K8cpa-chuck
Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2010
- Messages
- 265
I had a couple of minutes to kill here and I thought I would share with you my personal nightmare. It is my Kenwood TS-950SDX.
I got it from a friend of mine's estate; his call was N8OPK. Not in the callbook anymore, He passed away at age 43. Died back in 1996. Massive heart attack, his aunt sold me the radio. They originally went over $4000 new. I got this one for $1500, which at the time, back in 2000, was a steal.
To be fair to Kenwood, I got 5 good years out of this radio. Which is pretty darned good considering the radio was basically transmitting through what some would call a Dummy Load with wires on it. It was a Van Gordon Engineering Shorty All bander Dipole. To be blunt, the antenna was a piece of crap. But it was a CHEAP piece of crap and I bought it and a 4:1 Balun and I was the king the world! Or so I thought so...
Speed Ahead 5 or so years. I operate, or used to operate alot of 75 meters. To me, 75 meters was the refuge away from the tin foil hat wearing 2 meter geeks with their 5 milliwatt H.T's and them wondering why they cannot hit every repeater in Detroit. Anyhow, one day the Kenwood started doing something odd; the RX would cut out, SWR pegged, I thought it was the antenna. I believe now, it might have been a combo of the rig AND the tuner. (I have a MFJ 989C, that just got "gone though" by a friend of mine...)
Anyhow, I consult with the "Experts" and they tell me, it's a pot in the TXCO Unit. and so, I get that replaced and Naturally, I still got issues. I THINK I've got it nailed down to the Resister Packs in the PLL unit. What the problem is, they tell me, is that the Kenwood had an issue with these radio, some idiot in Japan at Kenwood did not turn up the soldiering ovens high enough and the stupid soldier on the boards didn't get a good flow and that's causing all kinds of problems for this radios. They finally fixed it in like the last 1000 rigs out the door. But all the rest have the issue.
To give credit where it is due; my good friend, Matt AC8AC worked on this thing and He and I tried to get it going. I still make take it back down to his place and leave it and see if he can work the kinks out. Maybe reflow all those stupid traces. I can't do it, my eyesight is shot, and my hand ain't that steady, plus, I just don't own the good equipment.
How's this for a heart breaking story. I get a new homebrew antenna up, got my tuner gone though, and operate for all of about 6 hours and the rig goes kaput on me. I mean, I was ready to farking cry.
So, take it from someone who's been there and done that. AVOID the 950SDX! Because it just ain't worth trouble. Some like the rig. But, I know for a fact, that as they get older, they develop issues.
What compounds the problem, I am unemployed, have been since 2005. So, I'm stuck with the Broke rig, and new antenna and zero funds to fix it. What really stinks is this; I could have SOLD this rig back around 2003, and made enough to buy a decent rig. Now, I'd be lucky to get 850 for the rig and that would be with all the original stuff that comes with the rig, and the box, none of which I have! So, I'm stuck with a junk rig, that I cannot afford to fix and when I do sell it, I'll be lucky if I make anything on it.
73
-Chuck K8CPA
Lincoln Park, Michigan
Political Byline
I got it from a friend of mine's estate; his call was N8OPK. Not in the callbook anymore, He passed away at age 43. Died back in 1996. Massive heart attack, his aunt sold me the radio. They originally went over $4000 new. I got this one for $1500, which at the time, back in 2000, was a steal.
To be fair to Kenwood, I got 5 good years out of this radio. Which is pretty darned good considering the radio was basically transmitting through what some would call a Dummy Load with wires on it. It was a Van Gordon Engineering Shorty All bander Dipole. To be blunt, the antenna was a piece of crap. But it was a CHEAP piece of crap and I bought it and a 4:1 Balun and I was the king the world! Or so I thought so...
Speed Ahead 5 or so years. I operate, or used to operate alot of 75 meters. To me, 75 meters was the refuge away from the tin foil hat wearing 2 meter geeks with their 5 milliwatt H.T's and them wondering why they cannot hit every repeater in Detroit. Anyhow, one day the Kenwood started doing something odd; the RX would cut out, SWR pegged, I thought it was the antenna. I believe now, it might have been a combo of the rig AND the tuner. (I have a MFJ 989C, that just got "gone though" by a friend of mine...)
Anyhow, I consult with the "Experts" and they tell me, it's a pot in the TXCO Unit. and so, I get that replaced and Naturally, I still got issues. I THINK I've got it nailed down to the Resister Packs in the PLL unit. What the problem is, they tell me, is that the Kenwood had an issue with these radio, some idiot in Japan at Kenwood did not turn up the soldiering ovens high enough and the stupid soldier on the boards didn't get a good flow and that's causing all kinds of problems for this radios. They finally fixed it in like the last 1000 rigs out the door. But all the rest have the issue.
To give credit where it is due; my good friend, Matt AC8AC worked on this thing and He and I tried to get it going. I still make take it back down to his place and leave it and see if he can work the kinks out. Maybe reflow all those stupid traces. I can't do it, my eyesight is shot, and my hand ain't that steady, plus, I just don't own the good equipment.
How's this for a heart breaking story. I get a new homebrew antenna up, got my tuner gone though, and operate for all of about 6 hours and the rig goes kaput on me. I mean, I was ready to farking cry.
So, take it from someone who's been there and done that. AVOID the 950SDX! Because it just ain't worth trouble. Some like the rig. But, I know for a fact, that as they get older, they develop issues.
What compounds the problem, I am unemployed, have been since 2005. So, I'm stuck with the Broke rig, and new antenna and zero funds to fix it. What really stinks is this; I could have SOLD this rig back around 2003, and made enough to buy a decent rig. Now, I'd be lucky to get 850 for the rig and that would be with all the original stuff that comes with the rig, and the box, none of which I have!
So, I'm stuck with a junk rig, that I cannot afford to fix and when I do sell it, I'll be lucky if I make anything on it. 73
-Chuck K8CPA
Lincoln Park, Michigan
Political Byline
