Kenwood TS-690

This radio shows up in the repair-shop record more than on any spec sheet. That says something about who still owns one.

Overview

The documentation trail for the Kenwood TS-690 is inconsistent. The instruction manual groups it with the TS-450S as the "TS-450S / TS-690S" pair. The manual's cover page calls the TS-690S an "ALL MODE MULTI BANDER" - the 6-meter-equipped sibling in that lineup. The repair-shop listings log both "Kenwood TS-690S" and "Kenwood TS-690" as separate entries on the same page. They don't say whether the two designations are the same radio or regional variants. Both names circulate, and nobody has authoritatively resolved them as distinct.

The manual does confirm that the TS-690S shares its documentation with the TS-450S. The accessory list, the initial-setting procedure, the grounding notes and the rear-panel layout are all written for the two models together. That shared manual is the most substantial documentation that survives: 184 pages in the schematic-diagram edition alone, covering the TS-690S alongside the PS-33 and PS-53 power supplies. The enthusiast record has essentially no published specifications for this radio, so the manual is what keeps a rig serviceable.

The manual also documents a few operational quirks. Beat tones show up at 8.375 MHz, 18.863 MHz and, on the TS-690S specifically, 50.973 MHz. Kenwood's own note says these come from the internal frequency configuration and are not a fault. Owners who skip that page have been known to chase a nonexistent problem through the RF chain. The manual also says the TS-690S has an antenna changeover switch that must be set correctly before operation. The antenna impedance is 50 ohms, or 20-150 ohms when paired with the AT-450 antenna tuner. The external speaker jack expects an 8-ohm permanent-magnet speaker at least 4 inches in diameter. The optional SP-23 is the factory match.

Collectibility & Value

The TS-690's collectibility is defined less by demand than by the repair record. The Armavir repair-shop listing is a Russian service site that logs job tickets by model. It records four distinct faults across the two designations. For the TS-690S, the tuner does not work, logged under general service maintenance. For the TS-690, there is a delay when switching to transmit, no full power, and a faulty microphone.

That is a short list, and it's the only failure data that survives. The record has no current market prices, no original retail price and no production years, so any figure quoted for a TS-690 is the seller's opinion rather than a documented value. What does exist is documentation. The schematic-diagram manual for the TS-690S runs 184 pages and covers the PS-33 and PS-53 supplies, and additional manuals are listed as available.

For anyone considering one, check that the tuner works, check for full power output on transmit, check the microphone, and confirm the transmit/receive switching isn't sluggish. Those four checks map directly onto the documented fault list. Beyond that, there is no surviving review coverage. No period magazine measurements, no owner praise, no reception history - just a service record and a schematic. That is a thin paper trail for a Kenwood HF rig.