I felt the same way when I bought the 1220 as an upgrade from my
venerable Heath HW-2036A. The Ten Tec's lack of bells and whistles
make it a simple radio to operate, an advantage for driving safety, and
you don't have to carry the manual around with you. Also, the final
and driver are discrete transistors, not a potted power module as in
the import rigs. There modules are very expensive and seem to be prone
to failure. Also, I have heard a lot of stories about people being
unable to get their import rigs properly and economically repaired,
especially of the radio is a few years old. This is another advantage of
Ten Tec.
On the negative side, the 1220 has a couple of problems. The main one is
that the CTCSS (PL) tone is too loud. The processor generates the PL
tone and it seems to be getting into the transmit audio chain through
some sneak path. It isn't too bad on low power but on high power (30W)
the tone level is objectionable. I don't know why this is so, it
may be due to the higher current drain or more RF floating around
inside. Playing around with internal shielding and grounding may help,
but there doesn't seem to be a definitive fix. If you only operate
simplex or the repeaters in your area do not use PL, then this is
not an issue.
The other annoyance is the fact that 10 of the 15 memories must be used
for repeaters, with only 5 memories allocated for simplex frequencies.
One can get around this only by programming both receive and transmit
frequencies in adjacent memories, thus using 2 memories for one simplex
frequency (same as if you are storing an odd split).
Other features worth noting:
The display: Pro: Large, rugged green LED's. Won't go bad or fade out
in cold temperatures like LCD's. Con: Not sunlight readable.
Antenna connector: A real SO-239 on the chassis, not one of those flimsy
coax leads coming out of the back like on some of the imports.
Mic connector: A good old fashioned 4 pin job so you can change
microphones or repair the plug. I hate those telephone modular plugs
that other manufacturers are using!
Intermod rejection: Not perfect, but probably better than average.
IF selectivity: A little broad for 15 kHz steps, but adequate.
Accessory connector: Packet ready
Bottom line: Its a tough decision! Downward pressure on prices makes
it hard for an American rig to compete in the VHF/UHF market, and this
same pressure is making the import rigs into throwaway items if they
break.
73, Bob WB2VUF
Caitlyn M. Martin wrote:
if I could have an American made rig,
> preferably a Ten Tec, I'd really like it better.
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