Thinking About Radios Again
I posted a while back that I was looking in to some higher end base radios. If you remember, I was really blown away with the receiver performance of the micro Elecraft KX-1 backpacking/portable CW-only rig, over all the other radios I own - specifically my TS-2000, my main station radio. It performs so poorly on HF it is really hard to deal with it now. It is one of those situations where I didn't know how bad I really had it until I experienced better. "Better" came in the form of a radio that fits in my hip pocket. What a shame for Kenwood, their top-end HF radio really STINKS.
Anyway, while I was at Hamvention last weekend I looked around at some of the other rigs on my radar. I checked out the Elecraft line-up, Tentec, as well as Icom and Yaesu.
Kenwood has not had a decent HF rig since the TS-950sdx and TS-870S, and that was seven or eight years ago. The TS-2000 series took the top spot in the Kenwood line, but they really blew it. All they have for HF at all is the TS-2000 series and the TS-480 series, which the 480 is a mobile, not a rig you would put on your desk.
Kenwood, if you are listening, bring out some new radios, will ya? At least try and compete in the portable to mid-priced base range. Come out with some radios to compete with the FT-857D, IC-7000, IC-703, and in the mid range the IC-7600, FT-2000, TT-Omni VII. Whatever you do - make sure they are quality contestants. Put selectable roofing filters in the mid-range (first IF, not distributed). If a KX-1 can blow the doors off the TS-2000 theres a problem.
The one radio that stood out to me at Hamvention, and I am going to get boo'ed for this I know, was the FT-2000. It looks like a radio should look like and the ergonomics are fabulous. The knob had the perfect feel to it. The weight was right, it was smooth, the grip was comfortable, and it SPINS! It has the stature of a "base" radio.
It is really too bad there have been so many issues with them. From what I have heard, the firmware updates have helped out with the AGC problems, but there is still a ringing issue at narrower filter widths (below 500hz, narrower = more ring).
I would be curious to really sit down with one and experience it on the air. The only person I have to convince is myself. If it does what I want it to do and feels right then why not? There are lots of people that are happy with them. It isn't a $10,000 radio and shouldn't be expected to perform like one. It isn't even a $5,000 radio, so it shouldn't be expected to perform like one either. I am surprised, though, that the radio has the feel of a $5-10,000 radio.
The Elecraft K3 was also a pretty cool rig. It is very compact for what it is. I will say, though, that it doesn't have the "quality" feel in the knob and buttons as the FT-2000 does. After talking with one of the head engineers on the receiver design I think the K3 is a great little radio for darn sure. With all the filter options available it really makes an impression.
The Tentec lineup, though they do have a very strong following, didn't impress me very much. I know the Orion series is very well known on the low bands. ON4UN rated the Orion II as the best low band rig in his book "Low Band DXing". His view may be a bit skewed as he has two of them, but I would put a lot of value on his words combined with the lab results of Sherwood Engineering's test. I have thought for years if I could have ANY radio I wanted it would be a TT-Orion (now the Orion II). However, after playing around with one I am a little taken back with the feel of the radio. The display and features are impressive, but it doesn't have the feel.
Ah. The IC-7600. This is a REALLY cool little radio. It has a pretty futuristic look to it. The overall feel isn't great. I don't think all the controls have the right "feel" - something isn't quite right. Maybe it is the really big screen for the size of the box that makes it awkward, I don't know. Though, the grip on the knob is really neat. Icom moved over to a neoprene grip and it has a really unique feel to it. Though, the size and weight of the knob aren't quite right to me. For a radio of it's size it really shines, though. I saw a demo of the receiver performance and I have to say I am impressed. The notch filter works in the IF stage - and that is uniquely characterised by the deflection of the S-meter, as opposed to the way my TS-2000 is where the notch leaves the IF stages overloaded even when the signal is cut out of the AF. It is worth a sit-down-and-play session.
One fact of life at Hamvention when studying what is out there on the market is you never really know how something is going to work until you bring it home and put it through YOUR paces. It is the same thing buying a truck. It may get great fuel mileage on the sticker and on your 5 mile test drive to the highway, down an exit, and back it was smooth and quiet, all you did was just sit in it and spun the wheels. What is it going to do when you go on a 2,000 mile trip all loaded down? When you hook up a 10,000lb trailer? Will it have the power? What happens to the fuel mileage? How fatigued are you going to be after 14 hours on the road sitting in the same seat?
The next best thing is to get a chance to sit down and play with one of these radios, if not in my station somewhere else. Then maybe I can do a direct A/B comparison between them and my TS-2000.
Anyway, while I was at Hamvention last weekend I looked around at some of the other rigs on my radar. I checked out the Elecraft line-up, Tentec, as well as Icom and Yaesu.
Kenwood has not had a decent HF rig since the TS-950sdx and TS-870S, and that was seven or eight years ago. The TS-2000 series took the top spot in the Kenwood line, but they really blew it. All they have for HF at all is the TS-2000 series and the TS-480 series, which the 480 is a mobile, not a rig you would put on your desk.
Kenwood, if you are listening, bring out some new radios, will ya? At least try and compete in the portable to mid-priced base range. Come out with some radios to compete with the FT-857D, IC-7000, IC-703, and in the mid range the IC-7600, FT-2000, TT-Omni VII. Whatever you do - make sure they are quality contestants. Put selectable roofing filters in the mid-range (first IF, not distributed). If a KX-1 can blow the doors off the TS-2000 theres a problem.
The one radio that stood out to me at Hamvention, and I am going to get boo'ed for this I know, was the FT-2000. It looks like a radio should look like and the ergonomics are fabulous. The knob had the perfect feel to it. The weight was right, it was smooth, the grip was comfortable, and it SPINS! It has the stature of a "base" radio.
It is really too bad there have been so many issues with them. From what I have heard, the firmware updates have helped out with the AGC problems, but there is still a ringing issue at narrower filter widths (below 500hz, narrower = more ring).
I would be curious to really sit down with one and experience it on the air. The only person I have to convince is myself. If it does what I want it to do and feels right then why not? There are lots of people that are happy with them. It isn't a $10,000 radio and shouldn't be expected to perform like one. It isn't even a $5,000 radio, so it shouldn't be expected to perform like one either. I am surprised, though, that the radio has the feel of a $5-10,000 radio.
The Elecraft K3 was also a pretty cool rig. It is very compact for what it is. I will say, though, that it doesn't have the "quality" feel in the knob and buttons as the FT-2000 does. After talking with one of the head engineers on the receiver design I think the K3 is a great little radio for darn sure. With all the filter options available it really makes an impression.
The Tentec lineup, though they do have a very strong following, didn't impress me very much. I know the Orion series is very well known on the low bands. ON4UN rated the Orion II as the best low band rig in his book "Low Band DXing". His view may be a bit skewed as he has two of them, but I would put a lot of value on his words combined with the lab results of Sherwood Engineering's test. I have thought for years if I could have ANY radio I wanted it would be a TT-Orion (now the Orion II). However, after playing around with one I am a little taken back with the feel of the radio. The display and features are impressive, but it doesn't have the feel.
Ah. The IC-7600. This is a REALLY cool little radio. It has a pretty futuristic look to it. The overall feel isn't great. I don't think all the controls have the right "feel" - something isn't quite right. Maybe it is the really big screen for the size of the box that makes it awkward, I don't know. Though, the grip on the knob is really neat. Icom moved over to a neoprene grip and it has a really unique feel to it. Though, the size and weight of the knob aren't quite right to me. For a radio of it's size it really shines, though. I saw a demo of the receiver performance and I have to say I am impressed. The notch filter works in the IF stage - and that is uniquely characterised by the deflection of the S-meter, as opposed to the way my TS-2000 is where the notch leaves the IF stages overloaded even when the signal is cut out of the AF. It is worth a sit-down-and-play session.
One fact of life at Hamvention when studying what is out there on the market is you never really know how something is going to work until you bring it home and put it through YOUR paces. It is the same thing buying a truck. It may get great fuel mileage on the sticker and on your 5 mile test drive to the highway, down an exit, and back it was smooth and quiet, all you did was just sit in it and spun the wheels. What is it going to do when you go on a 2,000 mile trip all loaded down? When you hook up a 10,000lb trailer? Will it have the power? What happens to the fuel mileage? How fatigued are you going to be after 14 hours on the road sitting in the same seat?
The next best thing is to get a chance to sit down and play with one of these radios, if not in my station somewhere else. Then maybe I can do a direct A/B comparison between them and my TS-2000.
posted by Steve at
9:34 PM
2 Comments
