Kenwood TS2000 vs TS590S
An operational comparison of the Kenwood TS-2000 and TS-590S HF transceivers, highlighting user experience and technical differences.
Description
The Kenwood TS-2000, often dubbed a "Swiss Knife" transceiver, integrates HF, VHF, and UHF capabilities, but its operational compromises, such as a noisy cooling system and a cluttered user interface, led to user dissatisfaction. The author noted the TS-2000's cooling fans frequently operated at two loud speeds, making extended listening unpleasant, and observed a cluttered internal layout hindering airflow.
Conversely, the Kenwood TS-590S, a dedicated HF transceiver covering 160m through 6m, offers a significantly quieter operation due to two variable-speed cooling fans and a more spacious internal component layout. Its front LCD display features larger characters and improved backlighting, enhancing readability. The TS-590S also boasts an 18-band audio equalizer, eliminating the need for external audio processing equipment like the W2IHY EQplus, and a built-in USB port for seamless CAT control and digital mode operation, a notable upgrade from the TS-2000's legacy serial ports.
Performance-wise, the TS-590S demonstrated a perceived +6 dB signal increase on the S-meter compared to the TS-2000, and superior reception of weak, near-noise-level signals. Its comprehensive filtering, including effective bandpass and notch filters, along with improved noise blanker (NB) and noise reduction (NR) capabilities, allows for better signal isolation and interference mitigation, even outperforming an external MFJ-1025 noise suppressor in some reported cases.