| WA4JWU |
Rating:      |
2010-12-12 | |
| great |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned one of these for more than 15 years now. I purchased another one about 2 years ago and just today bought another one that has a bad pot on the vol switch. I will check my source to see if any are still in stock. They are close replacements but work great for me, total audio is a little lower but has not been an issue, and they are turn on rather than push models.
The only issue I have is the bad pots, you can take them apart and rebuild them or there is sometimes replacements that can be found on the net.
Best receiver ever made for 2 M SSB. 25 watts out is a little light but a cheap brick will get you up and running in short order.
Best of all, there is no menu's, just knobs a buttons. You got a like that.
To bad the 3 bigs don't still make all modes like this. I would be 1st in line to get a new model.
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by WA4JWU on 2009-06-22
This has been a great rig. As long as I can keep it going it will remain on the air. However I need help in locating an on/off/volume/squelch switch board.
rverble@cfl.rr.com |
|
| G1HQK |
Rating:      |
2010-10-16 | |
| Brilliant |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Had mine from new and it was fab, my only regret was that I sold it several years ago for a shack in a box, wonder why the big names have not continued with this type of radio, there is a market for them worldwide. |
|
| GM6TVR |
Rating:  |
2010-06-12 | |
| Disaster |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Traded in my super 9130 for the 751E, used it for two weeks, went to work in Dubai, switched it on 13 months after purchase only to find the microprocessor had gone down. Cost me an arm and a leg to have it repaired, plus the usual UK courier charges. Fired it up on my next return home and found that it transmitted elsewhere in the spectrum. Traded this one in for six tins of dog meat. Never replaced Kenwood with Kenwood ever again. Good luck with yours, John |
|
| ZL3JT |
Rating:     |
2010-02-09 | |
| Squelch control |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Kenwood TR751 and TR851 Volume/Squelch control repair.
Part number: R23-9402-05
This part is now discontinued but might be repairable. Test each pot resistance to ensure the carbon track is OK. Squelch 50k Volume 20K (some may vary)
1. Dismantle the radio to expose the unit and remove it from the circuit board.
2. Carefully file off the ends of the two rivets flush with the rear plate.
3. Prise the rear plate off, and remove the switch unit.
4. Pull out the rivets, then remove the ‘C’ clip from the central shaft.
5. Remove the central (volume shaft).
6. Dismantle each potentiometer in turn, taking care not to mix the parts.
7. Clean the wipers with contact cleaner on the cotton bud.
8. The centre contact ring of each potentiometer will be dirty and oxidized, clean and polish the contact rings with silver polishing fluid soaked cotton bud. Then clean off the excess, and buff with a clean bud.
9. Temporarily assemble each pot, hold together and test resistance between the centre wiper and the outside terminals as the control is rotated.
10. Reassemble each unit with a touch of lubricant. (WD40 or CRC56)
11. Manufacture new rivets from copper wire, reassemble the units in reverse order of dismantling, and fit new rivets, (see below).
12. Carefully refit the rear plate, and re-rivet by tapping carefully with a small jeweller’s hammer.
13. Test resistances again for full rotation, then assemble the circuit board and re-assemble the radio.
This is a very delicate operation as the units are tiny. Great care must be taken when riveting, and ensure the head of each rivet is directly on an ‘anvil’ otherwise the plastic components will break.
Manufacture of rivets.
The rivet diameter is 0.038 inches, approximately 1.0mm. I used copper wire 1.0mm.
I made a jig in my lathe out of ½ inch brass hex, about 10mm long, drilled a 1.0mm hole in the centre, then cut with a fine jeweller’s saw from one side into the centre hole. This jig enable me to grip the copper wire in the lathe chuck. With about 0.5mm of wire protruding out of the jig, I carefully formed the rivet head by tapping with a jeweller’s hammer as the lathe slowly turned.
Then I reversed the formed rivet in the jig, and at a distance of 25.0mm, and leaving 1.5mm exposed, I used a fine file to reduce the diameter of the rivet to fit the holes in the rear plate. Check the correct length by careful measurement.
Assemble was a little tight as the copper wire is about 0.002 inches too large, but it was not difficult and made the whole unit feel ‘tight’.
Fit the rear plate, and test the potentiometers again, check the operation of the switch etc, before carefully forming the rivet ends over to finish. Make sure the units are held with the rivet heads on the ‘anvil’ as the other ends are formed with a jeweller’s hammer. Take your time, many taps with a 1 ounce hammer, rather than a few with a bigger one. The ‘shoulder’ on the rivet should match the rear plate to take the stress away from the switch and pots while riveting.
If you don't want to tackle this job yourself, find someone who will and use this for a guide!
Q & A via QRZ.com/zl3jt
|
|
| G7TOK |
Rating:      |
2009-10-12 | |
| Unrivalled |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The best performing 2m multimode bar none.
I have personally compared this transceiver to an FT-221R with Mutek, an FT-225RD with Mutek, and a stock Icom IC-275H and Yaesu FT-736R.
It is consistently able to resolve weak signals, show immunity to strong in-band and out-of band interference and demonstrate a receive unencumbered by synthesizer products or poor receiver design.
Barring the known issue with the dual-concentric vol/sq controls, it is solidly built, has no noisy cooling fans and has a clean output signal perfect for driving amplifiers.
As an indication of its ability, it even performs better than the radio made to replace it, the TM-255E.
It's a sad indictment of Kenwoods attitude that no more spares are being made for the vol/sq control, how many of these wonderful radios must now be resigned to the scrap pile or languishing unused because of this ?
|
|
| W3RXO |
Rating:      |
2008-08-11 | |
| Best all mode 2M ever, IMHO! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I am on my second one, and my only regret is having sold the first one, that I bought brand new, around 1989, or so. Super hot receive, great transmit audio, easy to use and a real workhorse, of a radio. It really shines as a base, with an MC-60 and a good beam. It's stock 25 watts, gets me into QSO's of greater than 200 miles, EASILY. I may not have any signal showing on the other end, but I am heard, quite well. When I drive my TE Systems 1452G with it, it REALLY SHINES. I do not need the receive preamp on the TE (which is a dandy of a preamp), as I never have any trouble pulling out the weakest of signals. This is one fine older radio, that IF you can find one for under $250, consider yourself LUCKY, and grab it up, without hesitation. They are getting scarce as hen's teeth, and the price keeps climbing. |
|
| W4KVW |
Rating:      |
2008-06-18 | |
| HOT RECEIVER |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Well this review is from a DIE HARD "ICOM" man.I owned one of these rigs about 12 years ago & let it go.Between then & now I owned an ICOM 275H, ICOM 706,ICOM 706 MII,Yaesu 857D,ICOM 746,& an ICOM 746 PRO.NONE of them have the ears this rig has so I just(June 2008)bought another KENWOOD 751A with ALL the original package,mike,manual, tone board, mounting bracket & box.This is by far the SWEETEST receiver I have EVER heard on a 2 meter radio of ANY brand.It is also the ONLY rig I own that's NOT an ICOM.Says something about the rig I think.I wish ICOM had made a 2 meter all mode that heard this good but I never operated one so I'll keep this little baby for a LONG TIME!I love 2 meter SSB(weak signal)operations & this is the PERFECT answer for hearing what other rigs will not.I worked my most distant 2 meter contact using my first 751A from Florida(EM80)to Colorado(DM79)on 2 meter SSB & that's a LONG WAY on 2 meters in any mode. Pick you up one of these & you'll be glad you did. }:>) |
|
| VE3TMT |
Rating:      |
2008-05-23 | |
| Getting ready for fun... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| First of all my review is based on the majority of the others posted here and from what I have read about the radio. I recently attended my first ham fest of the year and on my first "recon" mission around the arena I spotted a mint TR751A. The owner was asking $225 CDN. The mic was at home but he said he would mail it to me. I countered with $200. He accepted. I asked him to hold it for me as I wanted to do more browsing. When I got back to table I asked if he would accept $170 without the mic. Finally he agreed. So I now have the rig in the shack (see QRZ.com) new coax is strung and a KU4AB loop is on the way. I have worked the local repeaters on FM and the audio is fantastic. It compliments my TS850 nicely and at some point I will add a 100 watt amp for SSB. |
|
| YC3TKM |
Rating:      |
2008-05-23 | |
| Simply The Best |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Got a used one from friend. Only 900.000 IDR, or approx. 90 USD. Nice looking, sensitive and selective.
Will keep this on my ham shack. You won't be disappoint either. Try it ! |
|
| WF6J |
Rating:      |
2007-06-04 | |
| Hot Receiver, great rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned a couple of these and now just have one (mint). The "ears" on this transceiver are probably the best I've encountered versus all my other receiving set-ups for 144.
The rig goes from "monitoring" 144.200 at the shack to mobile or portable work. Use it every year as Swap talk-in radio on FM and USB.
Audio reports are always fine. CW tone is always fine. It stays clean when driving high power amps, so this can be a great station unit. Would I buy another? YES, Would I sell this one? NO
These are "keeper" rigs. If you do FM, be sure you get a tone board with yours. Great USB Rover unit also. My other rig on 2? the TS-2000X |
|