I don't have any particular interest in a computer operated radio. But,
I am not a top notch DXer or contester, either.
To my mind, the best compact radio format was that of the Argonaut
II/Delta II. It had most of the same capabilities as the Omni V, but
not the same level of performance. I managed to get a really good
Argonaut II, and it has served me well for several decades, but it is
getting tired. I bought a Ten Tec 6&2 meter rig, but found that it was
not as versatile as the Argonaut II was with transverters. The one
shortfall for the Argo II showed up when we had a wild 6 meter opening
to Spain and Portugal, and the selectivity of the Jones filter was
simply insufficient to sort out the closely packed CW signals. The
keypad frequency entering is a really nice feature. And, the noise
blanker on the old clunker is the best I have ever found. It also had a
pot to set the delay for keying the transverter and my ancient Mirage
brick amplifier. The new rig could not do that it was set for fast QSK,
and that was it. My brick could not keep up with the keying. So, I sold
the radio.
In terms of performance, I have very few problems with my older Corsair
II. It has served me very well, but it is of the same vintage as the
Argo II. So, I bought an Argonaut VI, to see how well a modern radio
can work. It is very good, and I had a lot of fun working the W1AW
portable stations with 10 watts. It did a lot better than I expected,
even on SSB, helped a lot with the RF speech processor accessory. I
will be using the Argo VI on 2 meters with a transverter and brick.
Once I decided that the sale was a fine incentive, I purchased an Omni
VII with the optional 300 HZ filter, remembering that it helps to have a
really narrow receiver, even on 6 meters. I will be keeping the older
Argonaut and Corsair II in reserve. I expect that it will become
increasingly difficult to find parts for the older rigs, but I am not so
sure that we will continue to see increased designed obsolescence in our
ham rigs. As ham radio is a hobby, and also that most people's incomes
are not rising much these days, it will behoove manufacturers to follow
Ten Tec's lead and provide much better service for their older radios.
Many of us will not be able to afford frequent radio replacement.
Your mileage may vary.
Steve WA9JML
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