Ron,
I have one, and I am most happy with it. Previously I owned a couple of
different models of the Icom 706 (the original version, and the MarkIIG),
and I still have the original as sort of a backup rig. I also own and use a
Yaesu FT-857. These two rigs are, I think, most comparable to the TS-480,
although the 480 doesn't cover 2 and 440. Some would also include the Icom
7000, but that radio has some additional features which may take it out of
the class of radios that can be really compared as being more or less equal.
However, I know several folks who have either opted for the 480 over the
7000, or reverted to the 480 as the better performing radio.
I think the 480, for what it does, is far superior to either the 706 or the
857. The 706 is, in my view, at the bottom of the list. The 480 has an
excellent receiver, and is a good performer in just about every aspect of
its capabilities. Having an internal ATU is a plus, and you don't get that
with either of the other two radios, nor do you get it in the 200 watt
version of the 480.
I am most impressed with the separable head on the 480, particularly
compared to the other two radios. The 857 has the least user friendly
separation head--it's almost too small and hard to deal with. But the
separation cable in the 857 is a real plus in that you can make one
yourself, and easily. But the 480 head is hands down the more user friendly
of all of them. Kenwood also supplies some good mounting option holders at
no extra charge. The head on the 480 has lots of function buttons, which
make it much easier to adjust various things quickly. Yaesu and Icom
require you to enter the menu system to make simple changes, but that takes
several steps. The 480 allows you to change things like power level, keyer
speed, with just a simple button push and a dial rotation. And you don't
have to then "confirm" the change with another button push! You just have
to operate each of these radios to really appreciate what I am saying, but I
assure you the 480 is superior.
It might be of interest to you to know that the 480 is apparently a very
easy radio to operate remotely. By that I mean the rig is at one location,
and you are at another, using the internet to talk to/through your radio and
to the rest of the world! I recently saw a very impressive demonstration of
this. I intend to duplicate it. The setup I witnessed has the radio at
home, and at the remote location you have the remote head So, you have
functional control with the radio head itself (through a computer of course,
and the internet), which is far superior in my view to just using a rig
control software package. It requires some additional hardware, but nothing
overly exotic. Two winkeyers were used--one at the home site, and one at
the remote location. This allows the radio to be very responsive (as in
fast) at translating CW from the remote location to the radio and out.
Another small "black box" is required to provide conversion to USB into the
computer. That apparently isn't overly complex either. Anyway, the
demonstration was most impressive.
You probably have specific questions not answered here. But I did want to
express my general recommendation for the 480. By all means, try one first
if you can. I think you will be appropriately impressed with its
performance.
Dave W7AQK
- Original Message -
From: "Ron Notarius W3WN" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "DX Chat Reflector"
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 6:40 PM
Subject: [DX-CHAT] TS-480SAT
Anyone familiar with the Kenwood TS-480SAT?
Would appreciate some feedback on the radio, as it's not one I'm familiar
with... yet.
[I've been going to the Breezeshooter's Hamfest for 28 years, on and off,
and never won so much as a book of matches... until today. I'm still in
shock!]
73, ron w3wn
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