TS590 test.pdf

Key Measurements

Summary

PRODUCT REVIEW

Kenwood TS-590S HF and

6 Meter Transceiver

138

141*

140

20 kHz Blocking Gain Compression (dB)

111

121

140

2 kHz Blocking Gain Compression (dB)

101

106

110

20 kHz 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)

110

2 kHz 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)

-40

+35

20 kHz 3rd-Order Intercept (dBm)

Reviewed by H. Ward Silver, NØAX

QST Contributing Editor

It is easy to set up and start making QSOs.

Only three connections are required: power

supply, antenna and either a mic or key. If

you have experience with modern transceiv-

ers, you’ll quickly figure out the primary

receiver and transmitter controls as they use

common terms. For the unfamiliar buttons,

you will look up their meaning in the user

manual later like most hams. And yes, it has

that new radio smell!

The default settings on most functions are

reasonable (the CW sidetone setting was too

loud) — I found no need to access the menu

until I was setting up the radio for AFSK

RTTY. Connecting to a PC was straight-

forward using an external USB to RS-232

adapter, although the radio defaults to 9600

baud while most software seems to assume the

4800 baud rate for the generic “Kenwood” in-

terface. My contest logging software ( N1MM

Logger ) recognized the radio right away and

others using Writelog , N3FJP Amateur Radio

Software , CT , WinTest and other packages

would likely have no problems.

The receiver output audio sounds great

in my headphones (both Yamaha CM500

and Heil Pro Set) with full bass response,

crisp highs and no hiss. I’m dismayed at the

lack of attention paid to this crucial stage of

some other receivers — why spend all those

resources creating a fabulous front end and IF

system if you’re not going to carry through

to where the operator actually gets to hear it?

(The same goes for operators — why spend

The ads looked attractive — top class per-

formance at a middle shelf price — so when

asked about doing a review of the new Ken-

wood TS-590S transceiver, I enthusiastically

accepted. I’m not really in the market for one

of the “battlewagon” radios but I need a high

quality receiver with DSP filtering, a good

selection of the most useful operating features,

ease of interfacing to PCs and accessories, and

construction that will stand up to portable and

mobile operating. At first glance, the TS-590’s

specifications met those requirements. This

review covers the salient characteristics of the

radio with additional features summarized in

Table 1. Performance measurements made by

the ARRL Lab are shown in Table 2.

-40

+35

2 kHz 3rd-Order Intercept (dBm)

-29

-20

-35

Transmit 3rd-Order IMD (dB)

-52

-70

-20

Transmit 9th-order IMD (dB)

PR058

30 M

Key:

* Off Scale

Dynamic range and intercept

values with preamp off.

Intercept values were determined

using -97 dBm reference

20 M

First Impressions

The radio is surprisingly compact — less

than one foot across and deep and about four

inches high, suitable for even small home

stations and mobile operation. You can add

it to your existing gear without overloading

the shelves or desk. At 16 pounds, it is easy

to pick up and carry to the car, to Field Day

or to an airplane’s overhead bin as carry-on

luggage for an expedition. The 13.8 V radio

can run from a switchmode power supply

weighing less than 5 pounds, leaving plenty

of spare baggage capacity for all of the other

gear for a station on the beach.

Bottom Line

Kenwood’s TS-590S is a compact

package of high-performance radio

with an exceptional receiver for the

price and well-suited for today’s op-

erating modes and styles. It has a

useful package of features that are

thoughtfully organized and easy to

access.

Mark J. Wilson, K1RO  Product Review Editor  k1ro@arrl.org

May 2011 45

Table 1

TS-590S Miscellaneous

Features

Table 2

Kenwood TS-590S, serial number B0900113

Manufacturer’s Speciications

Measured in the ARRL Lab

Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.03-60 MHz;

Receive and transmit, as speciied.

General

TCXO available

Direct frequency entry

Variable tuning step rate with ine step

setting

110 memory channels with 8-character

alphanumeric labels

Quick access memories (10 channels)

Full scanning features (range or channels)

CTCSS and subtone scan

Conigurable for crossband repeater

operation

transmit, 1.8-2, 3.5-4, 5.25-5.45, 7-7.3,

10.1-10.15, 14-14.35, 18.068-18.168, 21-21.45

21-21.44, 24.89-24.99, 28-29.7, 50-54 MHz.

Power consumption at 13.8 V dc: receive, no

Receive, no signal, default lights, 1.19 A;

signal, <1.5 A; transmit (max), <20.5 A.

receive, max volume and lights, 1.27 A,

receive, no signal, no lights, 1.16 A;

transmit 6.1 A at 5 W RF output, 15 A

at 100 W RF output. Operation conirmed

conirmed at 11.7 V dc (90 W output).

Modes of operation: SSB, CW, AM, FM, FSK.

As speciied.

Receiver

Receiver Dynamic Testing

SSB/CW sensitivity: 10 dB S+N/N,

Noise loor (MDS), 500 Hz bandwidth,

Receive

30 kHz – 60 MHz receive

Switchable 12 dB or 20 dB preamp

Switchable attenuator

0.13-0.522 MHz, <0.5 µV, 0.522-1.705 MHz,

default rooing ilter:*

<4 µV; 1.705-24.5 MHz, <0.2 µV,

PreampOff PreampOn

24.5-54 MHz, <0.13 µV.

0.137 MHz

–130 dBm

–137 dBm

0.505 MHz

–132 dBm

–140 dBm

1.0 MHz

–114 dBm

–122 dBm

Transmit

60 meter band transmit enabled

Paddle and key inputs, electronic keyer

Four CW messages (no external control)

Optional voice recorder and playback unit

(VGS-1)

RIT/XIT with clear

Transmit monitor

CW auto tune

Eight character text tags for memories

3.5 MHz

–130 dBm

–139 dBm

10.1 MHz

–132 dBm

–139 dBm

14 MHz

–131 dBm

–139 dBm

28 MHz

–133 dBm

–143 dBm

50 MHz

–130 dBm

–143 dBm

Noise igure: Not speciied.

14 MHz, preamp off/on: 16/8 dB.

50 MHz, preamp off/on, 17/4 dB.

AM sensitivity: 10 dB S+N/N:

10 dB (S+N)/N, 1-kHz, 30 % modulation,

0.13-0.522 MHz, <6.3 µV; 0.522-1.705 MHz,

5 kHz ilter, 15 kHz rooing ilter:

<32 µV; 1.705-24.5 MHz, <2 µV; 24.5-54 MHz,

PreampOff

PreampOn

<0.13 µV.

1.0 MHz

13.2 µV

6.1 µV

3.8 MHz

1.3 µV

0.6 µV

29 MHz

1.3 µV

0.4 µV

50 MHz

1.7 µV

0.4 µV

many hundreds of dollars on RF functions and

then use cheap audio input and output gear?)

Similarly, I got reports of “excellent” and

“natural” audio on both the Kenwood hand

microphone and the boom mics. Switching to

the contest element for the Heil microphone

resulted in reports of more punch to the audio.

(Audio equalizer functions are available for

both receive and transmit.)

Most of the front panel labels follow

common standards or are sufficiently literal

as to be obvious. Although the TS-590 is

relatively compact, the controls are easy to

use and reasonably grouped. I could easily

use the radio either right or left handed and

didn’t find myself making unintended changes

from bumping too small or too close buttons.

Although there are only six control knobs (the

AF/RF GAIN , FILTER control, and NOTCH/

SQUELCH controls are concentric) including

the VFO, I did not find myself wishing for

more. Most of the keys have a logical dual

function, such as the VOX ON/OFF button

that for “press and hold” brings up the VOX

GAIN adjustment. In short, it was easy to use

the radio effectively.

FM sensitivity: 12 dB SINAD:

For 12 dB SINAD, preamp on:

28-30 MHz and 50-54 MHz, <0.22 µV.

29 MHz, 0.16 µV; 52 MHz, 0.18 µV.

Blocking gain compression: Not speciied.

Gain compression, 500 Hz bandwidth,

default rooing ilter:*

20kHzoffset

5/2kHzoffset

Preampoff/on Preampoff

3.5 MHz 140**/136 dB 140**/120 dB

10.1 MHz 138/136 dB 125/111 dB

14 MHz 141**/136 dB 141**/121 dB

28 MHz 140/120 dB 125/109 dB

50 MHz 130**/141 dB 130**/127 dB

Reciprocal mixing (500 Hz BW): Not speciied. 20/5/2 kHz offset: –120/–106/–91 dBc.

ARRL Lab Two-Tone IMD Testing*** (500 Hz bandwidth, default rooing ilter*)

Measured

Measured Calculated

Band/Preamp Spacing

InputLevel

IMDLevel

IMDDR

IP3

3.5 MHz/Off

20 kHz

–26 dBm

–130 dBm

104 dB

+26 dBm

–15 dBm

–97 dBm

+26 dBm

10 MHz/Off

20 kHz

–31 dBm

–132 dBm

101 dB

+20 dBm

–18 dBm

–97 dBm

+22 dBm

0 dBm

–44 dBm

+22 dBm

10 MHz/On

20 kHz

–39 dBm

–139 dBm

100 dB

+19 dBm

–20 dBm

–97 dBm

+19 dBm

10 MHz/Off

5 kHz

–45 dBm

–132 dBm

87 dB

–1 dBm

–28 dBm

–97 dBm

+7 dBm

0 dBm

–14 dBm

+7 dBm

10 MHz/Off

2 kHz

–50 dBm

–132 dBm

82 dB

–9 dBm

–31 dBm

–97 dBm

+2 dBm

0 dBm

–12 dBm

+6 dBm

Receiver

The radio’s top feature, undoubtedly, is the

receiver performance. As you can see from

the ARRL Lab measurements table and the

comparative indicators in the Key Measure-

ments Summary, you get a lot of receiver per-

formance for your dollar. In fact, if you check

Sherwood Engineering’s ranking of receiver

close spaced dynamic range (Rob Sherwood,

14 MHz/Off

20 kHz

–25 dBm

–131 dBm

106 dB

+28 dBm

–15 dBm

–97 dBm

+26 dBm

0 dBm

–56 dBm

+28 dBm

14 MHz/On

20 kHz

–36 dBm

–139 dBm

103 dB

+16 dBm

–23 dBm

–97 dBm

+14 dBm

14 MHz/Off

5 kHz

–25 dBm

–131 dBm

106 dB

+28 dBm

–15 dBm

–97 dBm

+26 dBm

0 dBm

–56 dBm

+28 dBm

May 2011

463URGUHY

Measured

Measured Calculated

Band/Preamp Spacing

InputLevel

IMDLevel

IMDDR

IP3

14 MHz/Off

2 kHz

–34 dBm

–131 dBm

97 dB

+15 dBm

–18 dBm

–97 dBm

+22 dBm

0 dBm

–65 dBm

+33 dBm

28 MHz/On

20 kHz

–33 dBm

–133 dBm

100 dB

+17 dBm

–16 dBm

–97 dBm

+25 dBm

50 MHz/Off

20 kHz

–31 dBm

–130 dBm

99 dB

+19 dBm

–17 dBm

–97 dBm

+23 dBm

[

Second-order intercept point: Not speciied.

14 MHz, Preamp off/on: +63/+63 dBm.

)UHTXHQF\+]

FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range:

20 kHz offset, Preamp on: 29 MHz,

Not speciied.

86 dB † ; 52 MHz, 86 dB † .

Figure 1 — Spectral display of the TS-590S

transmitter output during composite noise

testing. Power output is 100 W on the

14 MHz band. The carrier, off the left edge

of the plot, is not shown. This plot shows

composite transmitted noise 100 Hz to

1 MHz from the carrier. The reference level

is 0 dBc, and the vertical scale is in dB.

10 MHz offset: 52 MHz, 100 dB.

S-meter sensitivity: Not speciied.

S9 signal at 14.2 MHz, preamp off/on,

48.7/14.4 µV.

Squelch sensitivity: 28-30 & 50-54 MHz FM,

At threshold: 14 MHz SSB, 2 µV;

<0.2 µV; at 14 MHz (SSB), <1.8 µV.

FM (preamp on) 29 MHz, 0.08 µV;

52 MHz (preamp on), 0.12 µV.

Receiver audio output: >1.5 W into

2 W at 10 % THD into 8 W .

8 W at 10% THD.

THD at 1 V RMS: 0.6%.

DSP noise reduction: Not speciied.

NR1/NR2, 10/20 dB.

Notch ilter depth: Not speciied.

Manual notch: 51 dB, auto notch: 60 dB.

463URGUHY

Attack time: 180 ms.

IF/audio response: Not speciied.

Range at –6 dB points, (bandwidth): ‡

CW (500 Hz): 315-927 Hz (612 Hz)

Equivalent Rectangular BW: 596 Hz

USB: (2.4 kHz): 53-2253 Hz (2200 Hz)

LSB: (2.4 kHz): 52-2252 Hz (2200 Hz)

AM: (5 kHz): 147-2350 Hz (4406 Hz).

IF rejection, >70 dB.

First IF rejection, 14 MHz, 84 dB;

28 MHz, 100 dB; 50 MHz, 100 dB.

Image rejection: >70 dB.

Image rejection, 14 MHz, 91 dB;

28 MHz, 100 dB; 50 MHz, 92 dB.

7,0(

Transmitter

Transmitter Dynamic Testing

Figure 2 — CW keying waveform for the

TS-590S showing the irst two dits in

full-break-in (QSK) mode using external

keying and default settings. Equivalent

keying speed is 60 WPM. The upper trace

is the actual key closure; the lower trace

is the RF envelope. (Note that the irst

key closure starts at the left edge of the

igure.) Horizontal divisions are 10 ms. The

transceiver was being operated at 100 W

output on the 14 MHz band.

Power output: 5-100 W, (5-25 W AM);

CW, SSB, RTTY, FM, typ 4.8-99.0 W;

AM, typ 4.8-25.5 W.

Spurious-signal and harmonic suppression:

Worst: 56 dBc, 1.8 MHz, 2nd harmonic.

1.8-29.7 MHz, >50 dB; 50-54 MHz, .60 dB.

Meets FCC requirements.

SSB carrier suppression: >50 dB.

55 dB.

Undesired sideband suppression: >50 dB.

62 dB.

Third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD)

3rd/5th/7th/9th order (worst on HF, 10 m):

products: Not speciied.

HF, 100 W PEP, –29/–32/–42/–52 dB;

6 m, 100 W PEP, –34/ –34/–48/–56 dB.

CW keyer speed range: Not speciied.

4 to 55 WPM.

CW keyer iambic keying mode: Not speciied.

A or B, menu selectable

CW keying characteristics: Not speciied.

See Figures 2 and 3.

QS1105-ProdRev03

Transmit-receive turnaround time (PTT

S9 signal, AGC fast, 30 ms.

release to 50% audio output): Not speciied.

Receive-transmit turnaround time (tx delay):

SSB, 14 ms; FM, 14 ms.

Not speciied.

Composite transmitted noise: Not speciied. See Figure 1.

Size (height, width, depth): 3.8 × 10.6 × 11.4 inches; weight, 16.3 lbs.

Price: $1800

*The TS-590S operates as either a double down conversion receiver (RX1) or triple

up conversion receiver (RX2) depending on the band of operation and ilter bandwidth

selected. See text for details. RX1 with 500 Hz rooing ilter was used for receiver tests at

3.5 and 14 MHz; RX2 with 15 kHz 1st IF ilter and 2.7 kHz 2nd IF ilter was used for testing

on other bands.

**Exceeded igures indicated; test results shown measured with +10 dBm maximum

output from test ixture.

***ARRL Product Review testing now includes Two-Tone IMD results at several signal levels.

Two-Tone, 3rd-Order Dynamic Range igures comparable to previous reviews are shown

on the irst line in each group. The “IP3” column is the calculated 3rd order intercept point.

Second-order intercept points were determined using –97 dBm reference.

† Measurement was noise-limited at the value indicated.

‡ Default values; bandwidth and cutoff frequencies are adjustable via DSP. CW bandwidth

varies with PBT and pitch control settings. For SSB, DSP set to 2600 Hz for “high” and

200 Hz for for “low” for a width of 2400 Hz.

f c

f c -4

f c -2

f c +2

f c +4

Frequency in kHz

Figure 3 — Spectral display of the

TS-590S transmitter during keying

sideband testing. Equivalent keying speed

is 60 WPM using external keying. Spectrum

analyzer resolution bandwidth is 10 Hz,

and the sweep time is 30 seconds. The

transmitter was being operated at 100 W

PEP output on the 14 MHz band, and this

plot shows the transmitter output ±5 kHz

from the carrier. The reference level is

0 dBc, and the vertical scale is in dB.

May 2011 47

NCØB, www.sherweng.com/table.html ),

you’ll find the TS-590 coming in ninth. Also

tenth — what the heck?

The TS-590 is a very interesting superhetero-

dyne that operates as either a double-down

conversion (RX1) or triple up-conversion

(RX2) depending on the band and filter

bandwidth. This allows the radio to balance

sensitivity (higher for RX2) with selectivity

(better for RX1). Both modes are quite good,

as evidenced by the ninth and tenth place

position in the Sherwood results. Moving

over to Rob’s column of wide spaced dynamic

range data you’ll find the receiver has top

class numbers there. Strangely, aside from a

single table entry, this important aspect of the

radio’s operation is not mentioned at all in the

owner’s manual!

The more selective RX1 is used on the 160,

80, 40, 20 and 15 meter bands when the IF

bandwidth is 2.7 kHz or less for SSB, CW and

FSK. The crowded, large signal segments of

these traditional DXing and contesting bands

are where receiver dynamic range is most

important. Depending on the mode selected,

a 2.7 kHz or 500 Hz roofing filter follows the

first mixer at the 11.374 MHz first IF stage.

On other bands, including 10 meters, and

for wider IF bandwidths such as for AM

and FM, the more sensitive RX2 is used. A

15 kHz roofing filter is used at the 73 MHz

first IF, followed by 15, 6 or 2.7 kHz filters

at the 10.7 MHz second IF. (The transmitter

chain always uses the up-conversion mode.)

The final IF for both RX1 and RX2 is at 24

kHz where sharper filtering is performed by a

32 bit floating point DSP. The IF is where the

AGC system is implemented — an important

part of the radio’s performance. I found the

adjustable AGC action to be quite clean — no

clicks, thumps or pops. It’s possible for a very

close signal to be inside the roofing filter but

outside a narrower DSP filter, causing the

audio level to fall dramatically, but the signal

has to be really close. I did not try the receiver

on the receiving end of a big pileup (I offered

to fly to the Caribbean for the ARRL DX

CW contest, but no…) so I can’t speak to the

radio’s ability to handle many signals inside

the passband at once.

Another feature is the use of a direct digital

synthesizer (DDS) instead of a phase locked

loop (PLL) for the main VFO. Since lower

noise sidebands are generated by the DDS

VFO, less reciprocal mixing occurs with

adjacent signals to raise the apparent receiver

noise floor. Kenwood has managed to mini-

mize the spurious products often associated

with DDS signal sources, as well. One small

spur was noted during ARRL Lab receiver

blocking testing at a level so low as to be

inaudible in actual use. Transmit composite

noise as seen in Figure 1 is very low — better

than some radios costing quite a bit more —

making your neighbors on the bands happy.

For those of you who don’t chase DX or

enter contests, why do dynamic range and re-

ciprocal mixing and transmitted noise matter

during noncompetitive operation? The answer

is that it matters any time there are strong

signals on the bands. Being able to carry on

a contact even next to a strong local signal or

in the middle of a big contest makes a lot of

difference in your ability to operate under any

conditions. If you can acquire that capability

without having to spend top dollar to get it,

you’ve made a good purchasing decision.

All users will appreciate the adjustable

noise blanker ( NB ) and noise reduction ( NR )

systems. NB1 is an analog noise blanker

based on the output of the first roofing filter.

NB2 is a digital noise blanker that uses signal

envelopes. I found both to be effective on

different types of noise and neither responded

excessively to strong in-band signals as with

most analog noise blankers. NR1 is optimized

for use with SSB signals and NR2 for use with

CW and data signals. I found both to be quite

effective, particularly when trying to dig weak

DX signals out of the various noises an urban

residence inflicts on the amateur. When either

NR system is turned up to its most aggressive

setting audible artifacts are created ( NR2 arti-

facts sound like the band is “boiling”) but both

are far better than the noise they have replaced.

The four ( NB1/NB2/NR1/NR2 ) adjustable

noise fighters are a pretty powerful tool box

for fighting atmospheric noise.

If you haven’t used good DSP IF filters,

you are in for a treat. Response of the TS-590

filters is adjustable in steps — a little coarser

than I would prefer, but perfectly adequate.

Operation of the filter controls is linked to

the mode in use. For SSB, AM and FM, filter

adjustments are for the high and low cutoff

frequencies. Using CW, FSK and data modes,

the same controls adjust center frequency and

bandwidth. This is a little odd but you get

used to it right away. Two sets of filter settings

can be stored as IF A and IF B , selectable by

a front panel pushbutton, creating a pair of

customizable narrow and wide filters. Along

with the band pass filters there are a pair of

filters that cancel steady tones plus manual

and automatically tuned notch filters.

table on a band-by-band basis — useful

on 10 and 6 meters for setting drive to

amplifiers. The microphone circuits offer

adjustable high/low response cut and a six

setting audio equalizer. IMD performance

is very clean as shown in the ARRL Lab

Measurements table, especially for a 13.8 V

radio. The REMOTE connector on the back

panel provides a complete amplifier control

interface.

Low band enthusiasts will be glad to hear

that CW waveform is nicely controlled with

adjustable rise times as shown in Figure 2.

The keying sideband performance in Fig-

ure 3 is really good — below –60 dBc at

1 kHz spacing. The radio features an internal

antenna tuner with setting memories for 25

frequency ranges and that is specified to

match up to SWR of 3:1. I found that it

worked well with a nonresonant 105 foot

doublet although at higher SWR my external

tuner was needed. A separate receive antenna

input is provided on the back panel. Trans-

verter operation is supported by a 0 dBm

(1 mW) output signal to extend coverage

beyond 6 meters to the lower VHF and UHF

bands. The radio’s display can be configured

to display the transverted signal’s frequency,

as well.

Another welcome feature is the USB serial

data interface, in addition to the classic 9 pin

RS-232 interface. Not only can you control

the radio and use the USB interface for FSK

data, you can also use the USB interface for

send and receive audio. As with most USB

implementations, however, the audio on the

USB interface is delayed by many millisec-

onds and that may be unsuitable for certain

modes or types of operating. The delay was

quite noticeable, but tolerable, especially dur-

ing RTTY operation. Using the USB interface

requires the installation of a virtual COM port

driver and the ARUA-10 USB Audio Control-

ler software, both available at no cost from

Kenwood.

I urge all radio manufacturers to offer

a USB interface as soon as practical along

with standard USB class definitions and

implementations. It is bad enough that mi-

crophones aren’t interchangeable but having

to manage incompatible proprietary drivers

would be a huge problem for most users and

create customer service headaches. Please —

standardize!

The radio has a generally uncluttered

display, quite visible at all angles. I liked the

choice of variable brightness green or amber

backlight. While filters are adjusted, a tem-

porary value is displayed and for menu selec-

tions, the scrolling labels long enough to be

meaningful are a nice touch. Changing modes

produces a Morse code annunciation, too.

There are two front panel programmable

function keys (four on the optional MC-47

Basic Performance Elements

Mechanically, the radio is solid and com-

pact. Built around a die cast frame, there are

three PC boards: transmitter on top, receiver

underneath and a front panel. Don’t tell the

folks at HQ, but I gave the TS-590 a casual

“thump” test, setting it down abruptly on all

sides except the front panel — no problems

resulted. Even while I was search and pounc-

ing on RTTY, the fans rarely came on and were

quiet when they did.

Transmit output is 5 to 100 W and set-

May 2011

microphone) including a tune function. As

with nearly every radio sold today, configura-

tion of many items is menu driven and the TS-

590 has 88 settable parameters. The items are

logically grouped and easy to access. You can

save two full sets of parameters and there is a

“quick menu” for commonly adjusted settings.

happening on your transmit frequency, find

a clear(er) spot in the pileup, or see who the

DX is working. A common error in the heat

of the moment is to forget to switch back or

to press the A/B switch twice so that your call

sign rings out loud and clear on the DX fre-

quency (or worse, out of the US band) for all

to hear (and comment upon). TFSET switches

frequencies, too, but only until you take your

finger off the button — it’s much harder to

make a mistake that way.

The radio’s triple band stacking registers

for search and pounce operating are very use-

ful. It’s easy to tune up and down the band

loading the registers, then hop back and forth

between three pileups until you get through. It

can more than double your search and pounce

contact rate over just using one VFO.

Getting all the various connections and

software actors configured properly for op-

erating in the CQ WPX RTTY Contest was a

bit of a challenge. The radio’s User Manual

gives little guidance in the practical issues of

getting the USB audio interface to work and

I had to rely on third party websites — thank

goodness for Google! Eventually, though, I

was successful using MMTTY as my RTTY

“engine” with audio connections to the radio

over the USB interface, controlled by the

TS-590 menu settings for DATA VOX and

DATA GAIN , transmitting LSB AFSK. The

radio’s DATA mode selection configured the

DSP filters correctly for the mark and space

frequencies. This was definitely not plug and

play operation but I was successful in making

RTTY contacts. The rear panel ACC2 con-

nector has all the analog signals you need for

audio based data operation.

On 6 meters in the January VHF Sweep-

stakes, I made a limited number of contacts

due to poor conditions but the radio was plenty

sensitive and I received good audio reports

on the band.

Kenwood Sky Command II remote control.

The radio’s firmware (the internal micro-

processor’s program) can be upgraded by

downloading a compressed file from Ken-

wood’s website and using either the RS-232

or USB interface with your PC. A stand-alone

control program then leads you through the

steps to load the new firmware and reset the

radio — that’s it! The ability to upgrade firm-

ware in your shack will extend the useful life

of the radio and allow Kenwood to provide

better customer support without anyone hav-

ing to ship radios back and forth. The review

radio originally shipped with firmware rev

1.00 but was upgraded to firmware rev 1.02

for final testing.

Contest and DXing Performance

My first experience with the TS-590 was

in the CW Sweepstakes from W1AW. Since

the radio’s main performance selling point

was its receiver you can be sure that I gave it

every opportunity to fold under the onslaught

of S9+++ signals but it did not complain. Even

deliberately tuning close to strong signals, I

detected not a single receiver generated arti-

fact or product with the preamplifier and noise

blanker turned off. The DSP filtering could

make adjacent signals disappear in most cases.

The only problem I encountered was a sig-

nificant power overshoot on the leading edge

of a first dot or dash before recovering to the

intended level. That caused the ACOM 2000

amplifier to trip offline unless we reduced

drive, dropping amp output to 800-1000 W.

The problem was eliminated by a firmware

upgrade from Kenwood and verified by testing

with the same amplifier at W1AW at the legal

limit. (See PC Host Software and Firmware.)

The radio was shipped to my home station

where I tested it further, albeit without an

amplifier. I was consistently pleased with the

radio’s performance on all bands. On SSB,

using the Yamaha and Heil boom mics, audio

reports were good, including contacts with

the speech processing turned on. Note that it

is possible to turn the compression up too far

as on almost any radio, distorting your voice

and making the power supply fan sound like a

jet engine! The default microphone gain was

a little high for competitive voice levels but

no other adjustment was required for satisfac-

tory reports.

On CW, I am pretty picky about not want-

ing to hear any switching transients during

full QSK (full break in keying) at high speeds

above 30 WPM. Both semi and full break in

were fine during the Thursday night sprints

and other CW contests. The radio has an

amplifier keying delay (menu items 53 and

54) that can cause “choppy” keying if acti-

vated (default value is OFF ) while operating

in full QSK.

DXers will find TFSET to be a “why didn’t

I have this before” feature. While operating

split, it’s common to jump back and forth

between the A and B VFOs to see what’s

What’s Not There

This is a mid range radio so you won’t find

high end features such as a spectrum scope or

a second receiver. The roofing filter selection

is fixed by mode but with the DSP filtering

this isn’t a huge issue. It would have been

nice to have separate control lines for indi-

vidual HF and VHF amplifiers. FM repeater

shift is accomplished by using dual VFOs in

split mode. A USB memory stick interface

for storing configurations or receive audio

would be useful.

The ARRL Lab noted that 60 meter op-

eration is not channelized. This rig transmits

from 5.250 to 5.500 MHz on all modes. Other

radios we have tested only operate USB on

the five specific frequencies allocated for

amateur use. It would be easy for an operator

to operate on the wrong frequency or mode.

We recommend that operators carefully pro-

gram the 60 meter channels into memories to

avoid accidentally transmitting on unallocated

frequencies.

Summary

In summary, I’d say this radio gives the

most bang for the buck I’ve seen in quite a

while. Download the User’s Manual from

the Kenwood website and explore on your

own. The TS-590S would make a good home

station or mobile radio. With transverters

it could be the foundation of a 160 through

432 MHz station. (Higher UHF bands really

need a 144 MHz IF for transverters to be ef-

fective.) Stations using a top of the line radio

would find the TS-590S a very cost effective

second radio, as well.

Manufacturer: Kenwood USA Corp,

3970 Johns Creek Ct, Suite 100, Suwanee, GA

30024; tel 310-639-4200, fax 310-537-8235;

www.kenwoodusa.com .

PC Host Software and Firmware

Kenwood also provides free PC host soft-

ware — the Radio Control Program (ARCP-

590) that provides a remote front panel and

configuration of the radio, and the Network

Command System (ARHP-590). See www.

kenwood.com/i/products/info/amateur/

software_download.html . VoIP software for

voice over the remote link is available from

third parties. I prefer to operate the radio

directly but if you like using your PC, the

software makes all controls easily available

via the USB interface. You can also operate

the radio from a VHF or UHF radio using

May 2011 49

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