let's see:
the mike socket lets call it is secured to the front pannel in one of two 
methods.  Either the nut is on the front, or, the nut is on the inside or 
rear.
The socket will also more than likely be PCB mounted rather than chassis 
mounted with jumper wires to the PCB directly behind it.
I suspect wires from the back of the socket to the PCB went out 30 years ago 
on most radios.
If the nut is front mounted, or rear mounted, it wouldn't be too much 
trouble to tighten it up.
Easy enough to tell if it's front mounted by using a small flat bladed screw 
driver.  Put the end of the screw driver into the space between the socket 
housing and the plastic molding on the radio face, and move it around the 
socket to feel if there is a nut.
If there is a nut there, use a single screw driver, or a pair of them on 
each side and tighten it back up.
If the nut is on the backside, then you'll have to take the top and bottom 
covers off the radio, and remove the screws holding the face plate on.  Tilt 
the face plate forward, or remove it all together...there are probably a few 
ribbon cables connecting the front pannel to the rest of the radio...these 
will have ribbon connecters that are easy to disconnect...you may have to 
then unscrew the PCB that lives on the back of the front pannel...I don't 
recall now if the backside of the mike socket is accessible with the PCB 
intact, or if you would have to take it off.
Either way, you can certainly get at the back of the mike socket one way or 
another and tighten up the nut.
I know you posted about this before, but I want to make sure you are indeed 
dealing with a loose socket and not a loose mike cord connecter.
So when you take the mike cord plug out, does the entire socket move?  and, 
how much play is there?  allot or is it just enough to be able to jiggle it 
a bit with your fingers?
I'm not sure how a socket can come loose except maybe the nut wasn't 
tightened sufficiently from the factory...or perhaps you have the radio up 
on a shelf with the mike cord hanging down putting stress on the socket.
Of course, everything I've said here could be inaccurate if the mike socket 
is of a different design...perhaps using clips around the housing to hold it 
in place.
anyway, do some exploration and let us know what you find regarding weather 
you can feel the nut on the front.
These kenwoods are actually pretty easy to dismantle if you have to...as 
long as you remember where the screws go when you take them out, and keep 
them all safe in a bowl or something.
Usually a PCB will have screws holding it in place in a patern...as in 2 on 
each side, one in the middle or something similar...the screws aren't 
usually in some random pattern on the bigger PCB's.
Don't ever be afraid to open your radio up.  You can't do much damage if you 
are careful and consentrate on detail, orientation and understand that you 
are working with small, and sometimes delicate parts and pieces.
These radios are all design to be worked on, and so they do have a method to 
the madness inside that makes it possible for a tech to take it apart and 
work on it without too much difficulty.
Something as simple as tightening up a mike socket requires no desoldering 
or hours of intricate dismantling of boards and components.
To do the marscap mod to the TS2000 and other kenwood radios in that family, 
which include the 590 I suspect, requires a pretty basic mechanical skill 
level and attension to detail.
Obviously if your doing surface mount stuff it's harder, but this isn't 
surface mount in this case and it's merely a mechanical issue that requires 
a mechanical fix.

73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: Dealing with loose mic connector in TS590


> Tom,
>
> Your loose nut diagnosis sounds correct, and would be easy to fix provided
> you can get to the nut.  Unfortunately, I think it will be a bit more
> difficult than just removing the bottom cover.  Although I haven't looked
> inside the radio, I suspect that you'll have to detach the front panel 
> from
> the radio and remove a board that's mounted on the front panel.  Of 
> course,
> you'll never know until you try, and you might get lucky and not have to 
> do
> all that work.  I'd start by removing the top and bottom covers and make
> your decision based on what you find.  If you decide not to tackle the job
> yourself, I suggest that you seriously consider sending the radio in for
> repair even though the problem seems simple.  If you don't, that connector
> will eventually get loose enough to cause a wire to break, at which point
> you'll have to send the radio in for repair anyway.
>
> I find problems like this to be very frustrating.  I know how to tighten 
> the
> nut, and I even have the right tools for the job.  My fear is that in 
> these
> modern radios, a simple job like this will escalate into something much 
> more
> complicated just because there's so much stuff crammed into the radio, and
> it would be all too easy to break something else while trying to get at 
> the
> nut.
>
> Steve
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 22:13
> Subject: Dealing with loose mic connector in TS590
>
>
>> Hello, all.
>>
>> I remember bringing this up once before on the list, but I think the
>> problem
>> might be getting worse, so it may be time to do something.
>>
>> Specifically, the mic connector in my TS590 now seems to be  looser than
>> it
>> was when I initially acquired the rig.  The pins themselves do not seem 
>> to
>> be loose, but the connector simply seems to be loose inside the housing.
>> It's almost like the nut or whatever that holds the connector in place is
>> loose, and simply needs to be tightened.
>>
>> Has anyone looked at the mic connector to tell how it is fastened?  I
>> think
>> it should be fairly accessible if you take the bottom  cover off of the
>> rig,
>> but I certainly don't want to do this if things are more complicated.
>>
>> I suppose I could send the rig in to have this checked, but it seems like
>> an
>> awful lot of money to spend for what appears to be such a simple problem.
>>
>> The rig is almost 2 years old now, so it is well out of warranty.
>>
>> I'd be interested in any thoughts my fellow TS590 owners have.
>>
>> 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>>