The Kenwood TS-990S. Click to enlarge. (photo: Kenwood)
When you open your June 2012 issue of QST, you will find that Kenwood has published a photo and ad (see below) of their new TS-990S in advance of Dayton.
We also know a few specs/features:
Full HF bands and 6M
Built-in switching power supply
Built-in automatic antenna tuner
200 Watts Output
All mode
COM port, USB A/B & LAN
For further updates and hi-res photos from Dayton, follow our tag: TS-990S
Prototype of the Ten-Tec Model 539 QRP transceiver
I just received this update from John Henry (Ten-Tec Software Engineer) this morning:
Hi Tom,
We are making progress in several areas on the 539, it is coming along, and improving every day. We don’t have a price point we can speak about yet, as we are still trying to find the best working parts for a few of the items on the rig. And those parts, may affect our target. But still, we will surely beat the <$1k price that we have mentioned already. The speaker is now enclosed within the unit, similar to the 599. This is something that we knew we would eventually get done, just didn’t have it ready in time for the ham ventions to date. We will have a fully functional 539 on display at Dayton. Pre-orders at Dayton? I don’t think I will be confident enough on a real ship date yet to be able to take orders at Dayton. I don’t want to take orders at Dayton, promise a ship date, and then have it delayed for parts reasons. So, as soon as we know the parts are final, and FCC has passed, and we have all of the lead times and production times worked out and in the schedule, then we will be able to take orders. We do have the 539s in beta testing now, tweaking software here/there, finishing a few features, and soon will be able to send it to others for their inputs.
The Ten-Tec Model 418 100 Watt Amplifier on display at the 2011 Ten-Tec Hamfest. Click to enlarge.
The Model 418 100w amp is in the hands of external beta testers, and we are scheduling production start for end of May, beginning of July. The software is basically done, but of course, we are still tweaking it by adding a bit more protection and user features. We will have those added / tested / approved in the coming week or two. Beta tester input is extremely positive and they are sure we have a big hit on our hands because of everything that this amp provides is phenomenal.
John plans to give me another update just prior to the Dayton Hamvention.
Other than being a QRPer, I’m also an avid shortwave radio listener and international broadcasting supporter. Below is a post from my other blog, the SWLing Post, that I hope you will read and share:
As many of you know, I find the downsizing of major shortwave broadcasters around the world deeply concerning, especially since so much of the world still relies on the medium as a source of news and information, and for some the only source of potentially life-saving information.
The recent cuts to RCI, however, were particularly painful. In one stroke of a pen, many people lost their jobs, and RCI’s already-skimpy budget was reduced to virtually nil. What’s more, their only international transmitting station–in Sackville, New Brunswick–is slated to be shut down, meaning there is no intention to continue the service, ever.
Kenwood released the following press release today. I had hoped it would contain more information. We did recently learn about some TS-990 facts, and now, through this Kenwood PR, we learn that the TS-990 will not see production until late 2012 and that the model on display at the Dayton Hamvention will be a “reference exhibit.”
April 18, 2012 New Amateur Radio Product to be Exhibited Prior to Worldwide Launch
JVC KENWOOD Corporation is proud to announce that the prototype of a state-of-the-art Amateur transceiver scheduled for worldwide launch under the Kenwood brand in the winter of 2012 will be unveiled as a reference exhibit at Dayton Hamvention 2012 to be held in Dayton, Ohio, USA (May 18-20). It will also appear at events in Germany and Japan.
Reference exhibit model: TS-990 HF/50 MHz Transceiver Featuring a dual TFT display and dual receiver, the TS-990 is a top-of-the-range flagship model in the Kenwood Amateur radio line-up.
Prior to the launch of the TS-990, a prototype will be displayed as a reference exhibit at Dayton Hamvention 2012 in Dayton, Ohio, USA (May 18-20), at HAM RADIO 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany (June 22-24), and at Ham Fair 2012 in Tokyo, Japan (August 25-26). Please note that as this product is under development, published information is subject to change without notice.
I have used the excellent QTH.com classifieds site for many years to buy and sell radio equipment. I think it’s a great alternative to eBay.
I subscribe to the QTH.com classifieds newsletter and, this morning, Scott (KA9FOX) sent the following warning, which I am publishing to help spread the word. In summary, QTH.com is still a great place to buy/sell equipment, but they, along with other classifieds sites, have seen an increase in scam activity. Know the signs:
Dear QTH.com Ham Radio Classifieds user:
We’ve seen an alarming increase in the number of scammers utilizing our website (and it seems most other ham radio classified sites, too, based on reports coming in). I wanted to take this opportunity to explain what some of these scammers are doing, in hopes it will better protect you from them, when you are selling equipment on the QTH.com Classifieds at http://swap.qth.com.
Common scammer traits:
1) They will use some else’s callsign, and they will create an email address that contains that callsign, usually with a free email provider like gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc. They sometimes pose as foreign callsigns (especially UK and Spain) but recently have been using USA callsigns.
2) They will sometimes post “For Sale” ads, but also will sometimes answer “Wanted” ads. Usually the prices are a little too good to be true.
3) They will use pictures of equipment they have found on the Internet (they don’t really own the equipment).
4) They seem to like payments via Western Union (no protection for the buyer), but will also use PayPal (hoping to drain their account before the buyer realizes they have been scammed).
5) They seem to know ham radio jargon. For all we know, these scammers are hams, but we can’t be sure.
6) They are sophisticated enough to use “proxy servers” so their IP address cannot be easily detected. This makes it difficult for us to block the scammers. We are constantly tweaking our filters to block these guys when possible, but it is a constant cat and mouse game.
What can you do to protect yourself?
* Ask for a phone number and call the person before agreeing on any deal. This is probably the #1 way to expose the rats.
* Check to see if the email address they used matches what is listed for that person on their QRZ.com profile. It could be a red flag if there is a mismatch.
* Be especially cautious of dealing with foreign hams. Not all foreign hams are scammers, of course! Just be extra careful!!
* Never use Western Union. Be very cautious of using Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks. PayPal and Credit Cards seem to be the best option, as far as having any buyer protection. Money Orders & Cashier’s Checks are perfectly acceptable if you are absolutely sure who you are dealing with.
About 100,000 ads are placed each year in the QTH.com Classifieds, and only a tiny, tiny fraction wind up being fraudulent. I do not want to scare you into thinking that it is unsafe to trade online. Rather, I simply want to arm you with knowledge, so that you will be able to sniff out the bad guys, and stay safe.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].
73 – Scott KA9FOX QTH.com Ham Radio Classifieds http://swap.qth.com
There is still very little known about the yet-unreleased, highly-anticipated Kenwood TS-990S HF transceiver, but we’ve confirmed just a few details from a contact at Kenwood…
The TS-990S will be similar in size to the Kenwood TS-950SDX 200W. (Photo: Universal Radio)
Size:
The TS-990S will be the size of theTS-950SDX 200 watts, and have a similar footprint.
Price:
The TS-990S is expected to retail in the $5,000-6,000 US range.
Availability:
No promises on ship dates yet…but they have confirmed that the new rig will be on display at the 2012 Dayton, Ohio, Hamvention.
To be clear, Kenwood did not confirm the model number of TS-990S; it was implied.
Check back with QRPer.com as we will post early photos from Dayton.
Google has once again featured morse code–this time (unfortunately) as an April Fool’s joke! This video will explain it all, then, raise your hand if you’re disappointed.
The Four State QRP Group is pleased to announce a new kit, the QRPometer, a sensitive and accurate power/swr meter designed by David Cripe, NMØS. Complete specifications, assembly manual, and ordering information can be found here ttp://www.wa0itp.com/qrpom.html
PayPal is accepted.
The range of accurate power easurement extends down to a low 100 milliwatts. This kit was conceived to fill a need within the hobby for an inexpensive, highly accurate RF power and VSWR meter for QRP power levels. With it’s large digital display it makes a very useful addition to your shack.
The QRPometer uses simple analog signal-processing circuitry to provide a set of essential measurement features not previously available in a single unit. High quality, double sided,
printed circuit board construction is used, with solder mask and silk screened component reference designators.
All components are through-hole for easy assembly. NO toroids are required, and all controls and jacks are PCB mounted. The QRPometer can be constructed by beginners as well as experienced builders. Construction time is approximately 3 hours, depending on experience level. The only equipment required for calibration is a digital voltmeter, and a QRP transmitter..
All proceeds go to fund OzarkCon. As always, thank you for supporting the Four State QRP Group. http://www.4sqrp.com/
UPDATE: See comments–first run of these kits sold out within 27 hours! More to come later.
I would like to announce that the complete collection of QRPp, the NorCal QRP Club Journal that I did from 1993 to 2004 is now on line. Chuck Adams has scanned in every page of every issue and has it on line at http://www.k7qo.net/NorCal_QRPp.html. This is a temporary site, as we want to make sure that all of the bugs are out of it before we place it on the NorCal page where it will have a permanent home in about 3 weeks. This material is for the education of QRPers, and it will always be free. No one will ever have to pay anything to access it. We ask that no one makes it available on CD for distribution in any way. Everyone is granted permission to make an archival copy, but no one is granted permission to post any part or portion online. We want there to be one site where it is available. Some of the schematics will be redrawn and Chuck is coordinating that effort. I have struggled for years on how to make the information available and decided that this is the way to do it. Every article was donated, no one was paid anything for writing any article. So, I wanted to make it available for free. Enjoy. Thank you to Chuck Adams for doing the work to make the pdf’s, to Dean Davis for his future work in putting it on the NorCal web page, and especially to all of the contributors over the years. 72, Doug, KI6DS
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Kenwood released the following press release today. I had hoped it would contain more information. We did recently learn about some TS-990 facts, and now, through this Kenwood PR, we learn that the TS-990 will not see production until late 2012 and that the model on display at the Dayton Hamvention will be a “reference exhibit.”
I have used the excellent QTH.com classifieds site for many years to buy and sell radio equipment. I think it’s a great alternative to eBay.
(Source: Terry, WAØITP with The Four State QRP Group, via QRP-L)
(Source: KI6DS via QRP-L)
