux/qrp |
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| N2UGB |
Rating: |
2009-08-25 | |
| Follow up review TS-130V |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Just to add a few lines, now some months later.
1) No longer "scratchies" on AF or RF reception.
2) Bandswitch operating normally, if not timidly changed. Switch the darn thing!
3) Loosened and then tightened all boards where screws could be found. Solved a weakening and screetchy sidetone pitch. Couple other matters also.
4) No reports of drift or keying distortion. None to give,either. Good audio.
5) Was sold a defective used CW filter. Not cold solder so the filter NG. Using an old Timewave filter helps, but the CW filter would have been much better. Not looking for another.
6) Real QSK, not semi, would be undeniably helpful when working a DX station in a pile-up. I don't think I missed a contact because of that though. Doing pretty well with five to ten watts and a Buddistick out the window.
7) I love my FT-817ND, but I love the TS-130V too, especially it's lack of memories, worse imbedded memories.
I will keep it until it goes to a recycler. Maybe not even then. |
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| WB2LHP |
Rating: |
2007-09-21 | |
| Solid QRP Performance |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Outstanding little performer. This is a fully user-serviceable radio. No microprocessors or non-standard components. Solid, well built. Great receiver. Small size but plenty of nice features. I work most everything I hear with a simple wire antenna. |
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| EA4RJ |
Rating: |
2006-08-08 | |
| Nice vintage QRP transceiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Looking for a TS-120V or TS-130V for several years, my dream come true at last.
Found one of these transceivers on a Spanish QRP forum at reasonable price: 250€. That was including a TS-130V plus VFO-120 and desk mic MC-50, and shipping. Not bad. The rig showed several scratches at the cabinet, that means could be used mostly mobile or portable. As a CW-only operator, the key jack seems to be hard to plug in (perhpas never used?). No filters included that was a nightmare... Fortunately, I have found both SSB (1.8kHz) and CW (500Hz) narrow filters, new condition, in a store located in France (70€ each).
The rig itself works as I expected. Receiver is quite good and compete seriously with my Elecraft K2 (without digital filtering) and my little Yaesu FT-817 (another one with blown finals syndrome here). Power output over a dummy load was 12 Watts in all bands.
After a few hours of use in CW mode, receiver failed intermitenly. The fault was located at IF Unit, 4PDT unsealed relay (OMRON LZN4). Looking desperately for replacement, finally I learnt that there is an exact macth to make a clean fix. The original one is no longer manufactured. You will find a sealed 4PDT relay as NF4EB-12V. Brands who make this kind of relay are NAIS/Matsushita and Aromat/Panasonic.
Now I am using it as my main HF rig. Because I am not interested in split mode, I am selling the remote VFO, and even the K2. No need for more HF rigs, hi.
PROS: easy to use, QRP level, amateur bands only, clean audio, nice sensitivity.
CONS: notch filter, mechanical (relays, waffer band switch).
Rafael, EA4RJ |
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| K2BK |
Rating: |
2005-10-21 | |
| A Great little radio. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Back in the mid 80's, I was in the market for my first all solid state, 13.8 volt rig to use on trips and field day.
I was was looking at the TS-130V and the TS-130SE, and was leaning towards the TS-130V.
"Friends" talked me into buying the TS-130SE (MORE POWER, and POWER IS GOOD!!), and I bought the SE, loaded it with the 1.8 and 270 filters and still have it. It's a good radio.
But I always looked back and thought I should have bought the TS-130V. That little 130V would be a lot of fun with a motorcycle battery. So about four years ago, I started looking for a TS-130V. Many that I found had been mobile rigs and look real beat.
Three years ago, I found a NEW one that belonged to a collector who was getting out - it was still in the box, and had the 1.8 and 270 filters (still in boxes).
Well... I paid (and paid and paid) for it and couldn't be happier.
It is a great little QRP rig - unlike most QRP radios, it still feels like a real radio, and at field day, anyone can run it with two minutes of instruction - try that with any of the current crop of QRP radios.
I currently own a crop of high end radios, including a Icom 756 Pro-III, but the little TS-130V has a special place in my heart, and still gets a lot of use.
Paul - K2BK |
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| DL3OCM |
Rating: |
2005-02-27 | |
| Won't give it away |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
At around the time I was born - when my mom was on pregnancy leave, she passed the ham radio examination, got a SW-license and chose the TS-130V as her radio. 14 years later I really regretted she didn't take the TS-130S with reasonable power output... But she added the excellent 250-Hz-CW-Filter
I'm not active anymore myself but I will keep this rig, no matter what. It may be old, it may be heavier as other QRP-rigs, but if you want to use it as a home station you have a very compact radio. Of course featurewise it can't compete with any of the modern transceivers, but the receiver sensitivity and clarity is still great! It is a pleasure to listen to a clean, crisp signal without any audible "ringing" that narrow filters are prone to.
I tested it against a Drake TR7 and Kenwood TS-870, both are a bit better, but I was surprised to see how close the 130V got! Along with the excellent 250-Hz-CW-filter, it will be perfect for CW enthusiasts.
The only little drawback I noticed was that upon CQ-calls, most stations answered about 200-Hz above my frequency, so that when you are using a narrow cw filter, you might not hear them. I wonder if other people have made similar experiences.
However, this problem can easily be solved, it is just a little annoyance.
If you are really sure you won't need the higher output version which I assume has the same receiver capabilities, you will be happy with the TS-130V!
good DX |
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