If I remember models right, I assume you got the 200 watt 480 without 
the tuner?  One advantage to an internal automatic tuner is it just 
tunes itself.  Peaking the noise really doesn't do it.  Gets you close, 
but as you found out, close can blow finals.  You really need either an 
auto tuner or some kind of tuning aid.  BTW, I have ordered one of the 
vectronix bridges and it is on back order.  Hoping I get it soon.
73
Butch
WA0VJR
Node 3148
Wallace, ks.


On Tue, 
14 Aug 2012, Ron Miller wrote:

> Harry,
> There are still tuning aids "out there." We've discussed a couple on this
> list in just the last two months. There are a couple of "noise bridge" type
> units which will let you correctly use your tuner to set a 50 ohm match for
> the transmitter.
>
> Danny Dyer pointed us towards a Ten-Tec Noise Bridge kit which costs $19:
> http://radio.tentec.com/kits/Accessory
>
> bob, K8LXR told us about the Vectronics Tuning Aid:
> http://www.vectronics.com/Product.php?productid=3DVEC-512
>
> That's two possibilities for blind hams to use so that they can accurately
> set their antenna tuners.
>
> 73
>
>
>
> Ron Miller
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Harry Brown
> Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 9:44 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: what next? my rig is gone!
>
> Hi John,
> Man, do I appreciate your email!
> Well, I'll give yall more info!
> Well, yeah, I know, it's a 30 year old rig, I had one in 1981.
> As for the other radio, well, it's a kenwood 480HX, with the vgs1 speech =
> board installed.
> And folks, Ken, at ham radio outlet Delaware is an absolute gem!
> He put the board in for me!
> Anyway, the 120 was on it's 3rd owner.
> Well, as far as swr, there's no way of knowing that. All I can do is, =
> listen for loudest noise, I mean, what other choices do you have? Tuning =
> aids are nonexistent today. Remember the good old tuning aids made by =
> handihams? They don't exist any more, the guy that use to make them, =
> doesn't make those any more. So, quite frankly, for a blind person, all = I
> can do is, listen for loudest noise on receive, and that's what I do, =
> using the mfj 949E antenna tuner.
> The last thing I want to do, folks, is, hook up another rig, hook up the =
> snake antenna, which does get out, by the way, on 2 bands, and blow up =
> another rig.
> The last thing I want to have to do is pay back a loan, on 2 blown up =
> radios.
> It's gonna be December, till I can send this 120 back to Kenwood.
> I've been through alot of hell with trying to get on hf. Can't do =
> contesting on echo link, I can't use the handiham remote base, because I =
> don't even know if it's gonna work with my computer, and I'm not gonna = pay
> a membership fee to find out that it doesn't work.
> So, what would you all do? Would you hook up another radio and take =
> another chance, knowing that that one could blow up too?
> Tell ya what though, I'm not gonna use the snake antenna any more, I'm =
> scared to try using that antenna again, because who knows, maybe that =
> antenna was the problem. I do have the 1 to 1 balun, and a bunch of = copper
> wire that I can use with that balun, and I can use part of it as = a
> counterpoise.
> So, there ya have it.
> Who knows.
> Trippy, who just wants to enjoy his hobby and be on hf, like all of you =
> are, because it's killing me inside to hear the great time that = everybody
> is having, working it, and I was having a good time, myself, = till tonight.
>  ----- Original Message -----=20
>  From: John Miller=20
>  To: [log in to unmask]
>  Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 9:19 PM
>  Subject: Re: what next? my rig is gone!
>
>
>  You have to remember, the TS-120 is better than 30 years discontinued =
> and as=20
>  I recall was one of the first with solid state finals. As such, it =
> really=20
>  didn't take much to cook the finals. I bought one with just that =
> problem,=20
>  the guy I bought it from at the time  had 4 of them that way. I am not =
>
>  saying that's the case with you, but I will say you're likely alright = to
> run=20
>  the other radio. You have no idea what that TS-120 has been through, =
> where=20
>  it's been, if you had a perfect SWR, see that radio didn't reduce = power
> for=20
>  a mismatch like newer radios did so if you had anything over 1.5, = tuning
> by=20
>  sound you likely did have over that, those finals don't take it very =
> long=20
>  and the radio doesn't cut back. Newer radios cut back power so you can =
> get=20
>  away with that for a little while, not forever, but for a while. I'm =
> not=20
>  saying that's what happened to your radio but that was a common thing =
> on=20
>  those so I'm guessing it's over 30 years old so anything could have=20
>  happened, literally anything.
>  ----- Original Message -----=20
>  From: "Harry Brown" <[log in to unmask]>
>  To: <[log in to unmask]>
>  Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 9:04 PM
>  Subject: what next? my rig is gone!
>
>
>  > Hi all,
>  > Well folks, how do I begin this?
>  > As you all know, I bought a used kenwood 120, and it was working =3D
>  > absolutely great!
>  > I was using the snake antenna, and it was great on 20, and 15 = meters!
>  > So, after dinner, I said, "well Trippy, fire that rig up and have a =
> nice =3D
>  > after dinner QSO!"
>  > So, I fired it up, and responded to a station in hungry, who copied = me
> =3D
>  > just fine.
>  > Then, here's where all heck broke loose.
>  > I then, went up to the phone band, and, I responded to a cq there, a =
> km4 =3D
>  > station, and the moment I keyed up the microphone, I heard a poof = kind
> =3D
>  > of noise, and the rig shut off. So, I shut off the power supply.
>  > Then, I thought, "well, let's turn it back on and see what happens."
>  > So, I turned the power supply back on, no problem with that, and = then,
> I =3D
>  > turned the rig on, and it receives fine.
>  > However, to the left of those 3 knobs on the top of the rig, there = is
> a =3D
>  > grading kind of thing, just like a speaker feels, and it smells a = bit
> =3D
>  > like burn smell.
>  > So, I tryed to go back to 2 cqs on 20 cw, and they were loud, and =
> nobody =3D
>  > heard me.
>  > Folks, I don't know what to do from here.
>  > The hams in this town are clickish, and don't talk to me, or want to =
> =3D
>  > have anything to do with me, as I told Bob, k8lr, on the phone, = weeks
> =3D
>  > ago, when we talked about my antenna situation.
>  > Now I have another rig and power supply, but folks I am scared to =
> death =3D
>  > to hook it up.
>  > The last thing I need, is to lose another rig!
>  > Anyone have an idea what I could be dealing with?
>  > All I know is, my audio was so good before tonight, and now it's =3D
>  > horrible, absolutely aweful.
>  > I just wonder if I blew something!
>  > It's just so depressing!
>  > Everytime I try to get on hf, it's like, it's not ment to be.
>  > I'm at a complete loss, just totally lost, right now!
>  > I've never had this problem in 35 years of hamming. Never blew =
> anything =3D
>  > up on any rig, at all.
>  > take care,
>  > 73,
>  > Trippy, who just wants to have my hobby back and enjoy it, and I = mean,
> =3D
>  > really enjoy it
>
>
> -----
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>
>