Kenwood TS-480 manual Standalone control panel, Focus on basic performance, 200W challenge

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.

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