Kenwood TS-480- Manuals

6 Development Objectives for the TS-480 Series The following is an explanation of our development objectives, distinct from the planning objectives. If asked about the origins of the compact HF rig, people outside Japan would no doubt think of the Atlas Series. Following the Atlas, a variety of diff...

7 Focusing on HF Raising power output and adding an antenna tuner are both moves in the right direction, but limiting the transceiver to the HF bands when the mainstream nowadays is HF~V/UHF would seem to be going against the tide of the times. Yet opting for the multi-band route inevitably leads to...

8 Circuitry ● TX circuits 200W final section Explained here is the circuitry for the 200W final section, the crown jewel of the TS-480 Series. This circuit is responsible for developing 200W output with a DC 13.8V power supply. Of course, various approaches are possible. The typical one would be to ...

12 Fig. 4: 200W final section Fig. 5: 100W final section with antenna tuner

13 FM circuit There were two approaches used for the FM circuit of the conventional all-mode transceiver. Either there was a dedicated modulation circuit using a 10.695MHz crystal, or the modulation was performed by the VCO on the 2nd OSC. The latter was not an option for the TS-480, and since the w...

17 Jumpers for joy As with the TS-2000, something special has been provided for both the BPF ATT in the BC band and the regular ATT: The BPF has been equipped with an ATT in order to cope with powerful local broadcasting stations in the BC band. However, a jumper can be used to switch from NORM to D...

18 Circuitry after the roofing filter Except for FM, the TS-480 has a double super: 1st IF is 73.095MHz and the 2nd IF is 10.695MHz. For FM, there is also a triple super as low as 455kHz. This is followed by analog detection and signal processing performed by the AF DSP in a standard arrangement. Th...

20 Auxiliary Features In addition to the basic TX/RX circuitry already described, the TS-480 is equipped with a number of auxiliary features of considerable practical benefit. What follows is an introduction to some of these. ● Full compatibility with digital modes (data modes) PSK31 and RTTY operat...

21 TX tuning is a handy feature to have. It outputs a low-power continuous carrier for adjusting a screw-drive or similar antenna. It allows you to transmit a continuous carrier that is independent of the mode and power of your current operations. Simply assign a PF key to this function. No paddle, ...

22 Features of the Built-in DSP ● DSP circuit The digital signal processor equipped on the TS-480 is the 16-bit fixed-point TMS320VC5402 from Texas Instruments, which offers excellent value for the money. Running at 100MHz, it provides double-precision arithmetic operations (equivalent to 32-bit pro...

23 First, the input signal is divided into its low- and high-frequency components. Ignition and other pulse noise tends to be concentrated in the latter, from which amplitude variation is output. The attenuation coefficient derived from this signal is multiplied by the input signal. As soon as pulse...

25 ● Beat cancel Beat cancel (BC), as its name implies, is designed to cancel unpleasant beat interference. Like NR1, it uses adaptive filter technology, tracking a beat and canceling it by shaping. It is very similar to a band elimination filter. Even if there are multiple beats, BC can track and c...

26 Interference Interference Target signal Interference Interference Target signal Low-cut Hi-cut Fig. 20: Slope tune in action ● RX DSP filters In SSB, AM and FM modes, you can independently set high- and low-cut frequencies for the AF filters to suit operating conditions (slope tune). Fig. 20 illu...

27 Listed below are the filter bandwidths (unit: Hz) that can be chosen; default values are shown in bold. CW WIDTH 50 80 100 200 300 400 500 600 1000 2000 FSK WIDTH 250 500 1000 1500 When the optional CW filters are installed, the TS-480 will automatically select the optimum IF filter in accordance...

29 Tips As with other Kenwood HF transceivers, the TS-480 provides menu access to its many features. By selecting and adjusting these features, you can customize the TS-480 so that it fits perfectly into your way of operating a radio. Introduced here are tips on how to get the most out of the variou...

37 Structural Features ● Internal structure of the main unit The internal structure of the main unit is straightforward: employing a die-cast aluminum chassis, it is designed so that the circuit boards are attached from both above and below. From above one can see the TX/RX unit, the filter unit and...

38 ● Cooling In developing the TS-480HX, the most important issue when it came to structural design was how to arrange for sufficient cooling. In order for this transceiver to be capable of 200W output and yet have the same compact design as the TS-50, we examined dozens of different cooling fans, v...

40 Now let’s have a look at the rise in temperature of the different parts when the TS-480HX transmits continuously (14MHz) for 30 minutes at 200W. To provide a comparison, plotted on the same graph is test data compiled for a compact 100W model (designed so as not to power-down during continuous tr...

43 New Option: Voice Guide & Storage Unit (VGS-1) Developed at the same time as the TS-480, the VGS-1 can be installed as an option. Combining in one unit the functions of the voice synthesizer unit (VS-3) and the digital recording unit (DRU-3A) previously offered by Kenwood, the VGS-1 goes beyo...

44 ● Voice Guide Kenwood’s Voice Guide function is not the same as the basic versions fitted in some transceivers merely to announce the frequency. Of course, we have included a frequency guide, but we were convinced that a Voice Guide is an obvious and essential feature for the menus and function s...

45 6. VFO mode, direct frequency entry Let us say you are operating at 7.033MHz and in VFO mode you press the PF key, the Voice Guide will announce “VFO”, “A” or “B”, and 7.033.00. If you use the key pad to input ENT, 2, 1, 1, 9, 5, ENT, you will hear each key announced – “Enter”, “2”, “1”, “point”,...

46 New Option: ARCP-480 (Amateur Radio Control Program for TS-480) Freeware Kenwood’s ARCP software has proven very popular. For the TS-480 we have made some significant improvements, releasing it as “ARCP-480”. KNS added ARCP-480 is compatible with the Kenwood Network Command System, enabling contr...

47 2. Changing memory and registered details You can change any registration data from the appropriate window. You use this window when storing new data in memory. Display the frequency you wish to register and press M.IN. Then pick the channel (0-89) you want to write to and press DISP: the memory ...

48 4. Reading and writing files With ARCP-480 you can write memory channel and menu data to a file for later recall. This does not apply in certain cases when using KNS. ● Compatibility with KNS (Kenwood Network Command System) KNS is the name for the system that enables remote control of the transc...

50 communications and the operating system on either end is compatible, check the Voice box. (It is possible to enter the description using double-byte characters. For the address, it is also possible to enter the domain name, provided that it can be resolved by DNS.) Once you have finished, return ...

51 Using a broadband router Many people using the Internet today use a broadband router (hereafter referred to simply as a router), but in order to use KNS in a setup that has routers installed at both the host and remote ends, you need to configure each end separately. With KNS, for transmission an...

52 New Option: ARHP-10 (Amateur Radio Host Program) Freeware ARHP-10 is the host application for use with the Kenwood Network Command System. As was explained in the section on ARCP-480, if ARHP-10 is installed on the host computer it can serve as the host in a KNS connection. 1. Make an audio/voice...

55 ● Troubleshooting Listed below are typical problems that you might encounter. Network & Operations Problem Solution Is it possible to use an analog dial-up connection? We recommend a broadband connection. Otherwise, if you have a narrowband connection of about 50kbps, it might work, though th...

6 Development Objectives for the TS-480 Series The following is an explanation of our development objectives, distinct from the planning objectives. If asked about the origins of the compact HF rig, people outside Japan would no doubt think of the Atlas Series. Following the Atlas, a variety of diff...

7 Focusing on HF Raising power output and adding an antenna tuner are both moves in the right direction, but limiting the transceiver to the HF bands when the mainstream nowadays is HF~V/UHF would seem to be going against the tide of the times. Yet opting for the multi-band route inevitably leads to...

8 Circuitry ● TX circuits 200W final section Explained here is the circuitry for the 200W final section, the crown jewel of the TS-480 Series. This circuit is responsible for developing 200W output with a DC 13.8V power supply. Of course, various approaches are possible. The typical one would be to ...

12 Fig. 4: 200W final section Fig. 5: 100W final section with antenna tuner

13 FM circuit There were two approaches used for the FM circuit of the conventional all-mode transceiver. Either there was a dedicated modulation circuit using a 10.695MHz crystal, or the modulation was performed by the VCO on the 2nd OSC. The latter was not an option for the TS-480, and since the w...

17 Jumpers for joy As with the TS-2000, something special has been provided for both the BPF ATT in the BC band and the regular ATT: The BPF has been equipped with an ATT in order to cope with powerful local broadcasting stations in the BC band. However, a jumper can be used to switch from NORM to D...

18 Circuitry after the roofing filter Except for FM, the TS-480 has a double super: 1st IF is 73.095MHz and the 2nd IF is 10.695MHz. For FM, there is also a triple super as low as 455kHz. This is followed by analog detection and signal processing performed by the AF DSP in a standard arrangement. Th...

20 Auxiliary Features In addition to the basic TX/RX circuitry already described, the TS-480 is equipped with a number of auxiliary features of considerable practical benefit. What follows is an introduction to some of these. ● Full compatibility with digital modes (data modes) PSK31 and RTTY operat...

21 TX tuning is a handy feature to have. It outputs a low-power continuous carrier for adjusting a screw-drive or similar antenna. It allows you to transmit a continuous carrier that is independent of the mode and power of your current operations. Simply assign a PF key to this function. No paddle, ...

22 Features of the Built-in DSP ● DSP circuit The digital signal processor equipped on the TS-480 is the 16-bit fixed-point TMS320VC5402 from Texas Instruments, which offers excellent value for the money. Running at 100MHz, it provides double-precision arithmetic operations (equivalent to 32-bit pro...

23 First, the input signal is divided into its low- and high-frequency components. Ignition and other pulse noise tends to be concentrated in the latter, from which amplitude variation is output. The attenuation coefficient derived from this signal is multiplied by the input signal. As soon as pulse...

25 ● Beat cancel Beat cancel (BC), as its name implies, is designed to cancel unpleasant beat interference. Like NR1, it uses adaptive filter technology, tracking a beat and canceling it by shaping. It is very similar to a band elimination filter. Even if there are multiple beats, BC can track and c...

26 Interference Interference Target signal Interference Interference Target signal Low-cut Hi-cut Fig. 20: Slope tune in action ● RX DSP filters In SSB, AM and FM modes, you can independently set high- and low-cut frequencies for the AF filters to suit operating conditions (slope tune). Fig. 20 illu...

27 Listed below are the filter bandwidths (unit: Hz) that can be chosen; default values are shown in bold. CW WIDTH 50 80 100 200 300 400 500 600 1000 2000 FSK WIDTH 250 500 1000 1500 When the optional CW filters are installed, the TS-480 will automatically select the optimum IF filter in accordance...

29 Tips As with other Kenwood HF transceivers, the TS-480 provides menu access to its many features. By selecting and adjusting these features, you can customize the TS-480 so that it fits perfectly into your way of operating a radio. Introduced here are tips on how to get the most out of the variou...

37 Structural Features ● Internal structure of the main unit The internal structure of the main unit is straightforward: employing a die-cast aluminum chassis, it is designed so that the circuit boards are attached from both above and below. From above one can see the TX/RX unit, the filter unit and...

38 ● Cooling In developing the TS-480HX, the most important issue when it came to structural design was how to arrange for sufficient cooling. In order for this transceiver to be capable of 200W output and yet have the same compact design as the TS-50, we examined dozens of different cooling fans, v...

40 Now let’s have a look at the rise in temperature of the different parts when the TS-480HX transmits continuously (14MHz) for 30 minutes at 200W. To provide a comparison, plotted on the same graph is test data compiled for a compact 100W model (designed so as not to power-down during continuous tr...

43 New Option: Voice Guide & Storage Unit (VGS-1) Developed at the same time as the TS-480, the VGS-1 can be installed as an option. Combining in one unit the functions of the voice synthesizer unit (VS-3) and the digital recording unit (DRU-3A) previously offered by Kenwood, the VGS-1 goes beyo...

44 ● Voice Guide Kenwood’s Voice Guide function is not the same as the basic versions fitted in some transceivers merely to announce the frequency. Of course, we have included a frequency guide, but we were convinced that a Voice Guide is an obvious and essential feature for the menus and function s...

45 6. VFO mode, direct frequency entry Let us say you are operating at 7.033MHz and in VFO mode you press the PF key, the Voice Guide will announce “VFO”, “A” or “B”, and 7.033.00. If you use the key pad to input ENT, 2, 1, 1, 9, 5, ENT, you will hear each key announced – “Enter”, “2”, “1”, “point”,...

46 New Option: ARCP-480 (Amateur Radio Control Program for TS-480) Freeware Kenwood’s ARCP software has proven very popular. For the TS-480 we have made some significant improvements, releasing it as “ARCP-480”. KNS added ARCP-480 is compatible with the Kenwood Network Command System, enabling contr...

47 2. Changing memory and registered details You can change any registration data from the appropriate window. You use this window when storing new data in memory. Display the frequency you wish to register and press M.IN. Then pick the channel (0-89) you want to write to and press DISP: the memory ...

48 4. Reading and writing files With ARCP-480 you can write memory channel and menu data to a file for later recall. This does not apply in certain cases when using KNS. ● Compatibility with KNS (Kenwood Network Command System) KNS is the name for the system that enables remote control of the transc...

50 communications and the operating system on either end is compatible, check the Voice box. (It is possible to enter the description using double-byte characters. For the address, it is also possible to enter the domain name, provided that it can be resolved by DNS.) Once you have finished, return ...

51 Using a broadband router Many people using the Internet today use a broadband router (hereafter referred to simply as a router), but in order to use KNS in a setup that has routers installed at both the host and remote ends, you need to configure each end separately. With KNS, for transmission an...

52 New Option: ARHP-10 (Amateur Radio Host Program) Freeware ARHP-10 is the host application for use with the Kenwood Network Command System. As was explained in the section on ARCP-480, if ARHP-10 is installed on the host computer it can serve as the host in a KNS connection. 1. Make an audio/voice...

55 ● Troubleshooting Listed below are typical problems that you might encounter. Network & Operations Problem Solution Is it possible to use an analog dial-up connection? We recommend a broadband connection. Otherwise, if you have a narrowband connection of about 50kbps, it might work, though th...