So, Steve, where do you find the s/n?
Albert, WA7FXB
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 10:35 PM
Subject: Re: Kenwood TS-590 ALC mod


> Dave,
>
> Again, anything I say should be confirmed.    My understanding is that
> units made after Jan 1 2014 had the mods done at the factory.  At least
> that's the story  going around.
>
> You can find production date from the s/n.   First character will be a
> "B".  Kenwood went to a new s/n system a few years ago and "A" would
> stand for the first decade of this century and "B" for the second
> decade.   No 590's were made prior to 2010, so all should start with a 
> "B".
>
> Second character is a number that indicates  year of production: 0 =
> 2010, 1 = 2011, etc., to 4 = 2014.
>
> Third character is month of production: 1 = January through 9 =
> September, A = October, B = November, and C = December.
>
> After that are some  zeros and last, some digits that indicate actual
> production that month.
>
> So it is the first 3 characters that tell  when it was made.   Mine
> starts with B14, which means made in April 2011.  makes sense since I
> bought it new in June 2011.
>
> Again, you should confirm all this junk and decide if you want to  go to
> the trouble of resolving a problem that may or may not be there, and may
> or may not apply to you.
>
> 73, Steve KW3A
>
> On 7/2/2014 10:00 PM, David Weigel wrote:
>> Hi, Steve:
>> Thanks for the information and commentary on the alc mod for the TS
>> 590.  I purchased my TS 590S on February 8th from H R O at the Orlando
>> Hamcation, and the transceiver was sent to me from the H R O Delaware
>> office, arriving at my home about February 15, 2014.  Without additional
>> information, I do not know if my TS590S was manufactured in the latter 
>> part
>> of 2013 or early 2014, just before my mid-February 2014 shipment.  How 
>> does
>> one come to know when the rig was manufactured?  Is there some 
>> informational
>> sticker or other telltale sign on the rig itself?  Or does one just need 
>> to
>> contact the vendor to learn of when the rig came to the vendor, taking 
>> into
>> account some time for transit from Japan? (or was it China or Indonesia?)
>> I am hoping that the special Kenwood TS 590 and VGS-1 sales campaign
>> from last November/December "exhausted" the supply of pre-alc mod TS 
>> 590s,
>> so that any TS 590s sold in February 2014 then had the factory alc
>> So, please let us know of the secret of identifying the date of
>> manufacture of the TS 590.  Thanks.    Dave Weigel (pronounced: why
>> gull)   KD4JEZ     Naples, Florida
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: For blind ham radio operators 
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Steve Forst
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 2:10 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Kenwood TS-590 ALC mod
>>
>> Not sure if anyone else on the list has had this done, but figured I
>> would share my experience.
>>
>> First, don't take anything I say as Gospel, confirm with another source.
>>
>> The 590 has had a known issue of ALC/power spike and Kenwood is now
>> offering a free mod to fix.   You need to send the radio to a Kenwood
>> service center at your expense, and Kenwood covers the mod and return
>> shipping.
>>
>> If this spike exists on a particular radio, it could cause a solid state
>> amp (or some high end tube amps) to trip their protection circuit.
>> Many solid state amp owners  have reported no problems and all works
>> well.   others, like me, found the amp tripped with only modest drive.
>>
>> in my case my THP 1.2kfx which  should put out 750 watts pep, with a
>> drive between 75-90 watts, would trip off with  much less.   On 10
>> meters I was limited to about 35 watts drive, 40 watts on 15, and 50 or
>> so on 20 meters.   Lower bands could handle 60 watts.    More drive and
>> the amp would trip.
>>
>> Sent mine  out in  June to the Virginia Beach service center and had it
>> back in 12 days.   Have had it back for a week and have run it with the
>> ss amp and no problems.    Played some in the Canada Day contest on both
>> 15 and 20 meters running 70 watts drive and no problems.   THP is out of
>> business now and this amp would be expensive to repair, so I will
>> probably limit drive to 65-70 watts and  hopefully the extra headroom
>> will give it a longer life. I'll treat it like a 550 - 600 watt amp
>> instead of 750.
>>
>> So I was happy with the result.   Your mileage may vary.  The mod
>> consists of some hardware changes and some changes in the alignment
>> procedure.   If your 590 was built starting in January 2014, the changes
>> were implemented at the factory.   Anything built from 2010 - 2013  can
>> get the mod if you desire.    Obviously most of these radios are long
>> out of warranty, but kenwood is  treating this as a warranty repair.
>> Mine was built in April 2011 and purchased in June 2011.
>>
>> Anyway, that's my long winded story.
>>
>> 73, Steve KW3A
>>
>>
>>
>