TS-990S_review_QST_2014.pdf

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1、QST Devoted entirely to Amateur Radio www.arrl.org February 2014 53 Technical by Mark Spencer, WA8SME Kenwood TS-990S HF and 6 Meter Transceiver Kenwoods top-tier transceiver is loaded with features. Product Review Mark J. Wilson, K1RO, k1roarrl.org Bottom Line Kenwoods top-tier TS-990S offers high

2、performance and an extensive list of features. Its settings are highly customizable, and it looks and sounds terrific. Reviewed by Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL News Editor/NCJ Managing Editor ww1mearrl.org The long-awaited, top-tier Kenwood TS- 990S is a magnificent behemoth not sur- prising when you

3、consider it swallowed an entire TS-590S for its subreceiver. Among its interior features are separate DSP chips for the main receiver, the subreceiver, and the bandscope to spread the workload, and hefty FETs operating at 50 V that help to moderate transmit IMD, keying sidebands and operating temper

4、ature while its crank- ing out 200 W. Words such as “bulletproof” and “brick wall” barely begin to describe this receivers ability not to hear something you dont want to hear. This handsome radio sports an ambitious front panel, with no fewer than 110 buttons including the one that actually turns on

5、 the radio and 28 knobs, including con- centric controls and the main and sub tuning knobs. A lot are dual-purpose press, or press and hold. Given their tight proximity and the less-than-prominent off-white label- ing, its very easy to, for example, mix up the CW T. and FIL/SEL buttons or turn the M

6、ULTI/CH knob when you really meant to grab the RIT/XIT knob. User Friendly Much of the transceivers personality re- sides in upgradable firmware, and the radio incorporates functions youve been relying on your PC to perform in the shack. Many critical functions exist only in code, so fea- tures can

7、be added or improved (we updated Figure 1 The larger of the two colorful LCD panels can be configured to show many different operating parameters. our unit twice). Will the paradigm among manufacturers shift from introducing new hardware to developing better software for existing platforms? The true

8、 beauty of the TS-990S is that it although its a “hardware” radio, it essen- tially lets you configure the radio that you want. The other side of that coin, however, is that you can invest considerable time get- ting it “just so.” For operators who desire one array of transceiver settings for casual

9、 operating and another for contesting or DXing, the TS-990S lets you save two com- plete transceiver configuration sets on a USB thumb drive menu settings, audio equalization and routing, and other para- meters. This fine tuning may be an enjoy- able exercise sort of like sitting in the driveway wit

10、h your head under the hood, tinkering, with the engine of your high- performance sports car but it doesnt beat getting on the air. Zoom zoom! 54 February 2014 ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio www.arrl.org On the Face of It The 990 has two colorful LCD front-panel display windows, the

11、 larger measuring about 3.5 5.8 inches (Figure 1), the smaller “subdisplay” directly above the sizeable main tuning knob about 2.3 2.8 inches (Figure 6). Between them they can tell you everything you need to know. The displays are clear and sharp. Connecting an external display may be a wise decisio

12、n, because the main display contains an encyclopedias worth of status information and can include a bandscope and/or waterfall to boot your call. Its easy for info such as time and date to get “lost” in the display. The smaller display duplicates the main ra- dios frequency readout, contains a mini-

13、 bandscope, and, depending on mode, can graphically represent such things as filter and IF shift settings and provide a tuning aid for RTTY or PSK. The most unusual thing about this tuning display, however, is the virtual analog apron, or “skirt,” that recalls the Kenwood TS-520 era. Scoping the Wat

14、erfall! Repeatedly pressing the SCP button will cycle you through a screen where the bot- tom half is blank, a screen where the band- scope takes up the bottom half, and a screen where the bottom half is roughly divided between a reduced-height bandscope and a waterfall that uses a color-coding sche

15、me to indicate relative signal strength. The pattern rendered on the bandscope in the main dis- play is smooth and sharp. Shadowing is a choice on the bandscope. Averaging lets you “settle down” the spectrum scope, making it a bit easier to spot signal peaks under certain conditions. A lot of new TS

16、-990S owners are enthusias- tic about the waterfall. Its available in all modes, although most hams are probably familiar with this feature from their digital mode software. Its terrific but has its limita- tions. If you tune the receiver with the water- fall display in CENTER mode, the waterfall st

17、ops! This means you cannot tune over to a signal on the waterfall that may not be mak- ing much of an impression on the bandscope but is showing clearly on the waterfall. This leaves FIXED mode, in which the waterfall spans the limits of the current band. This also applies to CENTER and FIXED mode w

18、ith the bandscope. A mini waterfall shows up in FSK or PSK, Table 1 Kenwood TS990S, serial number B3200197 Manufacturers Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.0360 MHz; Receive and transmit, as specified. transmit, 1.82.0, 3.54, 5.255.45, 77.3, 10.110.15, 1414.35, 18

19、.06818.168, 2121.45, 24.8924.99, 5054 MHz. Power requirement: 90132, 180264 V ac; 560 VA (transmit, maximum RF power transmit, 720 VA; receive, 120 VA. output), 66 VA (receive, full volume, no signal, maximum display brightness). Modes: SSB, CW, AM, FM, FSK, PSK. As specified. Receiver Receiver Dyna

20、mic Testing, Main Receiver SSB/CW/FSK/PSK sensitivity, 10 dB S/N: Noise floor (MDS), 500 Hz bandwidth, 0.5 V (0.130.522 MHz), 4 V (0.522 500 Hz roofing filter: 1.705 MHz), 0.2 V (1.70524.5 MHz), Preamp off Preamp on 1.3 V (24.530 MHz), 1.3 V (5054 MHz). 0.137 MHz 123 dBm 127 dBm 0.475 MHz 133 dBm 13

21、8 dBm 1.0 MHz 109 dBm 119 dBm 3.5 MHz 129 dBm 139 dBm 14 MHz 128 dBm 138 dBm 50 MHz 127 dBm 140 dBm Noise figure: Not specified. 14 MHz, preamp off/on: 19/9 dB. AM sensitivity, 10 dB S/N: 0.5 V (0.13 10 dB (S+N)/N, 1kHz, 30% modulation, 0.522 MHz), 32 V (0.5221.705 MHz), 6 kHz bandwidth, preamp off/

22、on: 2 V (1.70524.5 MHz), 1.3 V (24.530 MHz), 1.0 MHz 27.8 V 6.5 V 1.3 V (5054 MHz). 3.8 MHz 2.48 V 0.75 V 50 MHz 2.72 V 0.63 V FM sensitivity, 12 dB SINAD: 0.22 V For 12 dB SINAD, 3 kHz deviation, (2830 MHz); 0.22 V (5054 MHz). 15 kHz bandwidth, preamp off/on: 29 MHz 1.55 V 0.21 V 52 MHz 1.00 V 0.22

23、 V Spectral display sensitivity: Not specified. With 100 kHz display width, preamp off/on: 14 MHz 102 dBm 113 dBm 50 MHz 106 dBm 121 dBm Blocking gain compression dynamic range: Blocking gain compression dynamic range, Not specified. 500 Hz bandwidth, 500 Hz roofing filter: 20 kHz offset 5/2 kHz off

24、set Preamp off/on Preamp off 3.5 MHz 139/149 dB 139/134 dB 14 MHz 138/148 dB 138/133 dB 50 MHz 137/141 dB 137/132 dB Reciprocal mixing dynamic range: Not specified. 14 MHz, 20/5/2 kHz offset: 117/101/87 dB ARRL Lab Two-Tone IMD Testing (500 Hz bandwidth, 500 Hz roofing filter)* Measured Measured Cal

25、culated Band/Preamp Spacing Input Level IMD Level IMD DR IP3 3.5 MHz/Off 20 kHz 25 dBm 129 dBm 104 dB +27 dBm 6 dBm 97 dBm +40 dBm 14 MHz/Off 20 kHz 16 dBm 128 dBm 112 dB +40 dBm 3 dBm 97 dBm +44 dBm 0 dBm 88 dBm +44 dBm 14 MHz/On 20 kHz 25 dBm 138 dBm 113 dB +32 dBm 11 dBm 97 dBm +32 dBm 14 MHz/Off

26、 5 kHz 17 dBm 128 dBm 111 dB +39 dBm 3 dBm 97 dBm +44 dBm 0 dBm 90 dBm +45 dBm 14 MHz/Off 2 kHz 27 dBm 128 dBm 101 dB +24 dBm 9 dBm 97 dBm +35 dBm 0 dBm 88 dBm +44 dBm* 50 MHz/Off 20 kHz 19 dBm 127 dBm 108 dB +35 dBm 9 dBm 97 dBm +35 dBm Second-order intercept point: Not specified. Preamp off/on: 14

27、 MHz, +69/+69 dBm; 50 MHz, +57/+57 dBm. DSP noise reduction: Not specified. Variable, 20 dB maximum. Notch filter depth: 70 dB (manual), Manual notch: 60 dB; Auto notch: 70 dB (auto). 60 dB, attack time: 164 ms. QST Devoted entirely to Amateur Radio www.arrl.org February 2014 55 though, and it does

28、continue to flow as you tune, although its width is determined by the filter you have set. The bandscope works in all modes, and if you add the wa- terfall along the bottom half of the main display, the height of the bandscope reduces by two-thirds. Using the digital mode de- code screen takes the w

29、aterfall down to about one-third its usual width, and the bandwidth is reduced to a maximum of 1500 Hz. Span choices in CENTER mode are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 kHz. Narrower is bet- ter on the bandscope, but you can easily distinguish signals by using the waterfall. Touchy Feely The TS-990S

30、 offers limited touch-screen capability. Touch a signal on the bandscope or waterfall, and the radio tunes to it. (The mini-waterfall is not a touch display.) This sounds better in theory. You must apply fairly firm pressure (compared, say, to an iPad), and tuning precision is only approxi- mate at

31、best, especially for narrow band- width modes (unless you have very pointy fingertips). It is far more precise with the waterfall. Its a nice touch, however (pun intended), and I did find myself using it more as I got familiar with the radio. Its also an excellent way to speed frequency changes. Its

32、 possible to exact far greater precision using a touch stylus. On the Menu The TS-990S menu befits such a substantial radio, and navigation is straightforward. Press the orange-labeled MENU button (its the only orange label), and it brings up the top-level menu, which is divided into groups 0 throug

33、h 9. Each group covers a certain group of controls. For example, 0 is “Basic Configurations.” Highlight a group, and its abbreviated contents appear in (or stream across) the highlighted field. Kenwood has employed streaming-text menus in previous models but not in such a sophisticated pre- sentatio

34、n. Select the menu and you can navigate among the various parameters in that group. For example group 0, item 02 lets you adjust the font style for the fre- quency display (there are three choices). Many parameters are settable using the but- tons below the menu screen or along the right side, altho

35、ugh some are (also) adjust- able by using the MULTI/CH knob. All Things Being Equal The TS-990S does not leave transmit or re- ceive audio to chance. In addition to some continued on page 56 FM adjacent channel rejection: Not specified. Preamp on: 29 MHz, 89 dB; 52 MHz, 87 dB. FM two-tone, third-ord

36、er IMD dynamic range: 20 kHz offset, preamp on: 29 MHz, 86 dB; Not specified. 52 MHz, 85 dB; 10 MHz offset: 29 MHz, 113 dB; 52 MHz, 115 dB. S meter sensitivity: Not specified. S-9 signal, preamp off/on: 14.2 MHz, 75.8/19.3 V; 50 MHz, 69.1/8.2 V. Squelch sensitivity: Not specified. At threshold, prea

37、mp on: FM, 0.09 V (29 MHz); SSB, 0.6 V (14.2 MHz). Receiver audio output: 1.5 W into 8 W. 2.8 W at 10% THD into 8 W. THD at 1 V RMS: 0.3%. IF/audio response: Not specified. Range at 6 dB points, (bandwidth) : CW (500 Hz BW): 449949 Hz (500 Hz); Equivalent rectangular BW: 496 Hz; USB: (2.6 kHz):10025

38、30 Hz (2430 Hz); LSB: (2.6 kHz): 1012530 Hz (2429 Hz); AM: (2.9 kHz): 1402590 Hz (4900 Hz); AM: (5 kHz): 1202940 Hz (5640 Hz). Spurious and image rejection: Not specified. First IF, 14 MHz, 68 dB; 50 MHz, 70 dB; image, 14 MHz, 72 dB; 50 MHz, 137 dB. Receiver Receiver Dynamic Testing, Sub Receiver SS

39、B/CW/FSK/PSK sensitivity, 10 dB S/N: Noise floor (MDS), 500 Hz bandwidth, 0.5 V (0.130.522 MHz), 4 V (0.522 default roofing filter: 1.705 MHz), 0.2 V (1.70524.5 MHz), Preamp off Preamp on 1.3 V (24.530 MHz), 1.3 V (5054 MHz). 0.137 MHz 126 dBm 133 dBm 0.475 MHz 128 dBm 138 dBm 1.0 MHz 109 dBm 118 dB

40、m 3.5 MHz 128 dBm 138 dBm 10.1 MHz 126 dBm 134 dBm 14 MHz 128 dBm 137 dBm 50 MHz 125 dBm 137 dBm Noise figure: Not specified. 14 MHz, preamp off/on: 19/10 dB. AM sensitivity, 10 dB S/N: 0.5 V (0.13 10 dB (S+N)/N, 1-kHz, 30% modulation, 0.522 MHz), 32 V (0.5221.705 MHz), 5 kHz bandwidth, preamp off/o

41、n: 2 V (1.70524.5 MHz), 1.3 V (24.530 MHz), 1.0 MHz 26.0 V 8.60 V 1.3 V (5054 MHz). 3.8 MHz 3.59 V 1.40 V 50 MHz 4.41 V 0.91 V FM sensitivity, 12 dB SINAD: 0.22 V For 12 dB SINAD, 3 kHz deviation, (2830 MHz); 0.22 V (5054 MHz). 15 kHz bandwidth, preamp off/on: 29 MHz 1.11 V 0.23 V 52 MHz 1.51 V 0.29

42、V Blocking gain compression dynamic range: Blocking gain compression dynamic range, Not specified. 500 Hz bandwidth, default roofing filter: 20 kHz offset 5/2 kHz offset Preamp off/on Preamp off 3.5 MHz 138/145 dB 138/138 dB 10.1 MHz 136/135 dB 127/124 dB 14 MHz 138/143 dB 138/130 dB 50 MHz 135/130

43、dB 108/98 dB Reciprocal mixing dynamic range: Not specified. 14 MHz, 20/5/2 kHz offset: 117/105/94 dB ARRL Lab Two-Tone IMD Testing* (500 Hz bandwidth, default roofing filter) Measured Measured Calculated Band/Preamp Spacing Input Level IMD Level IMD DR IP3 10.1 MHz/Off 20 kHz 24 dBm 126 dBm 102 dB

44、+27 dBm 15 dBm 97 dBm +26 dBm 0 dBm 48 dBm +24 dBm 10.1 MHz/On 20 kHz 35 dBm 134 dBm 99 dB +15 dBm 23 dBm 97 dBm +14 dBm 10.1 MHz/Off 5 kHz 34 dBm 126 dBm 92 dB +12 dBm 25 dBm 97 dBm +11 dBm 10.1 MHz/Off 2 kHz 37 dBm 126 dBm 87 dB +5 dBm 26 dBm 97 dBm +10 dBm 56 February 2014 ARRL, the national asso

45、ciation for Amateur Radio www.arrl.org continued from page 55 ARRL Lab Two-Tone IMD Testing* (500 Hz bandwidth, default roofing filter) Measured Measured Calculated Band/Preamp Spacing Input Level IMD Level IMD DR IP3 14 MHz/Off 20 kHz 21 dBm 128 dBm 107 dB +33 dBm 11 dBm 97 dBm +32 dBm 0 dBm 58 dBm

46、 +29 dBm 14 MHz/On 20 kHz 34 dBm 137 dBm 103 dB +18 dBm 21 dBm 97 dBm +17 dBm 14 MHz/Off 5 kHz 21 dBm 128 dBm 107 dB +33 dBm 11 dBm 97 dBm +32 dBm 0 dBm 58 dBm +29 dBm 14 MHz/Off 2 kHz 30 dBm 128 dBm 98 dB +19 dBm 16 dBm 97 dBm +25 dBm 0 dBm 57 dBm +29 dBm Second-order intercept point: Not specified

47、. Preamp off/on, 14 MHz, +73/+73 dBm; 50 MHz, +65/+27 dBm. FM adjacent channel rejection: Not specified. Preamp on: 29 MHz, 85 dB; 52 MHz, 83 dB. FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range: 20 kHz offset, preamp on: 29 MHz, 85 dB; Not specified. 52 MHz, 83 dB; 10 MHz offset: 29 MHz, 106 dB; 52 MHz,

48、106 dB. S meter sensitivity: Not specified. S-9 signal, preamp off/on: 14.2 MHz, 86.0/20.9 V; 50 MHz, 107.0/10.7 V. Squelch sensitivity: Not specified. At threshold, preamp on: FM, 0.1 V (29 MHz), SSB, 0.7 V (14.2 MHz). Receiver audio output: 1.5 W into 8 W. 2.8 W at 10% THD into 8 W. THD at 1 V RMS: 0.3%. IF/audio response: Not specified. Range at 6 dB points, (bandwidth): CW (500 Hz): 460950 Hz (490 Hz); Equivalent rectangular BW: 476 Hz; USB: (2.6 kHz): 2262481 Hz (2255 Hz); LSB: (2.6 kHz): 2272537 Hz (2310 Hz); AM: (4.9 kHz): 1372299 Hz (5324 Hz). Spurious and image rejection: