Strange coincidence on two TS-2000's mine and a friend 20 miles away
Both TS-2000's had an intermittent problem. THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!
The radio would work fine then all of a sudden, it would stop TX and RX.
Display worked fine, it continued to switch bands, frequencies and everything was still lit up.
You would shut off the radio and turn it back on and it would start working normal again.
Kept hearing a relay chatter every time this happened so took off the top cover where we heard the relay and the noise, there was a relay near the speaker. K201.
I even asked on several online forums for help.
SO there the radio sat, speaker removed with an external speaker hooked up just waiting for the radio to stop working.
Sure enough, it stopped, with the slightest of pressure, touched K201 and the radio started working again.
It did this multiple times over the next several days.
You could press the K201 relay back and forth and make the radio cut out just like it did on its own. Cold solder joint on the relay leg right?
There was A LOT TO DO to remove that board to get to the bottom of K201 and just re-solder the legs, so it took a few extra days to set aside time to do it. Finally a day with nothing to do and plenty of time.
Here is the fun part
The very first screw removed was for IC-202, which was to the left of where K201 was and mounted under the speaker. When this screw was removed, something was odd, ALL THREE LEGS barely had any solder on them and all three popped up off the board!
WOW!!!!! SO before removing anything else, CAREFULLY cleaned up IC-202 and the board, re-soldered the three legs and fired the radio up.
It worked perfect, I would press on the K201 relay and the radio would not stop working.
NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM!!!!!!
My friend immediately took his radio apart and IC-202 had a bad solder joint as well, he re-soldered his and IT WORKED!!
I never thought of posting my results because we were just happy the radio worked.
I received an email from KF7SN who asked if the problem was ever solved because he sent his radio to Kenwood with the same issue, I believe he stated 3 times and multiple $$$$$ with no joy in the repairs. I will let him tell his repair history. So I sent him an email with the picture and location of IC-202. I also spoke with him over the phone. Told him how easy the repair was and should only cost him time and a few drops of solder. He said after many failed repairs from Kenwood, he put the radio in storage and just wrote it off. He said it would be several weeks before he could get to the radio and try the repair but he would let me know.
Curiosity must have got the best of him, because a few hours later I got this email from Geary
"Thanks William, sure enough that Voltage Regulator was not soldered to the PCB at all. And I took it off and resoldered it to the board and brought the rig back up stair from the basement and it works fine. I took it very easy going down and up the stairs but I had to check out that IC #202. Thank you so very much, now I have a Radio, a TS-2000 back on the air and it did not cost me a thing. Unlike the last few times it was sent in for repairs."
I hope this simple repair will bring some failed TS-2000's back to the air!
73 everyone
Both TS-2000's had an intermittent problem. THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!
The radio would work fine then all of a sudden, it would stop TX and RX.
Display worked fine, it continued to switch bands, frequencies and everything was still lit up.
You would shut off the radio and turn it back on and it would start working normal again.
Kept hearing a relay chatter every time this happened so took off the top cover where we heard the relay and the noise, there was a relay near the speaker. K201.
I even asked on several online forums for help.
SO there the radio sat, speaker removed with an external speaker hooked up just waiting for the radio to stop working.
Sure enough, it stopped, with the slightest of pressure, touched K201 and the radio started working again.
It did this multiple times over the next several days.
You could press the K201 relay back and forth and make the radio cut out just like it did on its own. Cold solder joint on the relay leg right?
There was A LOT TO DO to remove that board to get to the bottom of K201 and just re-solder the legs, so it took a few extra days to set aside time to do it. Finally a day with nothing to do and plenty of time.
Here is the fun part
The very first screw removed was for IC-202, which was to the left of where K201 was and mounted under the speaker. When this screw was removed, something was odd, ALL THREE LEGS barely had any solder on them and all three popped up off the board!
WOW!!!!! SO before removing anything else, CAREFULLY cleaned up IC-202 and the board, re-soldered the three legs and fired the radio up.
It worked perfect, I would press on the K201 relay and the radio would not stop working.
NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM!!!!!!
My friend immediately took his radio apart and IC-202 had a bad solder joint as well, he re-soldered his and IT WORKED!!
I never thought of posting my results because we were just happy the radio worked.
I received an email from KF7SN who asked if the problem was ever solved because he sent his radio to Kenwood with the same issue, I believe he stated 3 times and multiple $$$$$ with no joy in the repairs. I will let him tell his repair history. So I sent him an email with the picture and location of IC-202. I also spoke with him over the phone. Told him how easy the repair was and should only cost him time and a few drops of solder. He said after many failed repairs from Kenwood, he put the radio in storage and just wrote it off. He said it would be several weeks before he could get to the radio and try the repair but he would let me know.
Curiosity must have got the best of him, because a few hours later I got this email from Geary
"Thanks William, sure enough that Voltage Regulator was not soldered to the PCB at all. And I took it off and resoldered it to the board and brought the rig back up stair from the basement and it works fine. I took it very easy going down and up the stairs but I had to check out that IC #202. Thank you so very much, now I have a Radio, a TS-2000 back on the air and it did not cost me a thing. Unlike the last few times it was sent in for repairs."
I hope this simple repair will bring some failed TS-2000's back to the air!
73 everyone