RadioBanter - View Single Post - Kenwood R-5000 Shortwave Recievers

BDK · April 18th 07, 06:40 AM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

In article ,
says...
BDK wrote:
In article ,
says...

BDK wrote:

In article .com,
says...
On Apr 17, 4:14 am, (Geoffrey S. Mendelson) wrote:
JeroenK wrote:
Be aware that r5000's can vary in price due to optionals added into the
radio. They can be a VHF convertor unit, and a range of optional
filters. They can greatly affect the price of second hand r5000's.
The options that are available a

1. Replacment AM filter. Kenwood's was also 6kHz, but much more selective.
Other companies also had direct replacements and International Crystal
had/has a 4kHz filter.

2. Narrow SSB filter 1.8kHz.

3. Narrow CW filter 600/500/250 kHz, I think Kenwood's were 500 and 250.

4. Computer control. 2 chips added under front panel, TTL to RS232 converter
in the cable. Real old units need a ROM upgrade too. Chips and cables
can be obtained from third parties.

5. Voice sythesiser. Very rare,

6. VHF converter. Rare and expensive.

7. Car Kit. Adds a 12 volt power socket in the back, came with a detachable
cable.

Good list of the options. The optional filters are certainly worth
looking for. The VHF converter has become a collectible and the price
seems excessive in light of its limited coverage. The computer
control board is worth looking for IF remote control is wanted. The
other options don't seem to command much of a premium in price.

Other issues:

PLL unlock aka the dreaded dots problem. Due to poor choice of manufacturing
materials, the main PLL unlocks, the display shows only dots.

Memory battery. A 3 volt RECHARGEABLE lithium battery under the front cover.
eventualy needs replacing.

The keyboard bounce problem others have noted.

Note that early units sold in the U.S. were 120 volt only. Mine purchased
in 1990 was, by 1993 they were replaced with a multivoltage (manualy
switched) unit.

In plain English a unit with no additional filters (6kHz AM wide, 2.4kHz SSB),
and no other add ons, that has never had the battery replaced or the PPL
unlock fixed is worth around $200-$250 dollars. It is very likely both
will have to be done.

A unit with ALL accesories (narrow AM replacement, add on narrow SSB and CW
filters), recent battery replacment and PLL fix, computer interface,
voice sythesiser and VHF converter could easily go for close to $1000.
(and be worth it IMHO).

Figure the VHF convertor is worth $150-$200 if you want one, the
filters are worth $50 each. There were never enough voice sythesisers
to set a price. The 12v car kit is not worth much, and the computer
interface is not a high demand item.

Note that with today's prices, it's cheaper to buy a used R-5000 with a
VHF converter, keep the better of the two and sell the other than to buy
one on it's own and put it in the radio you have.

Geoff.

Nice list of the R5000 issues.

Another R5000 design issue that's overlooked is the extremely hot
running 110V PS in it. Running the radio on 12V is a very smart move.
I operated an R5000 for several years and never noted it running extremely hot.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

The two regs that got insanely hot were inside the radio, when/if they
failed, it was a 250 buck repair. I know, I paid to have a tech fix it.
The outside only gets moderately warm, to slightly hot. The slightest
amount of air blowing on the outside cooled it down nicely. On the
outside. Touching those regs when it was running would get your fingers
burned.

I had an Icom R-7100 that was another one that ran insanely hot. It made
a great space heater on 120V. On 12V, it was nice and cool.

BDK

True of R70, R71, and R7000 as well.

I didn't have the R70 here long enough to notice, but the two R71's I
had didn't run nearly as hot as the 7100 did. I had the one R71 apart
for several days trying to find the cold/cracked solder joint that made
the signal strength go up and down, and I touched about everything
inside it. I finally found it, and like almost always, it was where a
plug was soldered into a PC board. I found another one on the same plug.

BDK