Anybody know the value of a Kenwood TS-830s tranceiver?

My son was recently given some ham equipment, previously owned by the late grandpa of one of his friends. He’s interested in ham radio, but is leaving for college and isn’t interested in taking something this big with him.

Can anyone tell me the value of a Kenwood TS-830s with mic and antenna?
Where do people go to buy/sell/trade ham gear?
Anything better than craigslist?

Here’s a few photos in case they help answer the question: https://www.flickr.com/gp/136821430@N06/32z0j8

Thanks in advance for any info!

I would estimate between $500-$650 if in good condition and not from a ‘smoking home’. If the owner was a smoker the value decreases dramatically.

Most of the value is in the radio itself. The mike has some value (say $25-$50), but the antenna is not useable for that radio, it looks like a mobile antenna for a VHF/UHF band.

Ah, that’s a rugged ol’ tube-finals rig! This URL might be of use to you:

Sadly, its beauty might be lost on the modern amateur, used to solid-state finals.

(edit: a lot of ham gear is sold on ebay … but local sales might be better as someone can come to try it out. I’d caution that you should have another disinterested, but experienced, amateur operator around before letting someone operate the radio. The final amplifier tubes can take a lot of abuse, but they are not indestructible. Anyone testing out this rig needs to have a proper antenna or dummy load attached to the output.)

I think that might be a 10 meter whip, looking at the size of the loading coil.

I went ahead and posted it on craigslist so interested parties can look at it locally.

Based on @wanderson and @zmetzing’s comments, I pulled the antenna out of the photo for the ad. Thanks for the guidance!

If you know anyone who’d be interested, feel free to point them in my direction. We could be flexible on the price if someone wants it quickly… we’re moving and don’t want to move it.

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I have an 830, and it’s an awesome rig when in good condition. They’ve got great ears, and this is the rig that earned Kenwood the reputation for putting out great audio. It modulates melodiously.

I have extremely fond memories of this unit, because I bought it at the same time I built my first really effective antenna, a ladder fed 66’ doublet. With the combo, I started making my first real foray into DX contacts, and especially using digital modes like JT-65, I could really get out there. I got loads of compliments on my audio, using exactly the gear pictured above - an 830s, with the Kenwood mic.

Most of them are getting a little long in the tooth now, and need a good cleaning, but they are reliable and robust radios worth WAY more than their current market price.

@wanderson, @zmetzing, @tapper, and anyone else interested

I’m packing, loading, and scrambling to move, so I’m not giving this proper attention. And, I have neither a dummy load for someone testing the rig, nor the knowledge to make sure they’re doing it right. And, the above mentioned gear was only part of it (see inventory below).

I could move it and deal with it on the other end, but I have a better idea if anyone is interested in this proposal…

If anyone qualified wants to take delivery of it before I leave town, you’re welcome to sell it for whatever is appropriate, keep 50%, and paypal the remainder to me or my son.

Any takers?

Here’s a rough inventory…

  • The above mentioned/pictured Kenwood TS-830s, with mic.
  • The above mentioned/pictured antenna
  • A toolbox containing
    • Pryme RD-98 VHF/UFH dual band high gain antenna
    • icom ic-v82
    • icom ic-u82
    • 3 batteries
    • charger
    • flashlight
  • A file box containing a bunch of stuff… partial inventory is
    • Yaesu 2m radio
    • Realistic Patrolman PRO-2025 16 channel programmable scanner
    • A couple morse code keys - the side to side paddle type
    • A couple multimeters
    • Power supplies
    • Soldering station and irons
    • Operating manual for Yaesu FT-2800M
    • Operating manual for Yaesu FT-209R

Ashley,

I’ve communicated this to a friend who is looking for a reliable HF rig. If you pass your contact details to me in a PM, I’ll get you in touch with him.

@zmetzing, I’ll pm you my contact info.

The Kenwood TS-830s and mic were sold… for a crazy good price.

The rest of the equipment is now near SLC. I’m in the UK at the moment, so anything anybody wants would require a week or two lag until I get back to it.

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