Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Help with Kenwood TS-820 VFO stability problem
I just got my 820 out of retirement after at least 14 years. It has the
digital display and IF output on the back but is labeled TS-820, not TS-820S and I'm not sure why... anyway when I turned it on the display came up garbage ( 99__.9) while using both the internal and external VFOs. Finally (after 20 minutes) the frequency appeared correct but would jump around while tuning. By the noise level I could tell that it was actually changing frequency, and not a display problem. More time passed and it seemed to be correcting itself even more but while tuning it would go from (for example) 3599 to 3700 skipping the 3600-3699 completely. I'm not sure that this was a frequency error or readout error but since the noise level did not change I am thinking it was a freq. display problem. I took off the top and bottom covers and tightened all the available screws in and around the VFO area as well as circuit boards. More time passed and finally, after maybe 2 hours everything was fine. I then turned it off, went to a meeting and when I returned and again turned the rig on the instability started again. It wasn't as radical as before but like before it seemed to correct itself after about 45 minutes. After another 15 minutes I tuned it up and the transmitter worked fine as did the receiver. I know this is an old radio but I love it and can load it into a barbed wire fence if I want to and it doesn't mind. I have the external VFO, station monitor, and external speaker and it has always worked flawlessly. If anyone has a suggestion I sure would appreciate it. 73, Ken |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Ken,
My TS-820S has a similar problem, but your symptoms are worse. With mine, the problem is in the VFO varible cao. The grease (conductive?) on the shaft has dried out and caused the tuning to become intermittent. Since this is a rig I don't use much, I haven't torn it apart, but others have and cleaning off the old grease solve the problem. Try tuning running the VFO from one stop to another a few times and see if the problem goes away (it does on my rig) or gets better. Steve W6SSP p.s.-my recently aquired TS-520S is just starting to show the same symptoms, oh joy! |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Ken,
This is the legendary Kenwood grounding problem. Let me know if you still need the details on how to fix it. 73s, Evan |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Hi,
Please join the kenwood group on yahoo, lots help there ! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TS-520_820_530_830/ Photoman wrote: I just got my 820 out of retirement after at least 14 years. It has the digital display and IF output on the back but is labeled TS-820, not TS-820S and I'm not sure why... anyway when I turned it on the display came up garbage ( 99__.9) while using both the internal and external VFOs.............. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 00:40:32 -0500, "Photoman"
wrote: I just got my 820 out of retirement after at least 14 years. It has the digital display and IF output on the back but is labeled TS-820, not TS-820S and I'm not sure why... anyway when I turned it on the display came up garbage ( 99__.9) while using both the internal and external VFOs. Finally (after 20 minutes) the frequency appeared correct but would jump around while tuning. By the noise level I could tell that it was actually changing frequency, and not a display problem. More time passed and it seemed to be correcting itself even more but while tuning it would go from (for example) 3599 to 3700 skipping the 3600-3699 completely. I'm not sure that this was a frequency error or readout error but since the noise level did not change I am thinking it was a freq. display problem. I took off the top and bottom covers and tightened all the available screws in and around the VFO area as well as circuit boards. More time passed and finally, after maybe 2 hours everything was fine. I then turned it off, went to a meeting and when I returned and again turned the rig on the instability started again. It wasn't as radical as before but like before it seemed to correct itself after about 45 minutes. After another 15 minutes I tuned it up and the transmitter worked fine as did the receiver. I know this is an old radio but I love it and can load it into a barbed wire fence if I want to and it doesn't mind. I have the external VFO, station monitor, and external speaker and it has always worked flawlessly. If anyone has a suggestion I sure would appreciate it. 73, Ken You might check out Richard Measures' page at http://www.somis.org/. He has written some magazine articles on the 820 and it's various maladies. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
KENWOOD TS450 INTERMITENT PROBLEM TRANSMISSION | Equipment | |||
KENWOOD TS450 INTERMITENT PROBLEM TRANSMISSION | Equipment | |||
KENWOOD TS450 INTERMITENT PROBLEM TRANSMISSION | Equipment | |||
Kenwood TM-732A Display Problem | Equipment | |||
Kenwood TS-2000 keying problem | General |