TS-2000_review_RC_2001.pdf

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1、43 Dont miss the RSGB Spring Show - Bletchley 7/8 April! Kenwood TS-2000 HF, VHF and UHF Transceiver Reviewed by Peter Hart, G3SJX* * The Willows, Paice Lane, Medstead, Alton, Hants GU34 5PR. I T IS four years since Kenwood last released a new HF trans- ceiver model on to the ama- teur market and no

2、w the recent launch of the TS-2000 multimode HF / VHF / UHF radio has at- tracted much interest. Covering all 13 bands from 160m - 23cm (the latter band as an optional extra) it adopts the same exten- sive IF and AF DSP functions first seen in the TS-870 model. It also provides full satellite capabi

3、lity and DX Cluster monitoring as well as a host of other goodies, so that this single radio can satisfy virtually all amateur radio communi- cation requirements. The radio is available in two versions, either as a conventional standalone unit (TS-2000) or as a black box minus the control panel (TS-

4、B2000) for use with a personal computer or a remote mo- bile controller. Functionally, these two ver- sions are identical. PRINCIPAL FEATURES THE TS-2000 is 12V operated with a peak current drain of around 21A. It is a middle- sized radio measuring 281 x 107 x 371mm and weighs about 7.6kg. The TS-B2

5、000 remote control version is a little less deep as the front panel is a blank cover but the main body of both units is identical. USB, LSB, CW, FSK, AM and FM modes are selectable with normal or reverse sideband on CW and FSK. Wide or narrow bandwidth FM and AM is selectable, and on FM the deviatio

6、n is also switched corresponding to 25kHz or 12.5kHz channel requirements. The main receiver tunes continuously from 30kHz to 60MHz with the transmitter ena- bled only within the exact amateur band allocations. There are different model vari- ants for Europe and the Americas. On 2m, 70cm, and 23cm w

7、here fitted, both receiver and transmitter cover just the amateur bands (the receive coverage can be expanded by a dealer modification). A second receiver (sub receiver) is provided covering 2m and 70cm on AM and FM modes only and oper- ates simultaneously with the main radio operating on any band o

8、r mode, even on transmit providing that the transmit band is not the same as the sub receiver band. Up / Down keys step between bands, re- turning a single set of last used frequency and mode per band. It is possible to set break points to switch the mode automati- cally according to frequency, for

9、example the CW and SSB sectors of each band. The 45mm diameter tuning knob tunes in 10Hz steps at 10kHz per revolution on SSB, CW and FSK with 100Hz steps on FM and AM. A 1Hz step is also selectable for fine tuning. A click-step rotary provides rapid naviga- tion around the bands in a variety of use

10、r- settable step sizes, eg 12.5kHz steps for FM, 5 or 9kHz for broadcast AM, and 5kHz on SSB / CW. 1MHz steps are selected at the push of a button to move rapidly around the general coverage frequencies. The usual twin VFOs are included which are needed for split frequency operation with a button to

11、 check and set the transmit frequency. Both frequencies are displayed in split mode. The frequency may be entered directly from a numeric keypad, and RIT or clarifier oper- ating on transmit and / or receive covers offsets to 20kHz. There are 300 memories pro- vided for storing receive and transmit

12、frequencies, modes and tone data. The memories may be tagged with a seven-character label with a very comprehensive character set and may be allo- cated to one of 10 group num- bers. The memory bank can then be selectively searched by one or more group numbers. 10 of the memory channels are allocate

13、d to scan ranges or restricted VFO tuning limits. A quick memory feature allows up to 10 fre- quencies to be quickly stored and recalled by a simple key press, on the basis of last- in, first-out. The memory management and transfer facilities are very comprehensive but quite complex requiring eight

14、pages of the manual to describe in full. Various scan modes and selectable scan parameters are provided for VFO scanning, memory scanning, memory group scan- ning etc. One call channel for rapid access may be set for each band group HF, 6m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm and these can be included within the scan

15、. A novel visual scan mode displays the scan results as a bargraph display of signal strength against frequency or channel. A switchable preamplifier and input attenuator for weak / strong signal situations is provided with of course differ- ent preamplifiers and attenuators for the different freque

16、ncy ranges. The CW pitch is adjustable over the range 400 - 1000Hz to suit personal preferences and an IF noise blanker (non DSP) for pulse interference is also fitted. Receiver functions associated with DSP are described later in this review. The transmit power is fully settable from 5W up to 100W

17、on all bands from 160m to 2m with 50W on 70cm and 10W on 23cm. On SSB audio response tailoring is provided with VOX, speech processing and trans- 44 Dont miss the RSGB Spring Show - Bletchley 7/8 April! mission monitoring, and on CW a full memory keyer with separate key jack is included, and full or

18、 semi break-in with ad- justable rise and fall time shaping. The keyer accommodates various weighting and key- ing paddle arrangements, and three 50- character stores. The messages can auto- repeat and also be interrupted for insertion of data such as contest serial numbers. Other features include a

19、 TCXO with 0.5ppm accuracy fitted as standard for accurate frequency control, metering of the usual parameters, a transmission timeout timer and auto-power off. On HF and 6m, a front panel pushbutton selects between two antenna sockets, the setting being stored with the band stores. Also on these ba

20、nds a separate receive antenna may be used such as a loop or a Beverage although switching is via the user menu set-up. An auto ATU is built-in match- ing up to 3:1 VSWR and covers all bands including 6m. A T network is used with relays switching capacitor and inductor val- ues in binary sequence to

21、 implement a compact and fast tuning ATU. 22 preset tuning settings are stored giving one to three settings per band. Separate antenna sock- ets are provided for 2m, 70cm and 23cm (when fitted). Separate linear switching and control is provided for HF, 6m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm with selectable delays to

22、 accom- modate fast or slow switching amplifiers. DSP FUNCTIONS THE TS-2000 is one of a select group of radios which uses DSP for IF as well as AF based functions. This enables great flexibility to be achieved with the channel filtering without the need for expensive crystal filters. The main receiv

23、er is a quadruple superhet with a first IF of 69 or 76MHz on HF / 6m, 42MHz on 2m / 70cm and 135MHz on 23cm, and following IFs of 10.7MHz, 455kHz and 12.0kHz. The sub receiver is double conversion with 58MHz and 455 kHz IFs. IF DSP is implemented at the 12.0kHz IF and provides all channel filtering

24、functions, modulation, demodula- tion, 20 selectable AGC time constants and IF auto-tuning notch. The default bandwidth on SSB is 300 to 2600Hz but the low fre- quency cut-off is selectable from 0 to 1000Hz (12 steps) and high frequency cut-off from 1.4kHz to 5kHz (12 steps). Four low and four high

25、frequency cut-offs are available on AM. There are 11 bandwidth selections on CW (50Hz to 2000Hz) and four on FSK (250Hz to 1500Hz) and passband shift is imple- mented on these modes but not linked to CW pitch. All bandwidth settings are shown graphically on the front panel display. Audio functions u

26、se a separate DSP, although of the same type, and provide an audio notch filter (both auto and manual adjustable), two noise reduction modes (Line Enhancement for SSB and SPAC for CW) and FM receive bandwidth tailoring. On trans- mit six different audio bandwidth settings are selectable and six prof

27、iles to accommo- date different microphone characteristics. Speech processing is available on all voice modes and is also handled via the DSP function. DATA MODES THE TS-2000 has a number of features for supporting digital modes. For FSK RTTY, the shift, polarity and tone frequency are settable, and

28、 AFSK using voice modes is accommodated with suitable interfacing. A packet TNC for 1200 or 9600 baud is built-in which uses a reduced command set (39 commands) not supporting digipeating or some of the enhanced commands. The radio also accommodates interfacing to ex- ternal TNCs and provides a numb

29、er of ad- justable parameters for TNC set-up. The internal TNC may be used with either the main or sub receiver and interfaces to a PC via the RS-232 COM port on the rear panel. This same interface also provides full re- mote control of the radio and data transfer to a second radio used for instance

30、 to pass data from a spotting radio to the running radio in a contest situation. The built-in packet TNC is used in con- junction with the sub-receiver to provide DX Packet Cluster monitoring. Connecting to a node is not supported but by monitoring cluster channels, incoming spots are dis- played on

31、 the front-panel LCD one at a time, with the most recent 10 being stored in quick memory format for easy recovery. A single button press will set the main receiver to the spotted frequency and this can even be done automatically. Incoming spots can be announced in Morse code or in voice with the voi

32、ce synthesiser option fitted. Fig 1: Effective selectivity curve on USB. Top view with covers removed showing PAs, filters and ATU. 45 Dont miss the RSGB Spring Show - Bletchley 7/8 April! VHF / UHF AND SATELLITE FM REPEATER operation is fully supported with toneburst, CTCSS tone access and automati

33、c offset selection according to the standard band plan (2m only). Automatic simplex check (ASC) periodically monitors the repeater input and flags when direct contact is possible. For general FM use, full CTCSS operation is provided with tone frequency ident, DCS (digital coded squelch) with code id

34、ent and DTMF tones can be stored and sent. Different tones and codes can be assigned to the main and sub re- ceivers. The audio output from the main and sub receivers can be processed in a number ways. Apart from outputting through the internal 7.5cm speaker, the audio signals can be fed separately

35、to twin external speaker sockets or left and right headphone outputs, or mixed in equal or weighted pro- portions with internal speaker muted or not. The radio also supports transverter opera- tion where the transverted frequency can be directly displayed up to 19.999GHz. Hence direct frequency read

36、out can even be obtained on the 13, 9, 6 and 3cm bands, making this radio a true DC to light control- ler! In satellite mode the radio operates in full duplex within band groups HF + 6m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm where the uplink and downlink frequencies lie in different band groups. Any mode can be used an

37、d the uplink and downlink frequencies tracked in a forward or reverse direction, fine tuned to allow for Doppler shift and swapped to allow for uplink checking. The various settings can be stored in satellite memory which can be tagged with an eight-character name. Up to 10 satellite settings can be

38、 stored. Note that satellite mode could also be used for terrestrial full duplex, a function which can also be achieved on FM using the sub receiver and main transmitter. OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES A VAST AMOUNT of customisation is pro- vided both through the extensive menu set- up and on individual con

39、trols. The entire radio can be remotely controlled from a PC and Kenwood provide a Windows driven software package as an option on CD- ROM for this purpose (ARCP-2000). This is the standard supplied user interface for the TS-B2000. Two optional units were provided with the review radio, the VS-3 voi

40、ce synthesiser and DRU-3A digital recording unit. These are remarkably small in size and easy to install. The voice synthesiser will read out frequencies, memory channel contents and S-meter readings. The digital recording unit functions on transmit only and is useful for repeated contest calls. One

41、 30s and two 15s message stores are provided which can be linked and cascaded for longer mes- sages and automatically set to repeat. MEASUREMENTS THE RADIO SUPPLIED was not fitted with 1.2GHz. Measurements are given in the table when powered from a 13.5V supply with additional comments as follows. R

42、eceiver Measurements The rejection of images and all IF frequen- cies was very good, in excess of 90dB and other spurii very low. The filter bandwidths in the table are a representative selection of available bandwidths. The 6:50dB shape factors are excellent but at -60dB some- what compromised by r

43、eciprocal mixing noise and possibly other effects. The front end dynamic range was good at 20kHz offset, but degraded very significantly close- in which is a danger with back-end channel filtering. The reciprocal mixing figures were fairly poor close-in but much better / excel- lent further out. The

44、 combined selectivity plot is shown in Fig 1 opposite. Transmitter Measurements The power output figures in the table were measured with the ATU out of circuit. The ATU introduced a fairly high loss of about 10 - 20%, lowest on 50MHz. SSB two-tone distortion levels were rather high but im- proved si

45、gnificantly at lower powers. The CW keying characteristic was excellent with low distortion and nicely shaped, particu- larly with 6ms rise / fall times. ON-THE-AIR PERFORMANCE THE INITIAL CONFRONTATION with the TS-2000 can be a bit daunting as it is packed with so many features and multifunction bu

46、ttons that it takes some time with the manual to become fully acquainted with its operation. Fortunately the 143-page manual is very comprehensive, well written and extensively indexed. The radio is nicely styled and largely easy to use, although I found some of the lesser-used functions not so obvi

47、ous in the short period I had the radio for review. For example memory operations, which I sometimes overwrote by pushing the wrong button, a comment I am sure I would change with greater familiarity. It is fitted with a bright, clear and easy-to-read display with an exceptionally wide viewing angle

48、 for an LCD. The tuning speeds were about right and without the need for speedup. There did seem to be a slight roughness to the synthesiser tuning at speed which dis- appeared on slowing the tuning rate. The overall performance was good, the filters and notches were excellent and the narrow CW filt

49、ers gave minimal ringing. The armoury of filters was particularly useful in combating difficult conditions, and at the other extreme it was a pleasure to open up the bandwidth on strong signals and enjoy the improved quality. Providing the preamplifier was not used at LF, there were no real overload problems although the ra- dio seemed slightly noisy in crowded condi- tions as the close-in measurements might suggest. On transmit, CW break-in was clean and audio reports were excellent. 19 QSOs made on different band / mode com- binations with the recent D68C expedition is a good testimonial f