Review of the Kenwood TS-530 Ham Radio

The Kenwood TS-530 was first introduced in the early 1980s as a hybrid radio. The receiver was based on solid state technology, while the transmitter section uses tube technology. Many ham radio operators may be intimidated about purchasing or owning a radio that uses tubes, but the 6146 tube that the Kenwood TS-530 uses is still in plentiful supply. It can be purchased at several online radio outlets for about $20 each. The tubes that the Kenwood TS-530 radio uses are one of the more reliable tubes for radios of that era. With proper use and care the tube section of the Kenwood TS-530 will likely last for 10 years or even longer.

The radio can be used in Single Side Band Mode (SSB) either upper or lower, or it can transmit Continuous Wave (CW). Output is rated at about 100 Watts, but with a little tweaking the power can be tuned up to 130 watts or even a little higher. Avoid the temptation to run the radio higher than the specified 100 watts. Tuning the transmitter section higher sends more current across the grid and generates more heat in the finals. Prolonged exposure to heat can be detrimental to your tubes, and can even hurt your solid state circuitry in the receiver section.

Kenwood TS-530 On the Air

A well maintained and tuned Kenwood TS-530 performs well. The audio is clean and of high quality since you are using tube technology. Most ham radio operators claim the the audio fidelity generated by radios with tube transmitters sound more clear and full. Solid state transmitters have a more "tinny" sound and often need to rely in speech processors and amplifiers to sound better.

Receiving Signals with the Kenwood TS-530

The receiver section of the Kenwood TS-530S is based in a 30 year old design so do not expect it to match the performance and quality of modern receivers. What you get is a bare bones receiver that does a workmanlike job of pulling out signals. There are some after market filters available that help improve receiver performance. For example, you can pick up a 500Hz filter to install for CW use. There are bells and whistles found more more modern radios that are driven by a computerized menu. This is not the case for the Kenwood TS-530. You either need to push a button or turn a knob to make the radio do what you want it to do.

Maintenance for the Kenwood TS-530

The Kenwood TS-530 and TS-520 family of radios are easy to maintain and repair. Access to the board can be achieved by simply removing a few screws. Since the enclosure of the radio is quite large, there is plenty of space for large hands to get into the guts of the radio to perform any needed maintenance. Parts are still readily available in the market, and since was such a large number of these radios produced, there is a large secondary market of used parts at very reasonable prices.

Just because the Kenwood TS-530 is a radio that is based on tube technology, should not be seen as a drawback. While the radio does not offer the plug and play features of modern ham radios, it does offer the fun of being able push real buttons and knobs to operate. Plus, it even has a built in power supply. You can plug the radio into any outlet in your home and run it on 110v, a feature not commonly found with many modern radio designs.