Benutzer-Werkzeuge

Webseiten-Werkzeuge


en:r-2000

Kenwood R-2000

Manufactured by Trio-Kenwood.

The Kenwood R-2000 was launched in 1983 and was in competition with the more expensive JRC NRD-515 and Icom's R-70, an excellent receiver suffering from not quite intuitive operation. In contrast to the two sets mentioned, the R-2000 has ten electronic VFOs / memory locations, but the tuning steps for SSB and especially ECSS reception are a bit too coarse at 50 Hz.

Kenwood R-2000

Technical data

Power supply

Dimensions

  • 375 x 115 x 210 mm, weight 5.5 kg

Accessories

Operation

The Kenwood R-2000 is a microprocessor-controlled triple conversion superhet with digital PLL frequency processing. With its dimensions of 37.5 x 11.5 x 21.0 cm and a weight of 5.5 kg it has approximately the dimensions of comparable tabletop receivers.

The R-2000 can be operated from mains 110 / 120 and 220 / 240 V or 13,8 V DC.

The front panel is divided into three parts: On the left are the main and timer switches, the jacks for headphones and tape line out and the loudspeaker.

At the right, above the large main tuning knob, are pushbuttons for the different tuning speeds and the electronic tuning lock, while the BAND keys below the tuning knob allow the receiver to move quickly up or down in 1 MHz steps.

In the centre of the front panel, you find the analogue S-meter, frequency memory and operation frequency display and, next to it, the NAROW / WIDE switch for the IF filters at the top. Below, on the far right, there is a row of pushbuttons to select the operation modes, the numbered keys for direct frequency entry are arranged in two rows (almost typical in Kenwood sets), below a row of keys for the scan functions and a rotary switch for the clock and timer functions.

In the bottom row are the rotary controls for volume (AF Gain) and tone control, the squelch, the three-stage attenuator (an RF Gain control is not provided), and small pushbuttons for AGC speed, noise limiter and dial illumination dimmer.

Technically, the unit is a triple conversion superhet: after the switchable attenuator, the signal has to pass through an octave filter and is mixed to the first high intermediate frequency of 45.9 MHz, then converted to the second IF of 9.9 MHz and, after a crystal filter, the third IF of 455 kHz. Here the selection is done by a selection of ceramic filters with unfortunately not outstanding skirt factors, then the signal is fed to the demodulator.

The receiver provides good sensitivity on the shortwave bands and is relatively free from mirror frequencies thanks to the high first IF. The wide AM filter is a bit too wide and is useful only only in undisturbed out-of-band signal, the AM narrow filter, which is also used for SSB reception, is usually the filter of choice for more challenging reception situations. The fact that the smallest tuning step is 50 Hz and that there is no receiver fine-tuning (as found on the NRD-515) is makes no problems AM reception. In single sideband reception, especially in ECSS mode when receiving only one sideband of an AM signal, the frequency offset can be up to 25 Hz which can become quite annoying with wrong pitch during music performances and somewhat strange sounding voices.

With the possibilities of direct frequency input, electronic memories keeping not only of the frequency but also the operating mode and the scan possibilities, the R-2000 was ahead of its time. The R-70 had only two frequency memories, the NRD-515 needed an expensive external frequency memory accessory, but did not store the operating mode.

Kenwood's R-2000 is a good shortwave receiver that performs well when somewhat stronger signals of international stations are tuned to and is capable of DX reception. Utility station amateurs will have problems coping with the somewhat coarse tuning steps and the shortwave cracks will miss the insufficient possibilities of signal post-processing by means of notch filter and passband tuning - the more expensive NRD-515 did indeed have perform better. If you can purchase a second hand R-2000 at an acceptable price and in good technical condition, the R-2000 is still a serious universal station receiver.

Technical principle

Triple conversion superhet, PLL frequency synthesis.

Equipment

The unit is solid state.

Technical documentation

Development

Additional information

en/r-2000.txt · Zuletzt geändert: 2022/11/25 20:45 von mb