Hello Folks,
I'm kind of new to the internet and very new to the Ten Tec Reflector
however I have been a Ten Tec user since I bought my first rig a Century
22 in 1987 from KW- Ten Tec in Kent. The Century 22 is still going
strong and was joined by an Argosy II a few years later. Both radios
have given me years of pleasure and lots of DX (VQ9 on the Century 22
with 10w into a random long wire and how about ZL with 30w from the
Argosy into the same bit of wet string - quite good stuff from the UK!).
Sadly Ten Tec is not a favoured brand with dealers in the UK now and KW
Ten Tec don't trade either which is sad. I think it has something to do
with Ten Tec's reluctance to comply with the European Union import
standards at least thats what I was told by a local radio dealer, it all
smacks of over protected markets (oops! a bit political that last bit
sorry...) and as a result we have had our choice limited to the big
names in radio here in the UK - our loss I suppose. Can anyone explain
why the radio dealers in UK are shy of Ten Tec equipment .....it always
was a bit of a specialist market I suppose.
By the way I'm not a sentimentalist - the FT-xxx, IC-xxx, TS-xxx rigs
are very good indeed - I just like what I like and I really like the
feel of Ten Tec. They even look nice, have names, big control knobs and
the Europeans I work on my radios are always very interested in
them...just that little bit different.
I have been doing a little bit of research and would like to put a Delta
580 on the air here in East Anglia - (lots of WW2 US bomber and fighter
stations around here including Framlingham, Leiston and Parham airfield
a few miles away which is the 380th bomber group memorial - correct me
if I got that bit wrong and hello to all the Veterans. When my wife an I
moved into our cottage we stripped all the wall paper layers which had
gathered over the years only to find the sitting room painted in a awful
shade of "liberated" B-17 green!!! yuck - I guess times were very hard
then).
I have no160m/17m/12m facility or the option to cause TVI with 100
watts! so the Delta would really compliment my current line up (I'm
happy nearer the 50 w or QRP level). A good clean 9 band Delta 580 with
a nice CW filter would be just the ticket although I was recommended the
Corsair by B Cotter (he sold his Delta 30mins after posting it on the
reflector - so Delta's are still popular in the US then!)
So if you can bear to tear yourself away from your surplus Delta 580,
and can contemplate the adventure It would have working all of Europe at
599 plus, holidays in the Scottish highlands and central France with a
little scotch or wine by the operating position whilst waiting for the
DX to come through then please drop me a line by e-mail (
7pound@cwcom.net ).
I'm not sure how to go about transferring US dollars but I'm sure my
bank manager will work that bit out - I just won't tell him its for
another radio. As for HM Customs & Excise I am sure they will want a cut
of the action on importation life its never easy - so back to the bands
see you on 30m (10.105 most nights at 2100)
So thats it from Suffolk England for now, hpe cusn 73 de Peter G4PUQ
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/tentecfaq.htm
Submissions: tentec@contesting.com
Administrative requests: tentec-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-tentec@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|