This weekend I dug out the Kenwood TS-690S/AT I have had boxed up to sell for four or five years. I bought the rig a dozen years ago to replace a Kenwood TS-450SAT I sold to finance the purchase of my Icom IC-756PROIII. While I loved the PROIII, the little TS-450S was a fantastic little radio, head and shoulders above both the TS-430 and TS-440.
My TS-450S was packed with optional filters, which made the rig a joy to use. I should have done what most eBayers do — stripped the optional filters and sold them separately. But I didn’t. Since I sold it, I missed the radio. There’s something really nice about the receive and transmit audio of most Kenwoods of that era.
When I bought the TS-690, I realized the features the rig lacks compared to my PROIII. For starters, I had become used to a 650 Hertz sidetone. The sidetone (and offset) on the TS-450S is 800 Hz — and that’s just annoying when you’re used to 650 Hz. But I made do with it by adjusting the RIT so once I was zero beat via the sidetone, I could change the received cW tone to 650 Hz.
The TS-450/690 also does not have a built-in keyer — which to me was an option the rig should have had.
But the TS-690 has the optional antenna tuner, plus an array of filters (though not the narrow CW filter for the 8.83 MHz IF). Its still a sweet radio and compared to my Yaesu FT-950, the Kenwood is just easier on the ears to listen to.
I cleaned the rig up and checked it for proper output on all bands. And I also used it to check in on my Georgia CW net. Yes, for the first time in forever, I checked in to a net using a straight key. I had brought up a Nye Master Key to Studio C for the purchase of keying rigs for transmit checks (it isn’t my first choice in straight keys, but it was the first key I saw in the shack). The key actually felt good tonight when I was using it. My straight key fist left a lot to be desired, but I managed, hi hi!
After I bought the TS-690 I did some research, and realized that to get all the features I really wanted in a Kenwood, I probably should have purchased a TS-850 or TS-870 — both of which are in high demand and bring top prices.
Once I’m ready, I’ll listed the Kenwood. The next rig I’ll list will probably be my TS-950. If I sell it, move a IC-756PROII to Studio B. Once the Yaseu is gone, I’ll probably list the IC-756PRO and the Yaesu FT-847. I still have a Drake TR-7 and PS I need to really put on the air, though I’m not looking to sell it necessarily. Everything has a price, however, hi!
73 es CUL …. de KY4Z … SK SK …. (dit dit) …