Kenwood: Kenwood TS 2000 Base station advice

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waveone

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Hello all, I’ve posted a thread on another forum regarding antenna advice.

Now I’d like to ask for advice on what type of equipment, is necessary to optimize equipment use such as auto tuner, power source etc. Brand recommendations are welcome too

Clearly this is a broad question but I’ve got to start somewhere.

initially I thought about selling the TS-2000 and upgrading but I thought it best to go with what I’ve got for now. It’s had very little use

thank you
 

jazzboypro

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I've had my TS-2000 for the past 15 years or so, i used it with an external antenna tuner. I don't if you have any other radios but as you know the 2000 covers HF/144/440 and sat if you have the optional module. The all band double VFO is why i bought it. Not the best radio but for the price it's a nice radio.

It all depends on what you are interested in.
 

waveone

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Honestly I'm not sure if the optional module is on it or not. The only other radio I have is a Yaesu FT8800 which is rock solid for broadcasting within 60 miles or so of my house just through a magnetic antenna- in my house.

What I'm interested in is using it to get on 1.2m, 6m, 70m which are essentially the bands I believe you are referring to. Satellite also. I suppose i I'm interested in finding using it's strengths and working w/in it's limitations.

The transceiver is virtually new, having been used very little.
 

jazzboypro

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There are not many radios that cover as many bands as the TS-2000. At this point i don't see any reason why you should sell it to buy something else. Depending on the antenna you plan on using, the internal antenna tuner might not be enough so consider buying an external tuner if you don't have one. It was powered by an Astron RS-35M, i still use it to power my ID-5100A. I am not really into HF anymore but if i had to buy HF rig i would probably go Icom.
 

waveone

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Thank you for your responses, they help. Could you recommend an antenna type?
If I got another it would be one of the new Kenwood 890s or something along that line

What needsto be added to engage satellite?
What do you prefer now?
 

jazzboypro

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There are many possibilities for antennas, but it all depends on how much room you have to install an antenna and how high you can put it. At HF frequencies antennas can be quite big. For satellite the antenna needs to be in open air and tuned properly for the satellites of interest. You will also need a program what will tell you when satellites passes in you area. This website is a good place to start.
 

waveone

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Thank you sir. Room is not at issue since this will be in the country and we have several hundred acres. However I was thinking of one about 40-50 feet and directional
 

jazzboypro

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Directional antennas are nice and they have gain, however you might need a mean to rotate the antenna to point it in the right direction. Structure to support such antennas can be complex to install and you need to figure out what wind speed the whole thing can tolerate without collapsing. lightning protection and good grounding is also important. Another important factor is the length of the cable from the antenna to your radio. Loss in the cable will rise with length. Losses in the cable will also rise when the frequency also rises. As i recall, the TS-2000 as an maximum output of 100 watts and without good coax not much of it will reach the antenna. I would say that around 75-100 feet of feedline you need to use good quality coax and connectors to minimize the losses.
 

waveone

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I'm a GC w/ about 30yrs experience and my brother is a Master Electrician, so securing the tower running the cable correctly is not a big deal. The connector types and setting my shack up is kind of the bigger deal
 

MTS2000des

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I have a TS2000, decent "all in wonder" box, cross band repeat capable (SkyCommand allows you to operate HF from an HT, etc). One thing to bear in mind is that these radios are long out of production, and thus, one may need electrical "tune up" and/or refurbishment. Things like electrolytic capacitors need replacing after 15-20 years, depending on how the radio was used/stored. In other words, don't overpay for a two decade old radio that may need a professional hand to bring it up to factory specs.
 

alcahuete

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The antenna I find myself using the most on HF is my Cushcraft X-7. I friggin' love it. It is a tri-band beam, but with the 40m add-on, I can use it on 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m and it is also very directional on 6m and even 2m, believe it or not. It can be used on 80m too, albeit ineffeciently. That one is on a crank-up tower, with a 2m and 70cm dual band yagi mounted about 10' above it. People talk about the horrible conditions and poor propagation. I quite literally work every single continent every day I turn the radio on, usually at 100w or less.

As far as other equipment, you probably want an antenna tuner, even though with a good antenna, you don't have to worry about it, but it's nice to have, if your radio doesn't have one built in. As far as power supplies, I have used Astron for years. Never any issues, never any RFI. Several are coming up on 30 years old, and they operate just like the day I bought them.
 

Token

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I have a TS2000, decent "all in wonder" box, cross band repeat capable (SkyCommand allows you to operate HF from an HT, etc). One thing to bear in mind is that these radios are long out of production, and thus, one may need electrical "tune up" and/or refurbishment. Things like electrolytic capacitors need replacing after 15-20 years, depending on how the radio was used/stored. In other words, don't overpay for a two decade old radio that may need a professional hand to bring it up to factory specs.

The TS2000 is indeed out of production, but I don't know that it is what I would call long out of production. The TS2000 ended production in September of 2018, so slightly less than 2 years ago. I bought a brand new one at HRO less than 18 months ago. You could find them in stock at DX Engineering less than a year ago.

The radio was in production a long time. I bought an early one in 2001, and the late one in late 2018 (both still work fine). So you can certainly find 15+ year old units, or ones that are under 2 years old.

The TS2000 is not great at anything. But it is reasonably good at a lot of things. No other radio in recent production that I have used is as versatile as the TS2000. The cross band repeat works exceptionally well. The remote operation is good. I used one of my two (a TS2000x) as a mobile radio for over 10 years, using the RC2000 remote head with it. Over the years that radio did suffer a few failures, I could correct them all myself. But that is not really surprising as the vehicle it was in is used off-road every weekend, and the radio (internally) is not well equipped for the intense vibration. For example, one of the board to board jumper cables would periodically vibrate loose during particularly vigorous off-road driving. A dab of hot glue fixed that. Setting on a bench this radio would never have had the same issues.

In general a good radio I still use almost daily and one that I would be hard pressed to replace with anything on the market right now.

T!
 

waveone

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I appreciate all of the comments and perspectives.
My Kenwood has probably less than 75 hours on it. I’ve had it stored in a box in the closet and about to break it out now.
Prior to this conversation I was strongly considering selling it.
Now I’m going to set up a Yagi type antenna and educate myself on its functions
 

waveone

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I will say in regard to the TS2000 it is a bit disappointing that it cannot pick up 1.2m- if they is true. That seems odd considering it’s versatility otherwise

Any thoughts on this and perhaps a suggestion on a supporting radio I could get to engage the 1.2 meter band?
 

AK9R

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Any thoughts on this and perhaps a suggestion on a supporting radio I could get to engage the 1.2 meter band?
You mean 222 to 225 MHz? You won't find very many Japanese radios supporting that band since it's not available much outside of North America. Alinco still offers the DR-235 mobile radio for the 222 MHz band. Kenwood's TH-D74 handheld includes the 222 MHz band with 5 watts output. Some Yaesu handhelds and mobile include the 222 MHz band, but usually at low power output, if any.
 

vagrant

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Waveone do you mean 1.25 meters or 1.2 GHz (23 cm)?

I believe the regular 2000 can be upgraded with a module you can install for 1.2 GHz, or someone can install. Still, regardless of radio at 1.2 GHz there can be plenty of loss in the cable. A 7/8" or maybe 1/2" Heliax should work, plus a dedicated 1.2 GHz antenna. Before even researching the cost of that stuff, how much 1.2 GHz activity is there in your area? No need to drop money on gear when no one is out there. Your best bet is to "listen" using a scanner, or receiver and discover if you even hear anything for that band 1240 MHz to 1300 MHz. If you don't hear anything, especially during one of the ARRL VHF contest weekends three times a year, well....that's up to you.

If you are taking about 220 MHz (1.25 meters), I use an inexpensive mobile similar or perhaps the same as what W9BU noted. With that radio I use LMR-400 and a Tram 1494 antenna, which is tuned for 1.25 Meters. There is definitely a better chance to hear activity on 1.25 meters, but still I recommend listing first using a receiver/scanner to actually see how much activity there is in your area.
 

W5lz

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I've had both the TS-2000 and the TS-480. Of the two I prefer the TS-480, it just fills my particular needs better (and it's cheaper). I have used both fixed and mobile, they do equally well in both situations. Biggest 'limitation' was the antenna, naturally, and the size of that '2000. Since '220' isn't used around here I didn't miss it in either radio. There are times when an "all in one box" radio just isn't that handy, so also had VHF/UHF separately. Do I want another TS-2000? Not really, but if you're giving one away...
 

Token

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I've had both the TS-2000 and the TS-480. Of the two I prefer the TS-480, it just fills my particular needs better (and it's cheaper). I have used both fixed and mobile, they do equally well in both situations. Biggest 'limitation' was the antenna, naturally, and the size of that '2000. Since '220' isn't used around here I didn't miss it in either radio. There are times when an "all in one box" radio just isn't that handy, so also had VHF/UHF separately. Do I want another TS-2000? Not really, but if you're giving one away...

I agree if you are talking HF. I have both the TS-2000 and the TS-480SAT, and if you do not want VHF/UHF, V/U all mode, or cross band, then the 480 is a better HF only radio.

T!
 

jwt873

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The TS-2000 has a decent tuner. I ran mine with a multi band Windom antenna. It had no trouble matching all the bands.

The radio draws 20.5 Amps max, so a 25 Amp or greater power supply will work. I've heard of people getting away with an RS20 Astron.

With a radio that does just about everything, you should specify exactly what you want to do with it and what you're prepared to pay.

For HF, you can put up a simple G5RV for under $50. Or you can spend thousands on towers, Yagi's rotors etc..

I've had a TS-2000 for quite a few years. It was my main rig for HF and VHF/UHF. Five years ago I bought an IC-7600 for HF and 6 Meters.

I kept the TS-2000 specifically for its VHF/UHF capability. As an example of a specific use -- I operate SSB & CW on VHF and UHF. I have a 30 foot tower with a 12 foot long 13 element 2 meter beam and an 11 foot long 19 element 432 mHz beam. The antennas are fed with Andrew 7/8 inch Heliax.

I have a friend with a TS-2000. It's his only rig. He does some HF, but he uses it mainly for satellite work. He has cross polarized beams for 144 and 432 with dual rotors, one for azimuth the other for elevation. The rotors are configured for computerized tracking. He also uses his TS-2000 for six meter digital work (FT8, MSK144 meteor scatter etc).
 

W5lz

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I agree if you are talking HF. I have both the TS-2000 and the TS-480SAT, and if you do not want VHF/UHF, V/U all mode, or cross band, then the 480 is a better HF only radio.

T!

I use a separate VHF/UHF radio along with that '480. The "all in one" type radios are not really as convenient as they are made out to be.
 
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