Kenwood TS-590S

Some Resources . . . . . . . . Updated 27 May 2012

*** RECENT CHANGES MARKED WITH *** IN RED

 


REVIEWS

TS-590S RadCom Review ~~~ An excellent review of the radio by Peter Hart, G3SJX

TS-590S QST Review ~~~ by H. Ward Silver, N0AX

TS-590S Accessibility Review ~~~ by Kelvin Marsh, M0AID. A review of the optional VGS-1 (Voice Guide and Storage Unit) and how it helps visually impaired users

eHam reviews ~~~ User reviews

 


KENWOOD DOCUMENTATION

TS-590S Instruction Manual ~~~ The user manual that comes with the radio. Version 03. (The version number is shown at the bottom of the cover page of the manual. Look for a string of two-digit numbers, like "09 08 07 06 05 04 03" -- the last two-digit number in the sequence is the version number)

TS-590S PC Control Command Reference

TS-590S Network Command System Setting Manual

TS-590S USB Audio Setting Manual

TS-590S Service Manual

TS-590S In-Depth Manual

 


KENWOOD SOFTWARE

TS-590S Software ~~~ The Kenwood site

Firmware upgrade ~~~ The current firmware release is version 1.06. (To discover the presently installed version, turn the radio off, hold in the "M.IN" key, then turn the radio on again -- the version number will appear on the display)

 


TECHNOTES -- how it works

TS-590 measurements: ALC Overshoot, PAR, MDS and IP3 ~~~ by Ulf Schneider, DK5TX. Detailed observations on power spikes and ALC overshoot, and what not to do in the Service Menu

Improving the Intelligibilty of SSB Transmissions ~~~ by Martin Ehrenfried, G8JNJ. Basic information on speech tailoring. Useful background for setting up TS-590S user-defined equalizer profiles

TS-590S TechNote: SSB Audio Handling ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Summarizes the many features built into the Kenwood TS-590S for handling SSB audio. Includes full details for setting the audio equalizers and cut-off filters, together with configuring TX keying (by VOX, PTT and external CAT commands). Also dispels some of the myths and misunderstandings arising from Kenwood’s inappropriate use of the word "DATA" in its documentation

 


HOWTOs -- which buttons to press

HOWTO set up the Kenwood TS-590S for Digital Data and Digital Voice Operation ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Version 1.7 (23 March 2012). Updated with new link for QuickMix (the old link is no longer available)

HOWTO connect the Kenwood TS-590S to the SDR-IQ Software Defined Receiver ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Full hardware details of the cabling between the two units, including the use of an Elad antenna changeover switchbox. Plus full information on how to configure the HB9DRV SDR-Radio software

HOWTO monitor TS-590S CAT commands ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Step-by-step instructions on configuring and using the HHD Serial Monitor utility, with supporting information on PuTTY, USBDeview and Portmon. Useful for monitoring and debugging CAT commands and responses. (Although written specifically for the TS-590S, the methodology will work with any radio that uses CAT commands)

Ham Radio Deluxe setup for TS-590 ~~~ by Dave E Kirk, W6MQI

TS-590 Setup for Ham Radio Deluxe and CW Operation ~~~ by Rob A Pohorence, Sr, N8RT

TS-590S XML ~~~ The TS-590S RigCAT file for fldigi from Dave H Freese, Jr, W1HKJ

N1MM Logger Setup ~~~ by John J Eigenbrode, K4SKB, and John K Bednar, K3CT. Select file "KenwoodTS-590SCodec.pdf" for step-by-step instructions on setting up the N1MM Logger to communicate with the TS-590S using a native USB connection (rather than a USB-to-serial adapter)

HOWTO configure the TS-590S for Digital Voice Keying (DVK) ~~~ by Rin Fukuda, JG1VGX. Get ready for serious contesting!

KG9OM HOWTOs ~~~ by Don Snodgrass, KG9OM. A useful collection of HOWTOs, including:

*** TS-590S HOWTO: Digital QuickStart ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Version 1.2. Major upgrade. Guidance on getting started with several well-known digital packages

TS-590S HOWTO: Remote Operation ~~~ by Ian Wade, G3NRW. Full details on setting up the TS-590S for remote operation over the internet. Uses Skype and TeamViewer. Includes the capability to send monitored sidetone audio along the same path as the RX audio. This means that from the comfort of your local PC you can listen to the radio’s TX Monitor, letting you check and adjust the quality of the TX audio in (more or less) real time -- no more guessing how your signal might sound thousands of miles away!

 


MEMSET590...Use a spreadsheet to manage TS-590S memories

MemSet590 is a program written by Ian Wade, G3NRW, to manage memory settings in the Kenwood TS-590S transceiver. MemSet590 is a .XLS program that runs under Microsoft Excel.

With MemSet590 you set up an Excel spreadsheet containing the settings for all the 110 memories in the radio, then click on the Upload button to transfer these settings to the radio. In the opposite direction you click on the Download button to transfer all the radio's memory settings to the spreadsheet. This can save a large amount of time, and is certainly much quicker than setting up the memories from the radio's front panel.

Working with the spreadsheet is very simple. No knowledge of Excel is required -- you simply fill in the boxes. Most of the settings such as Mode, FM Deviation, Tone Frequencies and so on are set up through dropdown lists, so very little typing is necessary. There is comprehensive error checking to make sure you don't attempt to upload invalid data to the radio. Also, you can print out the spreadsheet on a couple of sheets of paper, to give you a hardcopy record of all the settings.

UPDATED WITH THE NEW U.S. 60m CHANNELS

MemSet590 now contains memory settings for the new U.S. 60m channels, following ARRL's Recommended Practices for 60m.

When using these channels for narrow-band digital transmission, be sure to set the modulating audio center frequency to 1.5kHz. This will ensure that the transmitted signal is in the center of the channel, as required by Part97.

MemSet590 documentation

MemSet590 program ~~~ First create a MemSet590 folder (for example, C:\MemSet590), then download the program into it

 


OTHER TOOLS

Changing the COM port ~~~ How to change a COM port number (applies to USB and serial ports)

Serial Port Monitor ~~~ Intercept, display and analyze all data exchanged over a COM port connection. Very useful for debugging CAT commands

USBDeview ~~~ A small utility that lists details of all USB devices on your computer

PuTTY ~~~ A serial port (and SSH/telnet) client. Very useful debugging tool for sending/receiving CAT commands to/from the radio

PortMon ~~~ The port monitor tool from SysInternals

QuickMix ~~~ Save audio input/output levels

Date of manufacture ~~~ How to decode your radio's serial number

 


MISCELLANEOUS

TS-590S Yahoo Group ~~~ The place to discuss all aspects of the Kenwood TS-590S, together with related files, links, photos etc.

*** Another TS-590S Yahoo Group ~~~ Another place to discuss all aspects of the Kenwood TS-590S, together with related files, links, photos etc.

Running the TS-590S with the SDR-IQ ~~~ YouTube video

 


Email Ian Wade (G3NRW)

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[Copyright © 2011, 2012 Ian Wade, G3NRW. All Rights Reserved. This page last modified: 27 May 2012]