TS-890s – KK4Z

Shack Shakeup Continues

I have a stable of radios. I like radios. I have spent the past couple of years going through radios and finding the ones I like to use. I think I am getting close. In the shack, I like my IC-7610 and TS-890. They are big and all the controls I use are easy to get to. There performance is top notch. I am content.

QRP radios. This has been my greatest controversy. When I retired, I thought I was going to do a lot of QRP with little radios and maybe even do some SOTA. It didn’t turn out that way. I found myself using big radios at low power. They are easy to use and because of their heatsinks, they never overheat at low power. I did keep one little radio the IC-705, of all the little radios I had, the 705 was the one I grabbed the most.

Field radios. I went through a bunch of radios here too. I kept my IC-7300 which I bought new and has stayed with me over the years. I may sell it off for the new IC-7300MK2. I recently acquired a TS-590sg which went with me on my recent POTA activation at Black Rock Mountain State Park.

It was definitely a fun radio and I look forward to using it more in the future. Yesterday, an IC-7200 was delivered by UPS. The was a trade I had in the works. I always wanted an IC-7200. It’s a basic radio that has a military vibe to it. Being a Veteran, it appealed to me. The radio came with the rails and the MARS mod was already done. The radio is pristine. Power draw at idle is about 1 amp and at 20 watts it draws about 8 amps. Lowering the power level does not overly change the amp draw. Above 20 watts and the amp draw increases. Twenty watts is the happy medium. Here in the shack I had it turned on and was able to work N0SA. I have a set of his SOTA paddles from his last run before he retired. They are fun to use. I plan on taking the 7200 on my next POTA adventure.

During the past couple of years after making many POTA activations, Field Days (winter and summer), Army MARS, and SHARES I was able to shape how I operate. Some of it was a surprise as I was led in a different direction than when I started. I guess when it comes to radios, I may march to the beat of a different drummer. I prefer big radios (IC-7300 size) over little radios. I like that the controls are easier to get to and they don’t overheat. In the field I usually run around 20-35 watts. Most of the time I am in my micro-camper so I am not carrying the radios very far. I may have to lug them 50 feet to a picnic table. I recently bought one of those folding wagons so weight is no problem.

Another surprise was my use of FT8. Band conditions on many of my outings was poor. If it wasn’t for FT8, I may not have had a valid activation. Plus, I discovered I could work a lot of DX while in a park using FT8.

Yaesu’s. I don’t have any Yaesu’s. I have tried to like them, but they are just not for me. I had an FTDX10 for about 18 months, a FT-710 for about a year total, and a FTX1 for a couple of months. To me they are kind of quirky. The Icom’s and the Kenwood’s are solid performers and the ergonomics are superior. I know how to make them dance and sing. I know there are those who love Yaesu and I get it. To each his own. Find the radios that suit you best and enjoy them as I have. The journey is half the fun. 73 de Scott

Moving things around

Its been a busy 2025 so far. I have been involved with MARS and that by itself has kept me occupied. I decided to change the the shack around a little to better meet my needs. I pulled the IC-7300 out of the line up and replaced it with a Kenwood TS-890s. The IC-7610 was shifted to the left which is now pretty much dedicated to MARS stuff. The TS-890s will be for everything else. I have both of my paddles hooked up to the 890 along with my Heil PR-781 microphone. I haven’t had a chance to use the 890 much but it is one heck of a radio. It is a very enjoyable radio. I am hoping to get back into CW this year. Last year was not a good year in general for radio and so far this is looking better. I want to get my code speed up. Rounding out the shack lineup is an IC-9700 for FM/DSTAR stuff.

So what about the IC-7300? That has gone back to being a field radio. That is where I enjoy it most. I also have a Yaesu FT-710 Field that is my other field radio. Over the years, I have found that I prefer big radios with better controls when I am in the field. Both radios can go down to QRP levels and if needed I can crank the power up to match band conditions. I find myself operating in the 20-35 watt range mostly and these radios can do that all day long even with digital modes like FT8.

I still have an Icom IC-705 and an Elecraft KX2 for the occasional day trip. If I am at a park, I am in my truck and I can carry a big radio 40 feet to a picnic table. I do like my little radios, but they do not see as much use as the big ones.

I have a new project I am working on. I am building a T3FD antenna to use with ALE.

Mine will be 177′ long and it will be 90 degrees from my OCF dipole. That will give me an antenna oriented north-south (OCF) and one east-west(T3FD). In order to have the space for the antenna I had take down a few trees.

After the tree removal it looked like this.

During the last windstorm one nearby pine blew down creating a widowmaker.

These are fairly dangerous and I had to be very careful. The break was about 6′ off of the ground. Even though it looks straightforward, when the tree came down it broke into 3 pieces and actually fell back toward the stump. It was good I had an escape route planned.

The antenna will go over the top of the house, and attach to a red maple.

It will take me a couple of months to gather all the supplies I need for the antenna. Being on a fixed income doesn’t always fit into the “I want it now!” mindset.

As I write this I am recovering from a stomach bug, which can lay you out for 1 or 2 days. Another project I am working on is a mount for my Diamond RHM12 antenna. I hope everyone is doing well, that this year is better than the last, and I get the opportunity to work you. 73 de Scott

Changes

Life is full of changes. Some are expected and some are not. Over the past couple of weeks I have had some changes for the good. One is that 2025 is shaping up to be a better year than 2024. My wife and I had some trials and tribulations which hampered my radio-activity. We had deaths, surgeries, and a few other health issues that slowed us down. This year, things have appeared to clear up and I am already enjoying more amateur radio activity.

To start off, I have had another shack shake-up. In a prior post I had my SPE Expert 1.5K FA up for sale or trade. It is a great amp but I needed an amp that would do MARS and SHARES frequencies so I ended up with an SPE 2.0 K FA. When I get back from Hamcation, I had a trade offer. My amp for a TS-890s. I have never owned a Kenwood HF radio so I thought I would give it a go. The trade went smoothly.

Before installing it in the shack I added the 270 Hz Roofing Filter and while I was inside, I did the MARS modification. I do not intend to use this radio for MARS, but in pinch, I am ready. My intention is to use the radio for fun and CW. I located it front and center on my desk. The IC-7610 was moved to the left which is where I set up for MARS operation. The 7610 plays very well for MARS.

As you can see in the above photo, I am using a Windows machine for radio control and logging. I really enjoy my Mac for everything else but when it comes to things radio, Windows machines are easier.

This weekend was the ARRL DX contest and the CW bands were crowded. this gave me a good opportunity to test the TS-890s. It performed very well.

The scale on the waterfall is 5 KHz on either side of the frequency. I had the 270 Hz Roofing Filter and a filter bandwidth of 250 Hz. The TS-890 easily blocked an adjacent S9+10 signal less than 500 Hz away. Even at less than 200 Hz away I could easily copy the target signal though there was some ringing. That is pretty impressive.

I am hoping to get back into CW this year. I made about 10 POTA contacts this morning with the TS-890s. It is a very pleasant experience. The TS-890s has more buttons and controls than my IC-7610 and even though I think the 7610’s ergonomics are great, The TS-890s’ is better. The 890 is a big radio and it is heavy. It’s built like a brick…

Tools of the trade for CW are my Begali Magnetic Signature and Sculpture Swing.

I joined SKCC last year but didn’t do much because of stuff. I hope to do better this year. A lofty goal I have in mind is to get my CW above 25 wpm. I think I am close. I need to practice. Hopefully this year will allow that to happen.

I hope everybody else is doing well and I hope to hear you on the air. I have a couple of camping trips coming up which should be me and the key trips. The IC-7300? It has gone back to being a field radio. Which is one arena it really shines. 73 – de Scott