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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 6085
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - 5:33 pm: | 
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I am moving this Topic here from the Open area as it Deals with Ham Radio Equipment and will be easier to find for the Ham's who do not read the Open Area.
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 12
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 8:33 pm: |
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Anyone have any experience with this rig? Heard one on SSB and it sounded great. How does it sound on AM? Thanks |
Bullet215
Junior Member
Username: Bullet215
Post Number: 15
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 9:27 pm: |
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This happens to be one of Kenwoods best mobile HF rig...They really sound good on SSB when setup w/a good mic. thru the on screen menu functions. It has tons of options and features to dial your radio in to give you that infamous smoooth kenwood audio sound. They are very stable and have 3 output power setting 10/50/100 watts. These radios really sound good on SSB but are ok on AM.....I matched mine w/a Heil "HMM" hand mic...for SSB then for AM...I like the astatic 636mic. which sounds nice for my voice...overall an AWESOME radio. |
Chainsawiowa
Junior Member
Username: Chainsawiowa
Post Number: 26
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 9:42 pm: |
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I had one for awhile, Great Radio !! Output is 10, 50, 100 Watts on SSB. Am it is not a good talker. Small in size great for mobile or base and has a big freq readout !! You can find them in good shape on Ebay for $400-$500 Good Luck !!! |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 13
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 3:29 am: |
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I ordered one today! I have an Astatic 575 and 636. Do you have the mic pin configuration? Thank you |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 347
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 3:42 pm: |
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Kenwood 8 Pin Microphone Pinout
1 - Mic Audio
2 - STBY (PTT)
3 - Down
4 - Up
5 - +8V
6 - NC
7 - GND (Mic)
8 - GND (STBY) |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 635
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 7:59 pm: |
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Most of the newer amateur transceivers were not designed to be good on AM, the reason behind this is that hams do very little AM work. They were designed to be great on sideband, also there is very little amateur FM traffic on the HF bands.
Carl CEF-357 |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 352
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 9:15 pm: |
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I think you'll find that most HF rigs have considerably less compression in their audio circuits than CBs. Instead, most have a speech processor that can be used when desired. That's why they're not as loud on AM. If the carrier is adjusted properly (conservatively!) and the speech processor is used to add compression, most HF rigs sound good on AM.
That being said, the TS-50 doesn't have a speech processor so I hope your main interest is SSB. |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 14
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 11:06 pm: |
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Thanks for the replies. We'll post a report when I receive it. |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 15
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 12:37 am: |
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Received my TS-50 and overall I'm very happy with it. On SSB I get great reports. AM modulation is decent but would like a little more audio. Any suggestions?
Thanks |
Marconi
Intermediate Member
Username: Marconi
Post Number: 432
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 6:14 am: |
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Don't mess with it. |
Chainsawiowa
Junior Member
Username: Chainsawiowa
Post Number: 28
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 8:42 am: |
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Radiohead make sure to read the book there is a modulation high and low setting kind of like the power settings you have to change, maybe its on Low ?? Also yo can get more digit readout on your freq meter with the stock mic its not in the book you will have to do a search email back if you dont find it and I will dig deep you can get 2 more digits. Good Luck ! I miss mine now ! |
Chainsawiowa
Junior Member
Username: Chainsawiowa
Post Number: 29
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 8:53 am: |
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Radiohead, I found the mod for your TS-50:
This modification makes the "double zero" display full time.)
Turn on radio
Go to MENU 'B', item #70.
Program [85] into item 70. This puts the 'double-zero' on the #4 (PF4) button on the microphone. Press the F-LOCK to get out of the menu function.
Press 'F-LOCK' [ON].
Press and hold PF4 button on mic.
While holding PF4 button down on the mic, press and hold the [SPLIT] button.
Release the PF4 button -then- release the SPLIT button.
Turn F-LOCK [off].
Go back to MENU 'B', item '70', and remove [85] or change the number.
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Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 16
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 2:01 pm: |
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Thanks guys. Maybe I'll try wiring a 636. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 666
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - 11:39 am: |
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 , On this one I agree with Marconi. The amateur radio HF transceivers of today are designed to be very good on sideband only, with good clean understandable audio, but not loud.
On the amateur radio bands the AM mode is a dieing art and only a small few of the older diehard amateur operators run AM. Those that do operate AM are not using solid state transceivers. They use the older tube type transceivers that were designed for AM before sideband took a good solid foot hold on amateur radio.
This is the reason I use citizens band radio equipement on 11 meters. My Uniden Grant XL was designed to be loud, eventhough the only time I run AM is on the Sunday CEF AM net, otherwise I'm on sideband only.
Carl CEF-357 |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 394
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - 3:45 pm: |
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Adding a powered microphone probably won't make it sound louder unless the microphone has compression. I find the stock Kenwood microphones to sound great and I wouldn't change. Close talk the microphone and you'll have plenty of audio.
International radio makes speech processors for amateur radios. I don't know if they make one for the TS-50 but you could email them and ask. If you do, ask if the speech processor works in all modes. I think they only work in SSB.
http://www.qth.com/irsd/mods-upgrades.html#squeezer |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 17
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - 11:51 am: |
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Thanks for all your replies gentleman. I picked up a Kenwood MC-60 microphone and so far I've been getting good reports on AM. This mic is built like a tank! One more quick question. There is an impedance switch on the mic, 500 ohms and 5k ohms. Which position do I set this at for the TS-50? The manual did not have any info. Thank you again. |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 401
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - 6:42 pm: |
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500 Ohms. My MC-60a switches between 50k and 500 Ohms. The 50k is for older high impedance radios. Your TS-50 has a 500 Ohm microphone input. |
Radiohead
Junior Member
Username: Radiohead
Post Number: 18
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 12:47 am: |
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You are correct Hollowpoint, 500 & 50k ohms. Thanks, 500 it is. |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 405
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 3:19 pm: |
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I forgot to give you one more piece of advice - don't use the microphone's amplifier. There's no gain control so it's either on or off, and I've found that it just wasn't necessary with my TS140 and now my TS450. As it is I back off the microphone gain on the radio even when the amplifier isn't on to keep it adjusted well within the ALC range.
If the TS50 has an ALC meter function you can adjust the microphone gain to a level that'll give you the best audio possible. Don't ride the ALC, adjust it so it just moves on voice peaks. I think the manual suggests you adjust it so that voice peaks don't exceed the recommended ALC range, but adjusted like that you're riding the ALC pretty hard.
RTFM - Read The Fine Manual. You'll learn all about the radio's many functions and menus. It'll also show you how to adjust the frequency of the radio and synchronize it to WWV. |
Kb9ryi
New member
Username: Kb9ryi
Post Number: 8
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 5:31 pm: |
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Hello, hope you enjoy the ts-50. Had one a few years ago. SSB was great, AM fair till I made some adjustments and added a D104 mic. It was good but not great on AM. Found out about a known problem with a lot of ts-50's. If you run them for a long time on HIGH power the circuit board around the PA amp will get hot and de-laminate causing cracked solder connections. Resoldered mine twice then sold it while it was working. I would think it should be able to set it on HIGH power and run it that way. In talking to a couple tech's this is a common problem. I would sugest NOT running it on high power to eliminate this problem. Run it on low power and use an amp.
Just thought I would share my expierance with a ts-50, OH BTW I had a ts-60 six meter rig that had the same problem. Both were used base not mobile. Anyway good luck with it, they do sound great on SSB. Hope you have a good one there.
73 for now and God Bless, John KB9RYI
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