Values are estimates from recent comparable sales — condition, accessories, and included extras vary. Always compare before buying.
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Median sold price per month, trailing 1 months. Roughly flat over the period.
Based on classifieds listings marked SOLD — asking prices sellers marked as sold, not confirmed sale prices. Refreshed daily from our deal-scan comp checks.
| Date sold | Item | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sold records for this model are still being compiled — the fair-value estimate above is based on 4 recent sales. | |||
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The TS-480HX is Kenwood's 200-watt answer to the mobile/base HF question. It takes the well-known TS-480SAT -- a compact HF/6m all-mode rig with a detachable control head -- and replaces the built-in antenna tuner with a twin-final PA section that delivers a full 200 watts on HF (100 watts on 6 meters). It runs all the usual modes (SSB, CW, FM, AM, FSK/RTTY), covers the amateur bands 160 through 6 meters plus 60m, and the head detaches so the radio body can live under a desk, in a trunk, or in a remote spot while you operate from the panel. Why hunters care about it: there's no substitute for the extra 3 dB. That second hundred watts routinely shows up as "heard vs. not heard" in a pileup, and a detachable-head 200W mobile/base rig was -- and still is -- rare company. The receiver punches above its weight too: a quad-mixer front end with dynamic range Kenwood rated at the TS-950 class, plus solid AF DSP noise reduction and optional mechanical IF filters. In good condition it's a workhorse DX radio that also shines mobile. What to watch for buying used: it has NO built-in tuner (the SAT does; the HX trades it for power), so factor in an external 200W-capable tuner. It needs real power supply -- two DC leads, either two 20.5A supplies or one 41A+ supply, and the manual warns the two leads' voltages must stay within 1V of each other. Owners consistently complain about fan noise when the body is in the room with them, and the rig runs noticeably warm even on receive. Check that full output makes ~200W on HF before buying. The radio has been out of production for years, so every unit is now several years old -- ask about hours of service and whether the fan speeds still behave.
Either works. The radio has two DC input jacks (DC1/DC2), one for each half of its twin 100W final section, and Kenwood's manual specifies two 13.8V/20.5A supplies OR a single 13.8V/41A supply. Crucially, you must connect BOTH supplied DC cables even when using one 41A supply -- it's not an either/or plug. If you use two supplies, their output voltages at the radio must be within 1.0V DC of each other, and Kenwood warns against mixing cable lengths/gauges.
No -- that's the one big trade against its sibling. The 100W TS-480SAT has a built-in auto tuner; the HX drops it to make room for the 200W final section. To use an end-fed, doublet, or any non-resonant antenna at full power you'll need an external tuner rated for 200W. If a resonant antenna or a bare resonant multibander is all you'll ever feed, you may never miss it.
This one shows up on the TS-480 owners' group more than once. One owner traced intermittent/no output to a blown inline fuse (F4 on the board, a surface-mount part); another reported on two different HX units that snugging the PA module screws restored normal output. Beyond that, the standard checks apply: confirm both DC cables are live, adequate supply current, and that you're not keying with the tuner socket disabled. If it's a board-level repair, several owners recommend a professional shop familiar with the TS-480 rather than a first-time DIY job.
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