Modifications for the Kenwood
TS-850

19-07-1998 TS-850S
observations
Observations of KC2CT
Having lived
with Kenwood's TS-850S tranceiver for 5 days, here are some of my
observations:
- While the manual shows 35 power-on front panel adjustments, there really
are 36. Function number 35 is set from the factory to the OFF state. Well,
what exactly is this unknown function? Well Bunkies, this enables the
tranceiver to transmit on 27.500 through 28.000 mhz! Do yourself a favor, and
set this option to ON for TX inhibit! DO NOT JEAPORDIZE YOUR LICENSE! Why in
the world did the factory allow this??? Maybe they don't want the Chicken
Banders butchering up the rigs....
- Tone control. The setup only allows Burst or Continuous modes, there is no
way to turn it OFF, even though the manual indicates there is a way.
- Quick memory function. You MUST pass through either the VFO A or VFO B
registers to program these.. You cannot go from standard memory to quick
memory directly.
- My 850S came out of the box running low power (50 - 75w PEP), so I called
the local ham radio dealer inquiring about service manual availability. Well
they had them in stock, but at a price of $50.00! Unbelievable! Kenwood wants
fifty dollars for (in the continuing Kenwood tradition) a terribly organized,
incomplete, and horrible reading manual!!! Well, I dug into the schematics and
opened up the the radio, here's a list of items that might be of interest to
some:
RF Board Controls
-----------------
VR - RX BAL
VR - TX BIAS
VR - TX BAL
VR - TYP (50W output power adjust, used with S1 below)
VR - MIN (?????) / internal antenna tuner
VR - TUN (Tune mode power adjust)
VR - VSF (THIS IS THE 100W POWER OUTPUT CONTROL)
VR - SWR Protect activation
VR - PWM (Forward power meter calibration)
VR1 - RWM (Reflected power meter calibration)
VR1 - AL0 (ALC meter zero)
VR1 - ALM (ALC meter calibration)
VR1 - CPM (Processor meter calibration)
VR1 - ALG (ALC gain adjustment)
S - All Band Power Down Switch (Decreases power to 50 watts)
IF Board Controls
-----------------
VR -
VR -
VR -
VR - Beep volume
VR - Sidetone volume
VR - Processor adjust
VR - ?????
VR8 & VR9 - ?????
VR1 - ?????
VR1 -
VR12 & VR13 - S Meter adjust
VR14 & VR15 - AGC adjust
VR1 - Notch filter adjust
- PLEASE NOTE!
Most of these controls are 1/8" pots, so if you intend to
adjust them use a VERY SMALL non-metallic tool.
- My 850S also came out of the box with the RIT/XIT control not dis- playing
0.00 khz at fiducial (12 o'clock position) center. Behind the front panel in
the upper right corner is the control for center adjust. It just needed a wee
bit of tweaking... Along with this control on the circuit board are the master
adjust- ments for the SSB slope tuning (High Cut and Low Cut).
- When both top and bottom covers are removed, on the left-hand side is the
FM board. There are 3 (three) pots on the board. They are FM Wide (12khz)
deviation, FM Narrow (6khz) deviation, and FM Mic gain.
- FM mode defaults to WIDE (12khz). This is WAY too wide for accessing any
10m repeater. Hit the 455khz filter button again for FM-N (narrow). This will
set the IF to 6khz width, and you be able to work FM 10m stations. Note: The
8.83 filters are NOT selectable in FM mode.
- Memory scrolling via M CH./VFO CH. You can bypass all unused channels if
you press the 1 mhz button. With the button active, only stored memory
channels will be displayed as the knob is rotated.
- Tuneable memories. Out of the box, the radio is set up for non- tuneable
memories. Just bring up setup function xx on the display, and set it to ON,
and ALL memories can be tuned via the VFO. When use the M.CH/VFO CH. switch
you will be returned to the original frequency & mode setting in the
memory.
- It may or may not be obvious to some, but the radio is capable of
cross-band and/or cross-mode operation. Just pump the required modes and
frequencies into memory channels or VFOs, and you're off and running. Hope you
have a very broadbanded antenna!
- CW message storage is lost when you power off the radio. I didn't order
the DRU-2 option (yet), so I don't know whether these messages will be saved.
You'd think that with everything else that is stored in RAM and backed up by
battery, that Kenwood would have made pro- visions to keep recorded messages
alive also. A modification????
- When adding additional filters, is is necessary to set the corresponding
switch on. Under the hatch on top, is a 4 position dip switch. The manual
shows a picture of it, but makes no mention of their settings. This switch is
necessary to inform the micro- processor of the filters' absence or presence.
ON is for presence, OFF is for absence. Below is the switch diagram:
-----
| = | <-- YK-88C-1, YK-88CN-1, YK-88SN-1
| = | <-- YK-88CN-1, YK-88CN-1, YK-88SN-1
| = | <-- No Function
| = | <-- YG-455C-1 or YG-455CN-1
-----
O O
N F
F
- I received the DRU-2, voice recording unit this week, and installed
it.Here's what I found:
- The unit comes witè a lithium battery for backing up the voice messages
when tèe rig is powered off.
- The initial state of the DRU-2 is:
Message 1 - 8 seconds
Message
2 - 8 seconds
Message 3 - 16 seconds
You can halve the sampling rate
via front panel setup control xx. This will effectively DOUBLE the time of of
each message, however, the quality of voice repro- duction will suffer because
of the lower sampling rate.
- On playback of the messages, the microphone IS NOT disabled, so be quiet
when you're transmitting stored messages.
- Use the MONI function to hear what you've recorded and/or are
transmitting, and tèe MIC gain control to keep the ALC in range, as the DRU-2
drives the radio much harder than the microphone input.
- The high boost function and speech processor are available to the DRU-2
during transmit.
- I also got the VS-2 voice unit. The voice is the same as the older VS-1
for the TS-440, and TS-940, but the unit is in a smaller package. It will
speak the frequency in either English or Jápanese. There is a volume control
pot on the bottom of the board whécè should be adjusted PRIOR to screwing down
the VS-2. The output on my unit was very low, until I tweaked it up. Also
there are jumpers on the board to speed up the voice playback... You'll need
to consult the instruction page for the VS-1 for speeds, as there is nothing
mentioned in the instructions for the VS-2.
- A note on output power of the rig. The radio uses 2SC2789's... These
devices are rated as 100 watt devices Kenwood is running the finals VERY
conservatively. When playing around with output, I had the rig dead-keying 175
watts, but backed it down to 100 watts, as I didn't want to blow up the rig,
but I was äefinitely smiling as the Birds' meter swung with a 250 watt slug!
- The ROM chip on the digital board is socketed. Kenwood had problems witè
early 440's and 940's with poor soldered connections. While it's a nice idea
to allow removal and replacement of the ROM to add features/fix bugs, this
might become a problem area in the future.
- Hidden function!!! If you turn on the radio while holding down the VOICE
button, EVERY button on the radio will acknowledge its function via morse
code! This is a terrific feature for sightless hams! I can't understand why it
is not mentioned in the owners manual or marketing literature!

19-07-1998 TS-850S All band
transmit
Kenwood markets this radio worldwide, and has made
orovisions to allow the radio to transmit between 1.625 mhz and 29.999 mhz.
I
am providing this modification for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! DO NOT TRANSMIT
OUT OF BAND, THIS WILL JEAPORDIZE YOUR LICENSE, AND HAVE THE FCC, AND/OR
INTERNATIONÁL AUTHORITIES KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR!!!
The All-band transmit
modificatéon requires the removal and re- location of a diode on the the digital
board which is located behind the front panel. The US version of the radio has
diode D11 installed, and diode D9 removed. D11 must be removed, and installed in
the D9 position. This modification IS NOT for the faint of heart, as it entails
removing the front panel, and the digital board. Note that the digitál board has
solder holes thát are through-soldered; that is, there are circuit traces on
both sides of the board, so make sure that ALL solder is removed from the holes.
This modification will also allow the antenna tuner to tune anywhere the
receiver is tuned. This modification should ONLY be performed ây those familiar
with soldering and de-soldering techniques, and requires patience, and
dexterity.

19-07-1998 TS-850S Broadcast Band
Sensitivity
BCB sensitivity REALLY suffers as a 24db attenuator
is inserted when band-switched. This attenuator circuit is very similiar to the
TS-430/440. Possible modification?

19-07-1998 TS-850S Additional Front Panel
Functions
Pressing SCAN + TX-M.CH will set the radio into its
extended function mode. These options can be scrolled via the M.CH/VFO CH.
switch. The following are the extended functions:
00 - This is the ROM Cèecksum displayed as a 4-digit hexadecimal
number This cannot be changed.
01 - Allow filter selection in transmit. Initially set OFF.
02 - Antenna tuner power down. Initially set to OFF.
03 - Antenna tuner non-stop mode. When set to on, the antenna
tuner will not stop when the lowest VSWR is found. Initially
set to OFF.
04 - Store mode, and filter settings prior to changing bands, or
cèannels. Initially set to ON.
05 - Display -HELLO- on digitial display, anä send it in Morse
code on power up. Initially set OFF.
06 - Turn full LCD display ON on power on. Initially set OFF.
07 - Turn Subtone ON or OFF. Initiálly set ON. Note tèat even
when set off, the TONE indicator will be lit on the display.
08 - Unknown. Initially set OFF.

19-07-1998 Step by
step instructions to disable the broadcast band attenuation for
TS-850S
This mod greatly improves the sensitivity and likewise
the reception on the AM broadcast band.
No noticable unwanted side effects
have occured following this procedure.
I live within three miles of a 5,000
watt broadcast station on 1150 kc's and am able to listen to stations on either
side of that station. There is some splatter but using the notch filter and the
attenuation on the front of the radio takes care of that for the most part. This
is *NOT* complicated and can be done in fifteen minutes. Only one caution
here:
you WILL BE SOLDERING TWO POINTS ON A CIRCUIT BOARD THAT IS LOADED WITH
SURFACE MOUNTED COMPONENTS!!! There is little room to work on the board, so be
very careful with your iron! If you don't feel comfortable soldering, get
someone else to do it as you can cause a solder bridge and ruin your radio
without even trying. With that in mind, here goes:
- remove the eleven screws that secure the bottom cover to the rig. the six
ones on the sides and the five on the bottom cover itself.
- remove the bottom cover. there are no wires attached to the cover. lift it
right off. leave the top cover of the radio ON.
- locate the RF BOARD. it's number is: X44-3120-00. this is the board where
you plug the optional filters into. with the open radio in front of you, and
the front of the radio facing you, the RF BOARD is the one on the left. (there
are only two boards under the bottom cover)
- locate the chrome like shield on the rear of the RF BOARD. it's made out
of shiney steel. remove the four screws that hold this shield to the board.
- remove the shield by lifting the front of it up while sliding it forwards,
towards you. watch out for all the little wires and ribbon cables going to and
from the RF BOARD.
- look at the rear of the board and towards the left corner.(the radio is
stil facing you upside down) notice two I/C's numbered IC1 and IC2. directly
behind the I/C's are a bank of adjustable coils in metal cans. there are nine
of these coils in a group. directly to the left of these coils are many green
and red inductors which are standing up. they look like resistors but they're
really small coils.
- these inductors are part of the bandpass filtering for each of the bands
on the radio. the capacitors and resistors that complete the bandpass
filtering are on the other side of the board and are of the surface mount
type. you are only concerned with the bandpass filter for the .5 to 1.6 band.
notice the numbers for the inductors. find L8 and L9. they are right at the
edge of the board in the left rear corner you will notice that .5 - 1.6 is
stamped right next to L9. BINGO! you have found the part of the circuit that
you will modify.
- look at where the .5 - 1.6 is stamped on the board next to L9. you will
see two bronze or gold solder points there directly next to the numbers .5 -
1.6 . there is nothing soldered at those two points. this is where you will
solder a jumper wire between the bronze points. do NOT confuse it with the
other two solder points with the line running in between them next to the
phillips head screw!!! you want the two points that are spaced very close
together that is right next to L9.
- you will have to do the soldering on the OTHER SIDE OF THE BOARD. remove
the nine phillips head screws that hold the RF BOARD to the chasis.
- on the back of the radio, look for the switch stamped SW 1. it's right
below the grounding post and has the two postions: INT and EXT. remove the two
screws that hold the switch to the back of the rig. the switch is soldered to
the RF BOARD and you wont be able to lift the board up until the screws are
removed.
- unplug enough cables from the board so you'll have enough room to lift the
RF BOARD up to solder the jumper. there is no need to remove the board from
the rig. slide it towards the front of the rig until the switch SW 1 clears
the back of the rig and lift the left side of the board up and prop it up with
a small block of wood.
- locate the bronze solder points on the underside of the board. there will
be a small amount of solder at these two points on the underside of the board.
- bend a small jumper out of wire that fits the two bronze points on top of
the RF BOARD. you will place the jumper on the top and solder on the underside
of the board. with a pair of needle nosed pliers, place the jumper into the
holes and simply heat up the existing solder on the underside until the jumper
slips down farther into the holes.
you'll notice the large amount of
components on the underside versus the lack of components on the top of the
board. be carefull when heating the solder on the two points. you don'y want
to disturb the surface mounted parts or cause any excess solder to run onto
them or the foil nearby.
- you are now done. re-assemble in reverse order, plugging the wires back in
carefully, making sure they don't get plugged into the wrong place. also,
avoid pinching them when replacing covers.
____________________________________________________________________
l l
l l
l X __________________ l
l 4 L8 l l l
l 4 O O O O O O l COIL BANK l l
l O O O O O O l l l
l 3 .5 o inductors l_________________l l
l 1 O O O O O O l
l 2 1.6 o _______ _______ l
l 0 l ic1 l l ic2 l l
l l -------- -------- l
l 0 solder l
l 0 point l l
l l RF BOARD l
l solder l
l point l l
l l l
l L9 l
l l
l l
l this area for optional l
l plug in filters l
l l
l l
l l
l l
l l
l___________________________________________________________________l
FRONT OF RADIO
Sorry, that's the best art work I can do. The purpose of the jumper is to
bypass the two 150 ohm resistors that are in series after the bandpass filter.
The resistors add between 20 and 25 db attenuation to the AM broadcast band. For
some reason, Kenwood thinks that the receiver would become overloaded by strong
nearby broadcasting stations, which would cause distortion. I simply don't find
that to be the case. It's funny, Kenwood already had those two points there on
the board, but without the jumper......it seems to me that they had anticipated
the need to bypass the attenuation in Europe or Asia. Thus, all export models
going to the states were missing that jumper. Who knows? I can't find any other
reason for the jumper points to be there.
Anyway, you'll notice an
immediate increase of signal strength. You'll hear stations that you never knew
were there! As I said, if you are bothered by strong stations in your area, try
using the 6 and/or 12db attenuation buttons on the front of the
rig.

19-07-1998 TS-850?
ACC-2 audio problem
Following bulletin was sent to me by Dick,
KB8DB:
KENWOOD/KAM SSB AUDIO PROBLEM
The problem is that some
kenwood radios are being shipped with the rear panel audio output very
sensitive. We (kantronics) have had others report the same problem, and the
following response was prepared by our service department: Some adjustments in
the radio and in the kam may be necessary when using these connections.
SOLUTION:
Decrease the gain in the kenwood radio rear panel audio input
circuit (may be labeled vr18, check your radio manual).
Increase the afsk
output from the kam (remove jumper k5 for maximum output).
Set the kam to
transmit in rtty mode, and radio in ssb mode, adjust vr18 (or gain control in
radio that controls rear panel audio input) for the radio manufacturer's
recommended output when using rtty.
Now, when using the front panel
microphone, low-level noise on the rear panel input will not be picked up or
added to microphone audio. (unquote)
73 from Stan G4KSJ @
GB7BEN.#43.GBR.EU

19-07-1998 Adjustable moni. on CW,
TS-850S
Hello everybody!
If you'd like to be able to
adjust the volume with your "MONI-knob" on the frontpanel of your TS-850S when
monitoring your transmission on CW read this! Originally it's a fixed level
controlled by VR5 internally.
This could be usefull when switching
between the loudspeaker and the headphones.
When you're monitoring your
CW with headphones at a pleasent level, and then disconnect the headphones and
monitoring with the loudspeaker the audio is quite low.
(IF-UNIT)
- Remove the IF-UNIT (you must solder on the rear side of the IF-UNIT). Be
carefull to mark all the cables before you remove them!!!
- Remove R239 (330 kohm, close to VR5).
- Install a new resistor (330 kohm) from the output of VR5 to the junction
R229, R230, R231 and C172 (rear side of the IF-UNIT, close to IC7).
- Adjust VR5 to maximum audio level.
Now you're able to adjust your
audio level in the CW mode with the "MONI-knob" at the frontpanel of your
transeiver.
Gif file of the circuit board layout (445 Kb) where
the mod is to be done in the radio.
73 de Nate Bargmann
Packet:
KA0RNY @ WF0A.#SCKS.KS.USA.NOAM
E-mail: [email protected]
Valley Center,
Kansas USA EM17hs
Visit my Linux + Ham Radio pages homepage.netspaceonline.com/~ka0rny/

19-07-1998 TS-850 service manual, error
corection
Page 20:
2 Full break-in operation timing
--------------------------------
...signal enters pin 10 of the BW-SW module from the...
should be
...signal enters pin 10 of the BK-IN module from the...
Page 21:
Resistor R3 (10 kohm) in the BK-SW schematic does not exist.
(This is corrected in the schematic that's in the user's manual)
Page 23:
Key up
------
In line 8 and 10 capacitor C230 is mentioned
-should be C231

19-07-1998 TS-850S and
speaker/headph
This is a very simple modification on the TS-850S
to be able to hear the receiving station through the loudspeaker and the
headphones at the same time.
On ICOM rigs it does not require any
modification at all as this is a feature built-in from the factory.
On ICOM
rigs if you push the connector halfway into the headphone jack you have the
sound in both the loudspeaker and the headphones, then if you push the plug the
whole way in, the sound is only in the headphones.
Unfortunally this is
not the case on the TS-850S.
The headphone jack is a little different
made on Kenwood rigs, so this modification does not allow you this "halfway"
feature described above. But still you are able to have the sound comming from
the loudspeaker and the headphones at the same
time.
Modification.
Note!
This modification works on
both mono and stereo headphones.
- Remove all knobs at the front of the radio.
- Remove the front.
- Remove the very small unit (E/6 page 57) that contains the phone jack
itself.
- Install a jumper between pin no. 1 and pin no. 2 on the CN8 connector.

19-07-1998 TS-850 and Ten-Tec Titan 425
PA
If you're using the Kenwood TS-850S with the Ten-Tec Titan 425
linear PA read this!
This explains how to modify the TS-850S' full QSK
feature and avoiding "hot switching" the relay in the amplifier when operating
full QSK.
As you probably know the correct way to prevent "hot switching"
is to feed a signal to the Titan's "key-in" connector when you transmit. When
the linear's vacuum-relay is settled the Titan's "key-out" connector return that
information to the transceiver which then feed its output RF to the
linear.
What's important here is that the transceiver DOES NOT feed any
RF BEFORE the vacuum-relay in the linear is settled!
(If you do, you have the
problem called "hot switching")
This is how to overcome the "hot
switching" problem:
Open the TS-850 and do the following:
- Remove the original TRX-relay (K3 at the RF unit).
- Remove the IF unit.
- Locate the BK-SW unit (X59-3880-00).
Cut between Q2's collector and
pin 10 on the BK-SW unit.
Feed Q2's collector to the "key-in" on the Titan
linear.
Feed pin 10 (where you cut) on the BK-SW unit to the "key-out" on
the Titan linear.
- Reinstall the IF-unit.
That's all!
I connected the collector of
Q2 to pin #4 on the REMOTE connector and pin #10 on the BK-SW unit to pin #2 on
the REMOTE connector at the rear of the transceiver where you originally connect
the keying of an amplifier.
That's why you should remove the TRX-relay (K3)
as described in point no. 1.
Pin 4 on the remote connector should now be
connected to the "key-in" on the Titan amplifier
Pin 2 on the remote
connector should now be connected to the "key-out" on the Titan
linear.
ONLY use shielded cables!!!
This modification works fine
on my TS-850. I am able to operate full QSK at the maximum speed on the built-in
keyer unit without risking any damage to the vacuum-relay in the Titan at full
output power (1600W).

19-07-1998 KAM-PLUS Problems!! with TS-450
& 850
Hello All,,
A common problem when using a
KAM-Plus multimode with the Kenwood TS-850 or TS-450 occurs when the KAM-Plus is
coupled to the Accessory-2 socket on the back of the transceiver, producing
noticable distortion of the transmitted audio when using the microphone in SSB
mode..
The problem is easy to cure by disconnecting the Accessory-2 plug
from the back of the tranceiver, but this meant moving the transceiver around
every time one wished to operate on SSB..
The problem is caused by the
input sensitivity of the rear Accessory-2 socket being set to high, so that it
picks up very low level noise from the KAM-Plus and associated computer wiring,
this mixes with the microphone signal, to produce the distortion.
The
cure is to reduce the input sensitivity of the radio, thus reducing the chance
of distortion, also it goes without saying that the output from the KAM-Plus
must be increased to compensate for this.
With both the TS-450 and
TS-850, adjusting the input sensitivity is straight forward and the transceiver
manuals show you the appropriate control and its location.. This is in both
cases VR18 to be found on the main board of the radio,(refer to manual) in
practice I found that it was best to adjust this control fully
counterclockwise..
Then we need to adjust the output from the KAM-Plus by
varying potentiometer R28 and setting removable link (K9), this link is factory
set on one post only, (in the open position)!! this should be connected shorting
the two posts, thus putting the KAM-Plus into the high output position, and then
potentiometer R-28 is adjusted to give full power out from your HF radio with
very little ALC deflection, when the MIC gain is in the normal operating
position..
Then I am sure you will find that your problem is over, you
can now simply change from digital modes to SSB.. Remember if you have your
Beacon activated to turn it OFF or it could cause a few comments when operating
SSB..

19-07-1998
TS-450,TS-850 feedback,ACC-2 Conn
Hi if you are using the
ACC-2 connector to interface with your multi-mode controller, you may have had a
problem with your transmitted audio signal being distorted, to eliminate this
see bellow.
- Set your meter on the radio to read ALC
- PK232 OWNERS: if alsso using a VHF tranceiver, adjust the AFSK level for
proper VHF operation as expalained in chapter 3 of the operating manual.If not
adjust for proper SSB operation.
DSP - 1232 / DSP - 2232 Owners: Adjust
the appropriate AFSK level control for proper SSB operation as expalined in
chapter 3 of the operating manual.
- Place the TNC in calibrate mode and press K to key the radio.
- Adjust VR-13 on the TS-450 or VR-18 on the TS-850 so that the meter "Just
comes off the peg" as described in the section titled "SSB Tranciever Final
Adjustments" (in the TNC operating manual).
- Press Q to quit the CALIBRATE mode
This modification should not
affect any of the other normal operations of the radio..
Copy of service
bulletin from AEA

31-03-1999 Modification for External keying,
while using the internal keyer
Author: N7EX (ex-N0DH), Dave
Henderson
One of the minor draw backs to the TS-850 as a CW
contest machine is the inability to use the internal keyer in conjunction with
an external keying circuit such as a personal computer or auxiliary memory
keyer. As designed you must manually throw a switch from internal to external
keying to switch between one or the other. To make matters even more
inconvenient this switch is on the back of the unit and is not readily
accessible during normal operation.
Simply said this modification
involves running a new keying line from the junction of S1 and D51 on the IF
Board. For convenience this additional keying line can be wired to the DSP1
and/or DSP2 RCA phono jacks if you do not use the external DSP unit.
The
modification to the unit to resolve this problem takes less than 30 minutes to
accomplish and can be done without "permanently" modifying the unit which would
detract from its future resale value. If you don't use the external DSP unit
then the two RCA phono jacks marked DSP1 and DSP2 can be used as additional
keying input jacks as will be outlined below. If you use the external DSP unit
then the modification can still be accomplished by running the external keying
line out on a "pigtail." I highly recommend the purchase of a service manual
which will greatly improve your ability to indentify the circuit points involved
in the modification.
Considering that the radio costs $1500 what's another
$30 to keep from messing it up! By the way compared to the two TS-930's that I
nursed through the 80's, this radio is a breeze to trouble shoot and repair
which I have had to do twice through no fault of Kenwood (long stupid story
~8>).
From here you proceed at your own risk, if you fry the radio
DON'T CALL ME. A precision low wattage solder pencil for doing surface mount
soldering is recommended, If all you have is a 150 watt Weller solder gun then
read no farther your better off taking the unit to an expert rather than "melt"
the circuit traces.
I assume no risk for the accuracy or completeness of
the enclosed information. All yee who enter here embrace all hope for you may
likely have a better contest radio when you are done.
- Turn the unit upside down with the back of the TS-850 toward you.
- Remove the bottom cover.
- In this position the IF board is on your left.
- Remove all the screws holding the IF board to the chassis.
(put them in
a jar or something for safe keeping).
- Unplug enough of the cabling to allow you to tilt the board up so that you
can access the bottom side of the board underneath S1 the "External/Internal"
keying switch.
- On the bottom side of the board directly underneath S1 you will see 6
solder pads arranged in two rows of three pads each.
- The middle pad on S1 nearest the back of the radio should be GROUND,
solder the braid of an approximately 9 inch piece of small audio style
shielded cable to this point, being careful to dress the coax so as not to
short to other circuitry.
- The middle pad on S1 in the next row up of three pads is the keying line.
Solder the center of the shielded cable to this point.
- Route the other end of the shielded audio cable through the chassis in the
vicinity of the DSP jacks above.
- Carefully inspect all solder joints for shorts, etc. Replug the wire
harnesses unplugged in step 5 above and reassemble the board to housing.
Reassemble the bottom cover.
- Turn the unit over and remove the top cover.
- Find the DSP input board with the three RCA phono jacks on it at the rear
of the unit.
The two DSP jacks are on the right when facing the rear of the
unit. There are two connectors on this board (a 2pin and a 4pin). Unplug the 4
pin connector. Obtain another 4 pin connector and connect as follows (or
directly solder to the underside of the board as follows) If you only need one
additional CW jack then ground is pin 2 (closer to center of the radio)connect
the braid of your new key line to this pin. The input from the middle RCA
phono plug is pin 1 connect the ceneter conductor to this pin. Like wise if
you want two additional CW jacks then do as above plus add a short between
pins 1 and 3. If you want a small RF choke or some ferrite beads on the center
conductor of the audio cable may prevent keying problems in high RF field
environments...
- Close the unit up and switch S1 to INTERNAL keying. You should now be able
to key the unit via the internal keyer (Via the standard key input jack) or
with an external keyer or computer via the old DSP jacks, without having to
switch S1.

31-03-1999 TS-850 Separate Receive Antenna
Modification
Author: Brian,
WA3WJD
Make a short loop of white telfon cable with a male and
female BNC connector.
Loop it out of the back of the rig so just enough
of the coax sticks out so the BNCs can be joined with a barrel
connector.
Locate the little header connector on the filter board in the
TS-850 that is on the receiver side of the TS850 antenna relay. Pull that
connector loose.
Spend a little time tracking down male and female header
connectors that match what Kenwood uses. Install those on the ends of the white
teflon coaxes sticking in the back of the radio.
For normal use, just
connect the BNCs with a barrel connector and the rig is normal. For Beverage
use, connect an extra antenna switch common and ant #1 to the BNC connectors,
and put ur Beverages on the other positions.

31-03-1999 TS-850 Separate RX antenna input
mod
Author: N6TR - [email protected]
This is
near the top of everyone's list when they are asked "What things bug you about
the TS-850S." I initially overcame this deficiency by modifying my amplifier so
I could connect a different receive antenna to the TR relay. However, I wanted
to change things so there wasn't as much RF getting into the RX antenna due to
close proximity to the amplifier's output. This became a problem when using the
same receive antenna on a second radio (you knew two radio contest operating was
going to work its way in here somehow).
Ville, OH2MM had provided me with
instruction on how he modified his TS-850S to have a separate RX input and this
inspired me to try it.
Here are some simple steps to hopefully inspire
others:
It took me an unrushed two hours to do all this.
- Remove the top panel (you don't need to take off the bottom one).
- Remove the plate which sits between the fan and the back of the radio.
This covers the output filter PC board.
- Unsolder the connections to the SO-239 output connector.
- Remove the three cables from the PC board next to the SO-239. This
includes two coax and one 3 conductor harness.
- Remove the two screws holding in the PC board and remove it.
- Locate the trace that goes from the relay's normally closed contact. You
can use an ohm-meter to find it - probe from the wire that went to the SO-239.
You will find a short trace on the back of the board which runs to a chip
capacitor. Cut this trace and solder some very small coax to each side of the
cut - connect ground to the nearby ground trace.
Make the cables about 4
inches long.
- Remove the antenna tuner. There are 2 screws in the back and front (you
will need a magnetic screw-driver) and one on the side. You will need to
carefully unplug two wire harnesses and one coax connector.
- Drill two holes for phono jacks on the back of the radio. Be careful not
to obstruct the screw hole for one of the screws in the back of the antenna
tuner. The best place is between the RF output connector and the groundpost.
Put them on top of each other and as close to the bump on the back panel as
possible. I used a vacuum cleaner while drilling to make sure no metal chips
went anywhere.
- You will find a small hole under the SO-239 where you can feed the two
coaxs through. Solder them to the phono jacks and reassemble everything. I put
back to back diodes on the RX antennas input, but you may not want to do this.
A better thing would be to add a relay to disconnect the RX antenna input when
transmitting. I took care of that in project #2.
- Obviously, you will need a jumper cable to make your receiver work again.

31-03-1999 The switch
box
Parts list:
- 4 position rotary switch
- DPDT 12 VDC relay
- 1 K Ohm pot (optional)
- 12 phono jacks (or you can get by with 9)
- mini box for above and knobs.
- Clamp diode for relay coil if not included in relay
This box does
two things: disconnects the receive antenna input when transmitting and allows
selection of the transmitting antenna or one of three RX antennas when
receiving. The pot can be used for RF attenuation if your rig doesn't have
one.
The relay gets controlled by the PTT output from your rig that
normally would go to your amplifier. Then one set of the contacts is used to key
your amplifier. Don't forget to put a diode across the coil of your relay if
there isn't one internally. Otherwise, you will have undesired arcing across the
contacts of the relay in your radio.
The other set of contacts disconnect
the output of the rotary swtich when transmitting. The rotary switch selects
either the signal coming from the transmitting antenna (from the TR relay in
your rig) or one of three receiving antennas. I use two phono jacks per RX
antenna so I can feed them to other boxes for other radios. I also use two jacks
for +12 volts so I can jumper power to another box.
You can build up one
of these boxes in an hour or two. You can epoxy the relay to the mini
box.
If you want the pot there to act as an attenuator, I just hook it up
like you would a volume control: one end is ground, the other end goes to the
output of the rotary switch and the wiper goes to the output. Use shielded cable
as much as possible to avoid stray pickup.

31-03-1999 Computer Interface for the TS-850,
without using the IF-232 Level Converter
By N6TR and possibly
others, with zener idea added by K6LL.
Note: This interface
will work with "TR," contest logging software by N6TR.
Click here for links
to TR and other contest logging software packages, including
shareware.
Computer Interface:
470 ohms
DB9 PIN 3 (TXD) ----////------------ TS850 ACC 1 PIN 3 (RXD)
(DB25 PIN 2) |
|
|
---- 5 VOLT ZENER DIODE
/
/
|
|
DB9 PIN 5 (GND) ------------------------ TS850 ACC 1 PIN 1 (GND)
(DB25 PIN 7)
DB9 PIN 2 (RXD) ------------------------ TS850 ACC 1 PIN 2 (TXD)
(DB25 PIN 3)
----- TS850 ACC 1 PIN 4 (CTS)
|
|
|
----- TS850 ACC 1 PIN 5 (RTS)

31-03-1999 TS-850
Power Output Control
VR7 on the RF Board (bottom side of radio).
125 watts or so on cw is safe. Do not exceed 100 watts on SSB, since distortion
will broaden the transmitted signal.

31-03-1999 TS-850 Level Attenuator for DRU-2
playback audio
Author: K6LL
- [email protected]
- Remove the little hatch on the top of the radio.
- With the front of the radio facing you, find connector CN505. It is a five
pin connector near the filter DIP switches. The white wire on the leftmost
terminal carries the DRU audio output.
- Cut the white wire and insert a 100K ohm micromini pot, shunted with a 220
pf capacitor. Adjust the pot until DRU playback level matches live microphone
level.
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL

22-08-1999 TS850 + Transverter oder
Preselektor
Author: Werner
Maier, DL4NER - [email protected]
Wenn man von hinten auf den TS850 schaut, ist rechts eine
komplette Leiste mit Steckern (ACC, diverse Cinch (ALC etc..)) usw. Oben sind
zwei Reihen und unten ist noch eine dritte Reihe. (da ist auch die Cinch
IF-Out dabei, die original (lt. Manual) benutzt werden sollte. Mir persönlich
hat das mit den 12 Volt nicht gefallen; das Risiko für Transverter und
Nachsetzer bei Ausfall der 12 Volt war mir zu groß!
Genau dazwischen (oben 2 Reihen, unten 1 Reihe) ist rechts ein Platz von ca.
2cm hoch, 8cm Breit und 3 cm tief. da passen die benötigten 4 Cinchbuchsen
(drvout, drv in, ant out, ant in) problemlos hin.
Diese muß man für den normalen KW-Betrieb nur außen mit
Cinch-Cinch-Koaxkabeln brücken. Da es sich um Kurzwelle (d.h. f < 30MHz)
handelt, dürfte die auftretende Dämpfung vernachlässigbar sein.
Zudem gibt es dort in den Gehäusseverstrebungen IDEAL Platz zum
Kabeldurchführen, als ob es von Kenwood dafür vorgesehen wäre und aus
Marketinggründen zugunsten des TS950 gestorben wäre. So schauts jedenfalls für
den Bastler aus. Oder der Platz wurder einfach präventiv für Stecker
freigehalten... wer weiß...?
Vorgehensweise:
- !!!!! OHNE GEWÄHR !!!!!
- Boden und Deckel abnehmen.
- von oben: Filterplatine (mitte) wegnehmen.
- Gehäuserückseite abschrauben, PL-Buchse ablöten (evtl. sind hier mehr als
zwei Hände hilfreich!)
- Anzeichnen, bohren, auf genügend Abstand zwischen den Cinch-Buchsen und
Gehäuseverstrebungen achten. (ca. 16 mm Lochabastand reicht, damit man sich
die Finger nicht klemmt, beim Betrieb hinterher wie z.B. Stecker
ziehen...) Beschriften mit z.B. ANT out, IF in, DRV out, FINAL in (oder wie's
beliebt).
Kabel
auftrennen: von der IF-Platine (wenn das Gerät umgedreht wurde, vorne links)
gehen ziemlich hinten an den Steckverbindungen nach hinten mitte unten zwei
Kabel weg, CN1 und CN2 (weiss und Rot/Orange/Rostbraun). Die beiden Kabel sind
im Bild zusätzlich mit einem gelben beschrifteten Klebeband gekennzeichnet.
- Das eine führt direkt zur Antennenumschaltplatine, wo auch die PL- Buchse
angelötet ist. Auftrennen, Verlängern und auf 2 der Cinchs legen. Das zweite
führt direkt zur Final-Unit (unter der Filterplatine). Auftrennen und auf die
Cinchs führen.
- sind die Buchsen hinten RICHTIG beschriftet? und RICHTIG verbunden? Besser
mehrfach prüfen, das Teil ist teuer! Ist die Beschriftung eindeutig?
- Zusammenbauen. Dabei ALLE Steckverbinder wieder stecken. Mögliche
Fallstricke sind vielleicht:
- Verbindung Final-Unit-out -> Filter-Unit-in ? (muss gelöst
werden, um die Filterunit auszubauen).
- PL-Buchse wieder angelötet ?
- Lautsprecher wieder angesteckt ?
- Hinten brücken und als KW-TRX testen. Preselektor anstöpseln, testen.
Transverter anstöpseln, testen.
- !!!!! OHNE GEWAEHR !!!!!
Das Schöne ist nun, daß man problemlos einen Preselektor dazwischenschalten
kann. Ebeneso problemlos geht das mit Transverter- Betrieb, ohne Angst um
Transverter und TRX haben zu müssen, falls mal die 12V Steuerspannung vom
Transverter ausfällt. (Lt. Aussagen eines Fachhändlers nimmt dabei nicht nur der
Transverter sonder auch der TS-850 gewaltig Schaden.).
Und: Die Signale
nach Außen unterscheiden sich von der Original-Kenwood- Schaltung
(->Transverterbetrieb) nur dadurch, dass jeweils ein Relais weniger in der
Kette liegt.
Signal |
orignial |
modifiziert |
Vorteil |
Nachteil |
10m-RX |
direkt zur Antennenbuchse |
wird nach Antennen- buchse und RX/TX- Relais
zugeführt. |
Preselektor- Betrieb möglich. |
Ueberspannungs- diode wird umgangen. (Gewitter im
Transverter? Dann ist eh' alles zu spät!) |
10m-DRV |
wird vor CN1 mittels Relais auf CN25 geschaltet und
von dort mittels im Gerät umzusteckender Brücke auf die
IF-Out-Buchse gelegt, die dann nicht mehr für ZF-Oszi geeignet
ist. |
wird ohne Relais nach CN1 direkt aufgetrennt. |
1. Man muss nicht mehr mit 12 V schalten.
2.
Wenn die DRV-Leitung aufgetrennt ist, sendet die Endstufe auch
nicht. |
Löcher in der hinteren Abdeckung und ein
"verbasteltes"
Gerät. | |
Rückbau:
(für Verkauf, falls gewüscht):
Löcher:Kenwood-Aufkleber.
Durchtrennte
Leitungen: Ersetzen durch originale Leitungen (gibts bestimmt für
Geld bei Kenwood).
73 de Werner Maier, DL4NER email: [email protected] Viel Spaß mit Preselektor oder
Transwerter.
Zugriffe Seit 9/97:

22-04-2000 TS-850S Distorted TX w/TNC
connected
Author: Kenwood
Communication, inc.
Service Bulletin no. 1000 (10 October 1992)
We have received several reports of distorted transmitter audio when using a
TNC controller such as the AEA PK-232 or Kantronic KAM, etc. The symptom will
generally disappear if the transceiver and TNC units are powered from different
sources.
Cause:
The audio output level form the TNC is generally too high
and causes overload of the microphone amplifier circuit. In previous models such
as the TS-440S the incoming TNC audio was inserted after the microphone
amplifier. With the TS-850S it is inserted before the microphone amplifier. Just
moving the insertion point to the output of the circuit is satisfactory since
the drive level for FM packet is higher then that required for SSB.
Procedure:
- Add a 10 dB attenuator to the PKD line on the IF unit (X48-3080-XX). This
will prevent overmodulation of the microphone input circuit.
- Change chip resistor R258 from 2.2 Kohm to 1 Kohm (RK73FB2A102J)
- Change chip resistor R260 from 220 to 330 ohms
(RK73FB2A331J).
- Add the following note to page 29 of the Instruction manual.
- When adjusting for proper ALC levels with an AFSK RTTY terminal or Packet
TNC terminal you should adjust VR-18 on the IF Unit for a reading similar to
the one shown in the accompanying diagram.
Note: The transceiver
and RTTY or TNC terminal should use separate power supplies, in order to
prevent RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Caution: This
modification requires soldering equipment rated for CMOS type circuits. It also
requires familiarity with surface mount soldering techniques. If you do not have
the proper equipment or knowledge do not attempt this modification yourself.
Seek qualified assistance.
Time required for this modification is ½ hour or less.

22-04-2000 TS-850S Low/no Receive
sensitivity
Author: Kenwood
Communication, inc.
Service Bulletin no. 1006 (22 January 1993)
Symptom:
Reports of low or no receive sensitivity accompanied by a
lack of audio from the speaker during CW or SSB modes might be caused by
improper RXB voltage levels. Normal RXB voltage is +8 Vdc during receive and 0
Vdc during transmit. If you find approximately + 2 Vdc during receive you might
suspect a problem with a leaking diode, D31 on the RF unit (X44-3120-00).
Cause:
D31 is used as the transmit switching diode. Leakage of this
diode id most probably caused by electrostatic surge or discharges from the
antenna.
Parts required:
D31, MI204
Procedure: A temporary cure for units that have already been
manufactured is to replace D31 with an MI204 diode. Future production radios
will change D31 to an LFB01 diode and incorporate a change in the printed
circuit foil pattern to allow addition of a series diode. D103 (LFB01).
Caution: This modification requires soldering equipment rated for
CMOS type circuits. It also requires familiarity with surface mount soldering
techniques. If you do not have the proper equipment or knowledge do not
attempt this modification yourself. Seek qualified assistance.
Time required for this modification is 15 minutes or less.

23-04-2000 TS-850S No audio from
VS-2
Author: Kenwood
Communication, inc.
Service Bulletin no. 1034 (6 December 1993)
Symptom:
Several have reported a problem with the Voice Synthesizer
Unit VS-2 not voicing the frequency reliably when the Voice button is depressed.
This symptom is caused by a drop in the 5C voltage from 5 Vdc to approximately
4.5 Vdc when the VS-2 is connected. The following change will correct this
symptom.
Parts required:
Qty Description Old part No. New Part No Circuit desc.
1 47 µH Chip coil L40-221-48 L40-4701-48 L501
Procedure:
Change L501 from 220 µH to 47 µH on the RF unit
(X44-3120-00 C/4).
Caution: This modification requires soldering equipment rated for
CMOS type circuits. It also requires familiarity with surface mount soldering
techniques. If you do not have the proper equipment or knowledge do not attempt
this modification yourself. Seek qualified assistance from your closest Kenwood
Service Center (Long Beach, CA, or Virginia Beach, VA).
Time required for this modification is 30 minutes or less.

23-04-2000 TS-850S Mixer FET
change
Author: Kenwood
Communication, inc.
Service Bulletin no. 1046 (28 March 1994)
Symptom:
Several units were discovered during production by our QC
department that experienced difficult when the transceiver was being adjusted
for an S-1 reading on the S-meter.
Countermeasure:
Variations in the gain of the devices used for Q16
and Q17, the second mixers, on the RF unit (X44-3120-00) appear to cause of this
symptom. We, therefore, recommend replacing these two transistors with
2SK520(K43) devices. These devices have lower IDSS (Drain breakdown current),
and therefore provide a greater conversion gain. As a result the total gain of
the circuit is increased.
Parts required:
Qty Description Old part No. New Part No Circuit Description
2 Second Mixer FET 2SK520(K44) 2SK529(K43) Q16, Q17
Time required for this modification is 60 minutes or less.

23-04-2000 TS-850S "Click noise" with NOTCH
ON
Author: Kenwood
Communication, inc.
Service Bulletin no. 1049 (28 March 1994)
Symptom:
When a strong signal of S-9 or greater is received at the
antenna terminal with the NOTCH circuit ON a "clicking" noise might be noticed.
This is caused by excessive response in the AGC loop circuit.
Countermeasure:
The changes detailed below will add additional
delay to the AGC circuit and reduce or eliminate this tendency.
Parts required:
Qty Description Old part No. New Part No. Circuit Description
1 22 Kohm chip resistor RK73FB2A103J RK73FB2A223J R289
1 0.47 µF capacitor NA CQ92M1H474K NA
Caution: This modification requires soldering equipment rated for
CMOS type circuits. It also requires familiarity with surface mount soldering
techniques. If you do not have the proper equipment or knowledge do not attempt
this modification yourself. Seek qualified assistance from your closest Kenwood
Service Center (Long Beach, CA, or Virginia Beach, VA).
Time required for this modification is 60 minutes or less.
