My new Kenwood TS-430S has gotten steady use in the shack the last day or so, and I continue to enjoy the rig.
Because it has no filters, I grabbed my Radio Shack DSP unit out of the “Sell on eBay” pile and hooked it up with the 430. What a difference! Without any CW filter installed, the passband on CW is the same as CW, and that's just not a fun way to operate.
The DSP is probably one of nostalgia radio's best kept secrets. True, it doesn't hold a candle to the more expensive outboard DSP's, but if you want to breathe life into an older reciever/transceiver, the R/S DSP-40 is a very inexpensive way to do it. I've nearly listed mine on eBay numerous times to sell, but I have a number of older rigs and receivers that could benefit from the little unit. My Datong unit is wired to my Heathkit HW-16, and in order to hook the Datong to another rig I would need to dig into my radio desk arrangement, and with the rat's nest of cabling I have behind the desk, this didn't sound like fun.
The TS-430S reminds me frequently that its nearly 25-year-old technology. No AGC settings, limited memories, no built-in keyer, etc. It really is the perfect Field Day rig — simple to use and great for someone who isn't radio savvy.
At our Field Day, one of the guys brought his Kenwood TS-2000 and it has a learning curve that isn't Field Day friendly (at least to my FD-frazzled brain). The Icom 746 is a little more intuitive to operate, but the TS-430S is the ultimate in simple.
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I was delighted to find an entire complement of accessory filters for the rig listed this week on eBay. The AM filter, the 1.8 SSB filter and the 500 Hz CW filter. I probably should have bought the entire set (each listed seperately). None of the filters sold for more than $50; I decided to pass on the AM and SSB filter, but picked up the CW filter. I've seen these sell for $70.
The accessory filter works fine, its just clunky to have it connected all the time. I can live without the 1.8 SSB filter, though I don't know if I'll find one for that nice a price. Oh well!