Kevin,
Actually I think their strategy is very smart. When it is all said and done,
they will have a high end rig ($3,300) for the purest and those seeking
perfection in an HF rig. This is followed by the Jupiter, a excellent
performing rig, priced for the mass ham market. Then Ten Tec will have the 516
(what clever name will be attached to this?). The 516 fills two needs, first a
low end priced rig at $695 and meets the needs of the QRP community who have
supported Ten Tec very well over the year. Then, two niche radios. The 6n2
(needs an outer space name - Venus?)and the Pegasus. Both are popular priced.
No real duplication (except maybe the Pegasus and the Jupiter; if anything goes
I suspect the Pegasus because the Jupiter can do the same and more) and maybe
the number of rigs is growing because their market share is growing and they
see market opportunities that are not being served by the rice manufacturers.
JMHO - Duffy - WB8NUT
>
> From: Kevin Anderson <k9iua@juno.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
> Date: 2002/01/28 Mon PM 03:09:30 EST
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Subject: [TenTec] 516/Orion/"software defined"/etc.
>
> I've been following these various threads on
> the Orion and 516, and now feel it is time to
> put in my $.02 worth and give another perspective:
>
> I personally hope that T-T continues through
> with the 516. As a 99% QRP operator, I would
> think seriously about purchasing this new rig.
> And there are quite a few T-T owner/operators
> that are also QRP folks (I recognize several
> of the posters here as also on QRP-L), so
> sufficient market is likely there. I would
> certainly buy this radio before the Yaesu FT-817
> (I am one who personally thinks VHF should not
> be part of an HF radio), although I would
> seriously consider the K2 instead.
>
> However, I am not sure T-T can successfully
> market this many rigs at once. If you look
> back through their history, rarely have they
> had this many models out, although a low,
> mid-sized, and high-end model at once certainly makes sense and has been done
> by them before.
> A question is whether there would be
> enough differentiation between the 516
> and Jupiter to have them both survive.
> I am sure that the IF-DSP "core" is largely
> similar, so that likely works in their
> advantage for having multiple rigs at once.
> But it wouldn't surprise me that they drop
> the 516 again (although it would disappoint
> me).
>
> The Orion sounds neat, but at $3300 I can't.
> It is for me to cry in my own beer, but I for
> one cannot afford that amount of money in this
> hobby. Even $695 for the basic 516 w/o PS will
> be stretching it for me and will take a big
> blessing from my wife. But I guess there are
> plenty of folks who can afford $1,000 and above
> on radios. This is one major reason I've been
> able to buy only used radios to this point --
> I am just about at the point where I might
> consider a used Corsair I/II or Delta II. A
> used Omni (V or VI) is still way beyond my
> means for some time yet (although I would buy
> one of these before I would buy the Jupiter
> or the new Orion).
>
> Which brings me to my last point for the day:
> "software defined" radios come 20 years from.
> A beauty of TenTec radios has been their ability
> to hold value AND be fully functional 20
> (even 30) years after manuafacture. All of
> us have witnessed the number of Argos,
> Centuries, early Omni's and Triton that are
> still on the air. The radios now being built,
> heavily dependent on processors and now
> software flashrom to even operate, have me
> nervous. I doubt a manufacturer thinks that
> far down the road, although the service dept.
> of TenTec must certainly do so! I hope that
> TenTec is keeping that in mind when choosing
> processors, DSP chains, ROM chips, etc.,
> for future servicing. We have all witnessed
> the rate of change of computer manufacturing
> and how hard it is to find chips, let
> alone software, for older equipment. It is
> possible that I might not buy the 516 for
> just this very reason -- i.e., that I would
> be able to operate it 20 years from now.
> And I refuse to think of an amateur radio is
> just a "consumer item", to be pitched when
> broken or out of date -- IMHO it goes against
> the grain of ARS.
>
> Now back to your regular contributors...
> Cheers/73from Iowa.
> Kevin Anderson, K9IUA,
> who operates a TenTec Argosy II, Century 22,
> and a Scout (all used!) as his only radios.
>
>
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> Kevin Anderson, K9IUA, Dubuque IA
> k9iua@juno.com - Opinions all my own
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>
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