Preface; Read First - Kenwood TS-830 Survival Manual

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Preface

I purchased a Kenwood TS-830S on the used market after passing the ham exam in 2001.
Months before I was searching the internet extensively to get an idea of how an newcomers
shortwave transceiver must look like, especially what features it must have and which of them
are not essentially. The costs did play an important role: my personal limit was 500$ for the
transceiver (a few weeks later the MFJ-949 manual antenna tuner took me again 200$... and an
MC-50 mike from Kenwood again 70$). Regardless of the many (mostly technical) comments
about this decision, which are to be found on the net, my personal opinion is that a transceiver
must look like a transceiver – that means, there must be a minimum amount of metallic shining
knobs and switches and in generally a solid design.
First time using it I didn't really know what I was doing, but the TS-830 knew...and did what it
was expected to do... It didn't take a long time until I encountered the first problems: there was
no output in SSB-mode and I realized the low power output on the upper bands. And here the
story begins. I searched for technical descriptions and procedures to do these repairs and found
them wide dispersed on the Web. And so I started collecting them, in the beginning for personal
use only.
The problem of no SSB TX operation was quite easy to fix: a broken copper ground connection
on the back of the IF board caused the mike amplifier to fail. Soldering a simple insulated wire
to another ground point on this board and I was in business on SSB. Changing the tubes and
re-neutralizing in generally is a simple procedure, but if one had never done this before, even
simple things can be difficult or at least take a long time. This may be a waste of time – on the
other hand its is only the intensive dealing with a problem that makes us learn and achieve
experience and skill.
Many hams do know how to handle and repair older equipment, but a growing number doesn't
anymore since they grew up with solid state technology only or are not interested in the older
rigs. Many newbees are taught to avoid boatanchors, they hear that dipping the plate and
peaking the load of a tube final is much too tricky and time wasting (takes 5 seconds or less...)
to make dealing with these rigs worthwhile.
If You are the proud owner of one of these 20-year old TS-830's made by Trio-Kenwood You
are probably interested in old equipment – if not for liking so for necessity. This collection of
articles and information about the TS-830 should serve as a reference for those who need it. If
You find this file useful, You are invited to propagate it over the net. If You add Your
experience or improve it's content, please email a copy to me. Feel free to remove my name
from the cover page if You want – I'm not the author but only the collector of this stuff. Please
excuse my poor English...
VY 73's
Olaf Rettkowski DL9AI
Email: dl9ai@darc.de
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Read first !

All information provided here is not verified. Use the modifications and procedures at Your own
risk. Please keep in mind, that malfunction or damage of Your equipment may occur, even if
You follow the instructions of these document carefully.
Halle, Germany, June 25
6
th
2002