I have been through MANY rigs in the past 8 years. I started
out with a bum Icom 735. The dealer gave me a second one.
It too, was a bum rig. The local dealer (still in business) refused
to help me out, and I wound up going direct to Icom, nearly
TWO years later, and after MUCH gnashing of teeth, I was
able to get them to replace the rig a second time!
Lemme think- I've had:
Icom 735 (Still have)
Hallicrafters SX-100
Drake TR-4C, TR-4cw, and TR-7
Kenwood TS-940SAT, TS-930
Yaesu FT-101ZD, FT-102, FT-847, FT-840 (Still have all)
ITT/Mackay MSR-8000
Sunair GSB-900DX (Still have)
Collins S-line setup and TCS-12
Heathkit HW-100, HW-101
Eico 7-drifty-3
Oak Hills Research QRP classic (I built it)
Ten-Tec Corsair II (with all options) (Still have)
Other various rigs that made no lasting impression.
The Corsair II I've owned for 7 years. I don't see it leaving
the shack ANY time soon. It's always been my favorite,
and ALWAYS hears the weak ones the other rigs miss.
As far as I'm concerned, 100 watts is 100 watts, no matter
what radio it comes out of. Transmitters are all the same.
The difference in rigs is how well they hear. Ten Tec will
ALWAYS occupy the MAIN operating position on my
desk! It does duty in RTTY, SSTV, voice, CW, packet,
and is fixing to start doing PSK31. I once had a minor
problem with RF in the shack, but fixed the problem
easily. (I grounded the speaker frame in the power supply,
and bypassed the "hot" speaker lead to ground with a .01
cap, then bypassed the 12v accessory sockets in the same
manner). Ten-Tec even FAXed me (gratis) the mods to
make it more compatible with my Centurion amp. Sure
wish I could afford the Omni VI plus!
Great service, great equipment, what more could one ask
for? And they give great factory tours! (Thanks, Ten-Tec!)
I especially enjoyed viewing the "burning-in" setup. Yes,
they actually DO test them all! Take that!- rice boxes! I also
built a couple of their T-kits. Easy to construct- nice circuit
boards, and good assembly manuals. My only complaint
was the addition of too many addendum sheets instead of
re-printing the manual.
Almost all my rigs have been used- many salvaged when
the owners thought they were beyond repair :-). To wit-
Kenwood recently quoted a friend $750 to repair the
TS-930 I had. After picking it up- I installed one pass
transistor, one zener diode, and a fuse. I didn't have the
heart to keep it, so I returned it to it's original owner.
Anybody want to give away a lightning-struck Omni VI+?
73 all, and Happy Ten-Tec-ing, -Web in Myrtle Beach, SC
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