Preface This in-depth manual for the TS-480 was written by the engineers who actually planned and designed the product. It is our hope that this guide will serve to convey the joys of HF and all the benefits of owning and using the TS-480 to whoever reads this guide ­ whether you have already purchased a TS-480, an accomplished operator, thinking of buying a transceiver, or just thinking of taking up Amateur Radio as a hobby. We believe the TS-480 will appeal to everyone. CONTENTS Design Objectives 2 Development Objectives for the TS-480 Series 5 Circuitry 7 TX circuits 7 RX circuitry 13 Auxiliary Features 19 Features of the Built-in DSP 21 Tips28 Structural Features 36 New Option: Voice Guide & Storage Unit (VGS-1) 42 New Option: ARCP-480 (Freeware) 45 New Option: ARHP-10 (Freeware) 51 TS-480HX TS-480SAT 200W output (HF: 200W50MHz: 100W) 100W output (HF: 100W 50MHz: 100W built-in automatic antenna tuner) 2 Design Objectives Determination to create a unique transceiver The concept of a compact HF transceiver first saw the light of day with Kenwood's TS-50. From then on, such equipment has become an essential part of the Amateur Radio world. Equipment has now evolved with the appearance of multi-band models. In developing this new HF transceiver, Kenwood has boldly chosen not to follow this path, because we wanted to develop a transceiver unlike any other available. If we had developed a product along the same lines as the others currently in the market, the customers would not have found it a very attractive buy and few would choose it. This is why we wanted to develop a unique and attractive Kenwood product, something that would effectively serve to create a new market. It was with these thoughts that we embarked on our new project and began to mull over the details. It was not to be an easy task. After all, every engineer involved in development wants to create something special and innovative. We had to find a way to put it into practice. Back to basics: "The appeal of HF lies in DX'ing." The search for "a completely new kind of transceiver" sounds like it might turn out to be a wild goose chase, and in truth it is in the nature of things that such ideas rarely amount to much. But as part of our brainstorming, we went back to basics. What first emerged as a key concept was this: "The appeal of HF lies in DX'ing." This is simple to say, but maybe more difficult to realize. From here the discussion moved ahead rapidly once it was decided to develop a compact HF transceiver. According to conventional wisdom, a compact HF transceiver is by definition a mobile transceiver, and a fixed, base station is physically large. But we refused to stick to these stereotypes as we fleshed out the concept for a compact HF transceiver designed to make DX'ing really enjoyable. Even if it were to be a mobile unit, as an HF transceiver we wanted to ensure it would offer the operating ease and basic performance needed to enjoy DX'ing. Consequently, it should also be able to serve as a fixed station. The typical shack today has been equipped with a computer and there is not a great deal of room available for a large transceiver. This PC-transceiver combination would become even more common. Operating both as a mobile and as a fixed station, this new model would target customers dissatisfied with the compact transceivers currently on the market. This was the concept that we started with. 3 Standalone control panel For mobile operations, a separate control panel is ideal, but what if the transceiver is also to be used as a base station? This was the problem we faced. With a large desktop rig, it is no easy matter to shift things around to find the best position, so perhaps it would be a good idea to have a separate control panel that could be moved easily. Also, a desktop unit has various kinds of cables connected to it. What with the heat the main unit produces and the noise of the fan, etc., and considering that it does not have to be on the desk in front of you, it would surely be better to separate the control panel and place the main unit elsewhere. With the appearance of computers in today's shacks, it is certainly desirable to tidy up the desktop as much as possible. We felt that we could contribute to this evolutionary process. By opting for a completely separate panel, we could ensure that it would be large enough to offer sufficient operating ease, since its dimensions would not be dictated by those of the compact main unit. This was how we arrived at the idea of a standalone control panel that is slightly larger than the main unit. Focus on basic performance The appeal of HF lies in DX'ing those places near and far. For this reason, we put a priority on operating ease and basic performance. At this point the project team had already excluded any idea of incorporating the V/UHF bands. Our approach was this: "Rather than spending development money on the V/UHF bands, let's spend money on HF performance." "If someone needs the V/UHF bands, then they can buy another product that is tailored for these bands." This meant we had confidence that our product would offer more than enough punch to perform well even on grueling DX'peditions. The 200W challenge As explained, our initial starting point was a desire to create a transceiver like no other. But we would not have succeeded in meeting this objective with just a standalone control panel and an emphasis on basic performance. We needed something more if we were to make the product truly special and stand out from the crowd. The answer was to be found in the realization that DX operations depend on basic performance and power. Real "power" in a transceiver is something that many people look for. So a radical proposal was made: "Rather than making the output 100 watts, let's go all out for 200 watts!" But in fact the only transceivers on the market with 200W output were the expensive high-end models. What we were developing was a compact transceiver. We seemed to have run up against a wall: Did this mean that in terms of size and cost we would inevitably end up creating a high-end transceiver? After long discussions, we made a straightforward decision to challenge the status quo: If conventional wisdom dictated that a 200W output was only available from a high-end transceiver, then we would change that dynamic. At this point we could not see how this could be possible, but we stuck to our conviction that a 200W transceiver did not have to be expensive. We were determined to provide the customer with a 200W transceiver at a reasonable price. As a result of our single-mindedness, we were eventually able to achieve our goal, creating a product of about the same size as the TS-50 and, of course, it had heavy-duty specs. 4 Adding appeal to fixed station operations It is now increasingly common to see a PC sitting beside the transceiver in the shack, but we wanted to expand the interaction between computers and transceivers. It was with this in mind that Kenwood came up with the idea of an Internet remote-controlled transceiver. You may be away on a business trip, but you want to operate, or you may want to use a large Yagi antenna out in the suburbs from your downtown apartment. In these and many other ways, fixed station operations are becoming more varied and more difficult. However, laws governing radio transmissions vary from country to country. In Japan, we had just about resigned ourselves to the fact that this could only be implemented as an RX feature when fortunately the law changed: starting January 13, 2004, both TX and RX operations became possible. This made all our development work worthwhile for our market in Japan and worldwide. Overview of the TS-480 Series The product concept for the TS-480 Series, as outlined, can be summarized thus: Not simply a compact HF mobile transceiver like the TS-50 and other transceivers on the market, the TS-480 is a completely new type of powerful compact HF transceiver offering the performance and features required for HF DX operations. TX output of 200W (HF), an astounding figure; and up till now, only available from the top-of-the-line models. Transceiver remote control In order to realize all three of these, we started the design process with the following planning objectives: 1. Priority on basic performance that stresses the 1.8 ~ 50 MHz range; 2. Dynamic range on a par with the TS-950; 3. Uncompromising RX performance, AF DSP as standard; 4. A control panel design that ensures top-notch operating ease, so that desired functions can be accessed instantly; 5. Support for a range of different operations as a mobile station and as a full-fledged base station, allowing the user to enjoy HF DX as much as with a conventional fixed station; 6. A quantum leap in power output in a compact chassis, generating 200W even when working off a DC 13.8V supply (in the USA there are no limitations on the power output of mobile transceivers, so it is being described as a "power mobile"); 7. Internal automatic tuner for the 100W model to make it more versatile and expand the range of possible applications; and 8. Remote control via the Internet. As for the name of the new series, which was intended to reflect our planning objectives, we decided on the 400's in order to express continuity with the popular TS-450 workhorse transceiver. This was because the new product was not simply a compact transceiver but would offer the sort of performance and features Kenwood fans would expect of a 400-series model. A workhorse transceiver that could prove its worth in a variety of places ­ in the shack, in a vehicle, in the field -this was the TS-480 Series being planned by Kenwood. 5 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 different products appeared on the market, but it is probably no exaggeration to say that Kenwood's TS-50 was the first in the category of the 100W (HF) compact all-mode transceiver. It is already more than a decade since the TS-50 was launched. Since then, successive models have grown increasingly smaller while adding new features and expanding band coverage to include V/UHF. Today, this category has matured to the point of actually forming a definable market. What we developed in order to stir up and add fresh stimulus to this market was the TS-480 Series. · Why a compact 200W transceiver? · Why a 100W model with a built-in antenna tuner? · Why HF~50MHz coverage? The answers to these questions can be found in our planning objectives. Let's look at the technical background. The TS-480 concept began with development of the TS-570? We first started looking in detail at the technical feasibility not of the 200W model but of the model with the internal antenna tuner. Today, there is nothing special about a built-in AT, but for the TS-570 we developed a relay-type AT. This replaced the previous motor-driven variable capacitor type of AT. Naturally this technology was used elsewhere and by other manufacturers, but if applied not to TX but to RX also, it is possible to use it for receiver front-end passive tuning. For transmission purposes, it is smaller than the conventional type of AT of the time, especially with regard to height, making it a good choice for building into a compact set. In 1996, when on a visit to the US to promote the TS-570 a local salesman asked whether we were next going to put an AT into the TS-50. Well, perhaps that was where the TS-480 got its start! Achieving 200W output in a compact transceiver In achieving our goal of 200W there was one major constraint ­ namely, we could not raise the voltage of the power supply. The TS-480 Series was to be sold not only in Japan but internationally. If we had been looking only at our domestic market, things would have been different since the output of mobile transceivers here is limited to 50W, but conditions are different abroad, especially in the US. In the US, since there are no limitations on the output of either mobile or fixed stations, mobile transceivers in the several hundred watt class are not unusual. A common pattern for operations is not to hook up a 100W unit to a linear amp and mount a 200W fixed transceiver in a car. Moreover, the most common type of vehicle is a pickup with a 12V battery, so people expect to obtain a 200W output with a regular 13.8V power supply. If one thinks of the way people operate such transceivers here in Japan, a question arises: Why add that much power if it cannot be used as a mobile rig? The TS-480 has been designed with a priority on operating ease. One reason for this is that we saw the TS-480 being used as a fixed station in Japan, where 200W mobile operations are not permitted. Most 200W HF transceiver ...