How to Setup your Ham Radio Transceiver for Optimal Performance (ft. Kenwood TS-590SG & FT-818ND) 

You're most welcome :) There are so many features on transceivers in this day and age that the manual doesn't adequately explain, we try our best to put them in plain english for our viewers :) Thanks for the lovely comment, best 73 Jarrad VK3BL :)

Dear Danny, thanks very much for the fine words! 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)

Dear Travis, you're most welcome :) 73 Jarrad VK3BL :)

Its amazing the difference it makes to old rigs isn’t it? I learn’t the technique DXing on my old FT-101E whist chasing my first 100 barefoot and with a vertical! 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)

Good idea! I seem to have a hum in my TX!

I would love to however they are not being sold in VK believe it or not. I kind of want one as 'the last great superhet' however they are quite pricey AND with IF DSP they are not all analogue anyway. In a lot of ways the FT-818ND is the most recent 'last all analogue' radio! 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)

Icom IC-718 also all analogue Radio can buy new

There are a few left but I think the FT-818ND is the latest one in terms of a "new release" even though it was little more than a spec bump due to component obsolescence in the FT-817ND design. 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)

@@RateMyRadio Ya, I saw your 817/818 comparison, very good. Was leaning that way or the other but neither of those made it to Indonesia. So peculiar who gets to have what.

Good question :). Slow/Fast changes how quickly the AGC ‘recovers’ or sets RF Gain back to normal after a strong peak. Slow or Medium is best for phone (AM or SSB) work. Fast may be useful for other modes; try and see what works for you rig :). 73, Jarrad VK3BL

@@RateMyRadio I think he was asking what did you have the AGC set to. Slow or fast?

No its the sensitivity of the receiver. But using it helps reduce noise. Thus helping the signal to noise ratio. Everyone talks about signals. Which is fine but what matters is S/N ratio. If a signal is strong but the noise is too and you can't understand them then S units are pointless! I run with my Attenuator on all the time. I could do the same with the RF Gain but I think mine is 10dB which puts my noise floor about 1/2 to 1 S unit. By just a push of a button. Plus I have some local noise that sometimes is horrendous and follows incoming signals depending on signal strength. Sort of like Intermod. So reducing receive sensitivity helps tremendously! Most HF receivers are very sensitive. Atmospheric and man made noise can easily over load and over whelm an incoming signal. If the AGC kicks in while you are listening it can disrupt their audio. Normally its best to adjust the receiver sensitivity so the noise floor is low. Most receivers can get muddy or pull in so much noise its hard to understand stations with the RF Gain at maximum. Especially weak signals. Then adjust the volume to balance signal to noise. Plus Taylor the audio to suit your preference. WW5RM

@@WW5RM Thank you!

Indeed :). ALC should be adjusted for peaks within the safe range not always hitting the edge. 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)

Follow the same procedure as here if the S meter behaves the same, else set the rf gain so the S meter reads just above 0 on peaks. 73, Jarrad VK3BL :)