Hello Tim,
Some limited experience, but not with a Corsair. I own an Argosy II with the
narrow CW filter and the noise blanker. Except for the agonizingly slow recovery
in the AGC - yes, I know there is a fix out there - it is a worthwhile CW rig
for its time and price, and the Argosy gives good service running mobile. I have
also used an Omni, not sure of which series (at ARRL HQ), and my overall
impression is it was a fine rig but suffered for its rather tinny sounding
built-in speaker. Sound was far better through phones. I also own a Kenwood
TS-440, of similar vintage but higher in price, which performs quite well on CW,
with a distinctly better AGC and twice the power. Better than the Omni? Except
for the AGC, not noticeably, to my ears. I have switched between my Argosy and
the TS440 on weak signals in crowded bands, and hear little difference between
them. Bear in mind receiver performance is not all in the specs, it is largely
how one perceives the sound, how well one's own hearing can distinguish the
sounds present in the phones or speaker. However, peoples' opinions are
frequently biased toward whatever they own sometimes in defense of whatever
they chose or could afford. From extensive CW operating (42 years in the hobby,
mostly CW, and also ex Navy CW op) and hearing both TT and Kenwoods on the air,
they are fairly equal to my ears. Both have a very crisp distinct keying,
probably due to a heavy "thump" on make, and a clean break. I would not rate one
over the other, but either is decidedly crisper than either Icom or Yaesu in
general. None, however, compare to 10KW keyed from 8 miles away on an R-390!
One other comment, from a servicing standpoint, at least with the Argosy, I
certainly would rather tackle a problem with it than the TS440. Much more
"service friendly" inside. Also from just one instance each of dealing with TT
and KWD service people, TT has it all over KWD.
Howie WB2AWQ
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