Kenwood TS 440S

This rig has now been sold but not after I had a lot of fun playing with it, I thought I'd leave the description here as it might be of interest to someone, I've left the text as it was when I originally wrote it so read on.....

This is a new addition to the Shack but only whilst I test it and then sell it (read on....) for a friend who's Mum was a local Ham (GW0LAL).

Our boys go to the same school and during a Birthday party we were chatting (I new him when we were both at School), and I mentioned we were moving and at last I would have a proper shack. He related to me that his Mum was a Ham before she passed away some 15 years ago and had traveled Europe meeting the people she had regular QSOs with.

He also had a "box of stuff" in the attic. After we moved and the house got organised the box arrived and in it was a Kenwood TS 440S and Realistic PRO 2004. I bought the PRO 2004 and offered to test, clean up and sell the TS 440S.

The rig was manufactured in 1985 and has these features as standard:

• • AM/CW/SSB/FM/FSK

  • 100 memories

  • All mode squelch

  • General coverage receiver

  • Notch filter

  • Slow/Fast AGC

  • Speech Processor (compressor)

  • RIT

  • XIT

  • Twin VFOs

  • Split VFO Operation

  • VOX

  • Full or semi break-in CW

ALL THAT IN 1985!!!! In addition this rig has all the options fitted:

• • Auto ATU

  • CW filter

  • SSB filter

  • Speech synthesizer(reads frequency)

I joined the Yahoo TS 440S group before I received the radio so I knew what to look for and the dreaded 'dots' caused by 'Evil Goop' were a real concern.

Well the rig works like a dream, the internal memory battery is still good after 15 years! (although I will replace it), there is no 'Evil Goop' in the VFO circuits (it was not added to some later models) so I have no dots worries apart from simple alignment maintenance.

So it works, what is it like to operate?

• • Well Signal reports have all been complimentary on the audio - excellent

  • CW Full break in is amazing, even with full output the relays are near silent (unlike the IC 718)

  • Received audio is excellent - the filters are superb and Kenwood have the 4 settings perfect

  • Memories are really simple to store and recall (unlike the 718)

  • Split frequency operation is solid and the 'T-F Set' option for checking the split frequency is great

  • The Autotuner tunes all bands on my SRC X-80 5.8 m vertical - amazing

  • I love analogue meters

  • The adjustable AGC is a real benefit (the IC-718 doesn't have it)

  • It has FM for when the bands get better

  • It is a dream to use

I have used this more than the IC-718 and I think you can see why. In its day this was probably one of, if not, the best HF Rig you could buy. A comparison today from the Yahoo group was the TS-480; TS-590S or Flex 3000 - it is moving in high circles indeed!

I like it so much I think I am going to buy it rather than sell it - top dollar of course but this rig might be too good to let go on e-bay!