TS-520 Radio Basic Restoration - Part 1

[@hallieboy]

I got a TS-520 for free from a dumpster diving friend who literally found one in a garbage dumpster! Nothing frozen or visibly broken, but I set it aside for a few years because there was no power cord. You, sir, have inspired me to fix this thing! Just wish I would have seen this video sooner!

[@el.2050]

Un amigo encontró varios equipos de UHF......porqué yo no un Keenwood?😢

[@mikebracey8832]

Thanks for this series. I have a TS-520s ready to get on the bench.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Good timing! Good luck on getting your radios fixed up.

[@Texan747]

The many comments show how popular your videos are. The Kenwood TS-520 was such a popular rig. As a Novice I won a Kenwood TS-820S as a Novice ham at the first Dayton Hamvention I attended. Great rigs TS-520 or TS-820S! I still have my TS-820. It had 2001 final tubes which I was told was the Japanese equivalent to the 6146. I still have the 2001's in my TS-820S. Mine now needs new caps and work on the digital read out. Thanks for your outstanding videos! W5JCS.

[@Backtothefutureradios]

Great video! I have a 520 that I bought new in 1977. Recently, I recapped it and had to clean/ lube the VFO. You can remove the VFO without loosening the front panel. You have to loosen the Fixed board and remove the mounting bracket for it. Very tight but doable! Take Care and 73-Larry W4PJP

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Thanks for the tip! And I will comment on this in video2.

[@electronictreasure4191]

Oh I've wanted one of these for sooo long. I may go down this repair road. I get the most enjoyment from things that I save from the dump. I used the same lube on my Century 21

[@jviss07]

I have always been intrigued by amateur radio, particularly the gear. I'm retired now, an electrical engineer with tech skills. I found a Kenwood TS-520 on Facebook marketplace that I ended up paying $75 for, with the original manual and AC power cord. It's in much better shape than yours originally was: nothing is seized, nothing modified or broken on the outside, lights up, etc. Some cabinet screws are missing. Inside appear to me to be unmodified. A pair of GE 6146 power tubes. I know zero about amateur radio and this transceiver, so I figure refurbishing it is a good way to learn. Thank you for this series on this transceiver, it's a God send for me, and just luck that this is the transceiver I bought.

[@cwebs1000]

Hi Mike, this brings back memories. My first restore/rebuild was the TS 820. It had a ton of problems but the seller told me of all the problems and what he had done to repair it. I am no EE just a hobbyist. But I jumped in head first. Learned A LOT fixing it. Like you said lots of bad connection problems. Display only showed even numbers. I added an X lock to the VFO and ended up with ZERO drift! I also recapped it! Over 110 ecaps. Ill be watching your series with great interest. 73 and thanks again, Carl AB1ZI

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Holy Moley- 110 caps! I feel emaciated.

[@cwebs1000]

@@MIKROWAVE1 Don't feel bad, I'm not trying to out do you. You are the master. After recap it did sound better with less receiver noise. Us old men have more time on our hands. Don't we Mike. HI HI

[@W1RMD]

Watching this makes me want to get a Kenmore hybrid radidio. I've always loved using and listening to these Kenwoods on the air. It's like they have a sound of their own that is easily recognizable buy those who know. My first radio contact was on a 520 on 80 meter cw in a radio club 30 years ago this month. Thanks for showing!

[@vincei4252]

Speaking of buying stuff on Mouser or Digikey it's a never ending source of mirth and hilarity when I find parts on eBay that may be fake or salvaged from equipment that are listed at a price significantly higher than buying the actual new part from Mouser, Digikey, Arrow, RS or Newark, to name just a handful of suppliers. Never assume you're getting a good deal on eBay and never assume that because it's listed on eBay that the usual places don't carry the thing. Oh, and Mike, nice job with the renovation of the Kenwood! I still have a Lafayette HA-700 in my repair/renovation/restoration queue after your excellent renovation of same.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Amen! But sometimes you are just not motivated to do more than click the eBAY icon!

[@jcampbell2481]

You do nice repair work, and your video is easy to watch. I enjoyed it! I'm a Kenwood fan too. I use a TS-830S. Kenwood hybrids are just fun radios!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Its all about the clean layout and analog feel. No menus here!

[@Homer19521]

Always loved the white VFO window on the 520. Thanx for the video. 👍

[@MIKROWAVE1]

This is all new to me having never grown up with these "newer" radios.

[@Zayne_24]

I’m absolutely in love with this! Very nice looking radio man. I can’t wait to get my FCC Licenses.

[@jdschauss]

Hybrid transceivers rock. Great rig, Michael!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

The early solid state rigs are cool, but you did have to be careful. Those old 6146's can take some abuse.

[@jdschauss]

@@MIKROWAVE1 I have a TS-520S out in the shack. I may do some work and get it on the air soon, thanks to your always inspirational videos.

[@triradio]

I owned a TS520 40 years ago and just got one from ebay from a silent key estate. It has the original box, so I am hopefully it will be in a good state, but will definitely use some tips from your video to refurb it!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

These old sets are repairable and the build is quite good quality.

[@Brenda-jf2pe]

Got mine 2010, it was built in 1978, one of the last ones made. Did all the updates myself . Got the DG-5, and matching vfo for splits. Love this Radio. Got my Tech&General same day 12/19/19 because I studied in COVID prison. Mine is the 520s, it has provisions to operate on 12v dc John Boy Utah KJ7TBR🇺🇸😎🎙📡

[@MIKROWAVE1]

These first gen hybrids had something to prove in a world of US made radios. They are well designed, a bit tight, but very tinkerable and maintainable.

[@Brenda-jf2pe]

Scored a three tube 811 amp made in 2008 from my Elmer for 400 bucks! JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 🇺🇸😎🎙📡

My first HF rig, a second hand unit. Owned it from '84 to '93. Paid $550 CDN. Brings me some good memories! Very rugged rig. Though one day I blew it up because the rig was on an AC generator (Field Day) that lost its RPM regulation. The AC overshot to 150+ Volts! After fitting new caps and rectifiers, everything worked as before. Fiew! See you in Deerfield in the Spring. Thanks! 73. Bert, VE2ZAZ / VA2IW

[@MIKROWAVE1]

We are all looking forward to Deerfield -er I mean SPRING!

[@Kazuyuki_Iwakami_JK1NWD]

Thank you for picking this old radio up for restoration! And I also want to thank the former owner of this radio as it keeps very neat appearance than mine 😁 The 520 is my first radio back in 1977 (then the model was updated with S/V suffix, which was 520SE equivalent). I first come to know the right name of the power connector is "Jones" type. In Japan this connector (the cord) is sold much expensive than the 520 itself.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

It was mentioned that I overpaid for this radio on EBay, and it is true. But the radio was ultimately very repairable. Certainly you can pick these up in rough condition as-is at ham flea markets at much lower prices. But it may take more work to to bring an abused unit back.

[@johnwest7993]

I had a friend with a 520 many years ago who was something of an Elmer to me. He worked the world on SSB and CW, while tinkering with it on such a regular basis that I seldom saw the lid on it. (That VFO is a nightmare for the electro-mechanically inexperienced hobbyist.) But with all the mods he put into it over the years it slowly just got better and better. I have an old FT-101 that is my 'tinkering' rig, and I find myself doing the same sorts of things that he did, playing with homebrew filters and such. The NanoVNA and TinySA have made tinkering with the old semi-boat-anchor gear even more fun.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I think that you are on to something. These old Hybrids use pretty large and standard through hole parts.

[@johnwest7993]

@@MIKROWAVE1, exactly. They are inexpensive and powerful old rigs that performed fairly well originally, and can be tricked out for greater performance for essentially nothing, using conveniently sized through-hole components. And I have thousands of surplus components. The key is the affordable NnoVNA and TinySA. They open up the RF field to some serious hobbyist tinkering.

[@The_Jas_Singh]

Great video - thanks for sharing! PS - good job on the refurbishment!

[@Boffinsback]

Good video sir. I have a thing for base station / Home base radios. I used cb radio for a long time and got my m6 license. The thing i like about all ham radios especially the old sets is the build quality there is no comparison compared with cb sets. I don’t know much about valve sets. When you talk about switch cleaner and contact cleaner it’s so important it’s a shame these base stations have capacitors that can leak. I could easy collect radios. I think doing basic repairs and cleaning them up. I don’t like to see broken radios keep up the good content I supscribed

[@dalekrohse1871]

My old TS-530 is up in the closet on a shelf as an emergency backup. DeOxIt has been my friend with the bandswitches.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

As they age the switches and contacts seem to be the only real issue, till the caps start to go.

[@markphillips7942]

This has woken my love of the TS520S which I bought from a Canadian Amateur who was leaving Botswana where I was living at the time (1980/81). Had many great QSO's and pileups with the call A22ZM. Still have the radio and has been stored for many years. Have just ordered new HT caps and ready to clean up and test if all is working. Outer case could do with a re-spray as there are a few scratches that need a bit of TLC. Anyone in UK found a Kenwood colour match? Thanks for the video, most informative and looking forward to the next one. 73's. Mark G0MBZ

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Color matching - oh boy. Military surplus black crackle finish is easier!

[@williamrmeara2162]

First: Very cool that the receiver was tuned to the frequency of Al W1UX (even with the VFO seized up!) when you first fired it up: The Radio Gods Have Spoken (TRGHS). Recently I bought the VFO reduction drive from a TS-820S. Luckily it came with the complete VFO. Looks almost identical to the one in your rig (but the mounting is a bit different, and there is no block diagram on mine). Thanks for the very nice video Mike. 73 Bill N2CQR

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Yes I count that as providential!

[@SpinStar1956]

A few thoughts: First, I really love the Cinch-Jones plugs. I even used the 2-circuit ones for my mobile radios where I had permanent supply wire running from the power-source. To me they are really reliable and can be cleaned easily. The only caveat is you should never solder a solid single-conductor wire as the pins do float and will cause movement and eventual fracture. With MOLEX, I've had all manner of connection problems, fractures and even fires! On the fan, I would definitely keep the shaded-pole motor because they are so reliable and serviceable; unless it is too loud, however you can play tricks to slow them down a bit. Properly maintained they will outlast muffins unless you really go after the premium ones. On the Deoxit D5, I have moved to Deoxit F5 and F100 as it doesn't flush-out the pot's lubrication like D5 can. I also like D100 better than D5 but will use D5 when it is a low-budget application. The fader version keeps the nice feel. I am so amazed that (even given the time-period) that these companies use grease that turns into glue! Does Super-Lube stay perfect over a long time? I use an industrial version of an 'extreme-pressure-lube' that is somewhat viscous and does not congeal. Also the 'EPL' is very tacky, staying in place and will either retain or introduce a viscous-feel that is nice in some cases. Great to see the cast-metal front--nice! And I use the same technique for the knob and dial set-screws, if they even give me one-moment of stubborness. Many times, if you just gently touch the end of Allen-wrenches with a fine-grinder or stone, you can get rid of the rounded-off portion and get a greater 'purchase' on the set-screw facets; just deburr with sandpaper if having trouble ire-inserting. Another trick I used (as a last resort and only on knobs with brass-inserts!) is to heat the end of the Allen-wrench as this will many time allow you to break-loose a stuck one. Finally, if you are having problems with set-screws holding, you can either carefully grind or file a point on the contact-end of the set-screw; (also a slight flat-spot on the shaft helps) as this is especially useful if the knob is made of plastic and susceptible to fracture from over tightening. Great Job Mike! 73...

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Great comments! The grease is PTFE and best of all Super Lube® Multi-Purpose Synthetic Grease is Kosher Certified. That means you can put it on your hotdog or in a Space Laser.

[@frankartieta4887]

I will not say much anything about a TS-520 Except I own 3 What I like I like a lot That all I have to say

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I saw a chap with two Yaesu 101s, one in each hand, exiting the hamfester last year. Lots of this going on.

[@clytle374]

LOL, I bought a HP 333A distortion meter today which version of the 33x do i see on your bench. Going to clean it up and see how well it works. I thought I disliked removing and installing the VFO in the HW-101, that thing is much worse. I build a jig to power the VFO up on the bench and make sure it's good before it goes back in. I see crystal filters in there too, looks like I might have found another source for 101s CW filters. Have fun replacing those caps, looking forward to the video.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Dunno if it has the exact same IF - but maybe?

[@clytle374]

@@MIKROWAVE1 3395khz? Thought I could read that in the video, but was watching on my phone

[@seanfried5583]

So what ultimately was this issue causing the VFO to be seized up? I am getting ready to dig into one to a 520s that seems all good except the VFO won't turn. Thanks for making this video. I am sure you will save me some time, and some fretting over whether I am removing/loosening the right parts along the way.

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Very interesting video! I have a Kenwood TS-830S that I picked up from eBay for $380. It's in better physical condition than your 520 with almost no marks on it. The fan blades don't have any dust on them which either means it's a low-time radio or someone did a really good job of cleaning it up - I think the former as it's just spotless inside and out. I haven't powered it up yet because it is an "S" model made the US market, which means 117V 60Hz. I, however, live in Japan and will have to strap the transformer for 100V 50Hz but finding wiring diagrams and instructions for the Japanese version has been difficult. All switches work fine and I have a cap kit for the radio. Looking forward to seeing how you rebuilt yours. Are you sure you won't show us how to align these radios? I could sure use some instruction on that, too!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

If I do am alignment video - it is going to be very limited. Likely to only the external adjustments which have access holes (there are quite a few). Anything internal sends a bad message and could tempt severe misalignment.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍Thanks Mike.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Thanks for watching Steve.

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

This radio restoration video reminds me of Mr Carlson's lab radio restoration KZbin channel.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

He has a much better microphone!

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

@@MIKROWAVE1 Yes, its one one of those microphones with a vacuum tube preamp inside of it.🎤🎙

[@vincei4252]

First on the renovation

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Petty fast on the trigger!

[@ebones6957]

I wish someone would do a video on troubleshooting the DG-1 display (and how it works). All I can find is reference to bad soldering and corrosion on the Molex plugs. What if there is an actual component failure?

[@MIKROWAVE1]

The solid state adjunct boards and parts from the 70's do have a reputation for odd and rare circuits.

[@sparky62]

What size alignment tool is required for the transformer hex cores in the 520? tnx

[@MIKROWAVE1]

www.elexp.com/products/153h5nalignmnt-tool-dbl-hex-5-l-1

[@qrplife]

cut my teeth as a novice licensee on a TS-520 loaned to me by an elmer. I have fond memories of working the straight key on 40 meters on warm summer evenings.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I have a little CW video for the radio that I will drop.

[@warplanner8852]

A beautiful "white face" TS-520. Shame how these fall into disuse and "die". ..and it's called "thrift" not cheapness. You did nice job!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Did I infer that hams are cheap? Heavens!

[@wa6gxq]

Mike, can you give me the part number of the cinch connector? Thanks!!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

That Mouser picture in the video shows the original part number.

[@wa6gxq]

@@MIKROWAVE1 Thank You!

[@XPFTP]

hahah that super lube i had a tube of that 28 years ago .. lol from rad shack i think i got it hahhaha same color and tube lol

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I was waiting for a lube comment!

[@nickc327]

I have two of these radios and am looking to get one of them back in service. Cannot find a repair tech. Long Island area. Anyone know of a person I could get into contact with?

[@MIKROWAVE1]

My friend Jim might do one. [e-mail]

[@tizoc4u]

was this a used Japanese radio

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Well used! It took a while to bring her back to life.

[@benjaminmeadows1380]

Ah you cheated on taking apart usein drill I take some apart with regular screwdriver not fare got ts 520s vfo short out only in 1 spot if I shake vfo tryd to straight little I have a extra 1 but couldn't I just clean 1 in there any help is better than none

[@Capecodham]

If you paid $200 for that I would like to sell you an S-76 for $200, nothing seized, just noise for output.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Burt you are a real value man. I used "make an Offer" too.

[@Capecodham]

@@MIKROWAVE1 You offered him $200 for something worth $50 at best?

[@MIKROWAVE1]

@@Capecodham I do it all for you. These are the sacrifices I make for these videos.

[@carlosmarmeli2587]

Dias fait manda un dessespara min de presente