A while back I bought a Corsair II and the matching VFO from a list
member (Thanks!). My initial thought was to use it as the tunable IF
for my vhf transverters, but it did not work out well for that. So, I
put the Omni V.9 in that role for a while and put the Corsair II station
on HF duty. It took me a few days to get the hang of it, and now it is
permanently on that desk. I do not know who figured out the ergonomics
for that radio, but they deserve a Nobel prize. It is easy to use, gets
great reports, and has crystal clear audio on receive. For my battered
old ears, it gets top ratings. I got a new 250 Hz IF filter, and sent
the PTO in the radio back to Ten Tec for rebuilding. The one in the VFO
is doing fine. I had a ball working DX on 80 meter CW this past winter.
For my sort of operating, it is more than sufficient. I am using the
Argonaut II as the VHF IF rig, and will be looking for another one to
expand the station a bit.
But, I am not a competitive contest operator. I have no interest in
internet control, computer logging, voice keyers, and the like. I
presume that something like an Orion or Orion II is aimed at those sorts
of radio aficionados. I am not much for bells and whistles, though
those are essential for winning contests. When fishing, I am very happy
with my 40 year old K-Mart fly rod and bass poppers. I am not
interested in fishing tournaments. I can appreciate a fine rifle
trigger, and have a Canjar on my custom match rifle, but do not shoot
competitively much these days. I ride 1970's vintage motorcycles with
total happiness. So, if you want to be competitive in contesting, a
Corsair will probably not be adequate for your needs. But, mine hands
out lots of points during those same contests... Not all of us need
something that can be fine tuned for harsh and changing conditions. For
our needs, something like one of the old PTO radios is fine and lots of
fun. And, we do not have to grouse about firmware updates, we just hope
that Ten Tec keeps rebuilding PTO's.
73,
Steve WA9JML
Edward Sylvester wrote:
> Sorry, Jeff, et al, for starting this!! I don't have a Corsair but do have
> an Omni VI+. Needed the validation :-) I received some great responses
> offline, too. The best advice was to get the INRAD Roofing filter and audio
> mod, to make it a true CW contesing rig. I am pleased that I have a late
> vintage Plus, with TCXO and pure SMT boards. And I also run it with a Titan
> 425. Great combo!
>
> TT builds some great stuff and I hope to never have to part with
> it...BTW...still looking for the 301 remote Tuning Knob and the Voice Board
> for it....This will complete the station!
>
> Best 73 to the Group!!
>
> Ed NI6S
>
> --- On Wed, 7/9/08, W8KZW <w8kzw@arrl.net> wrote:
>
> From: W8KZW <w8kzw@arrl.net>
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Rig....Turned around?
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 6:32 AM
>
> OK, now I'm REALLY up in the air.
>
> I've loved my Corsair II / Remote VFO for the years I've used it.
>
> I recently acquired an Omni VI, and it's at Ten-Tec right now getting
> "like
> new".
>
> My plan (for casual CW and SSB operation, paired with my 425 Titan from time
> to time) was to sell the former and keep the latter, but everyone on the
> list seems to prefer the Corsair!
>
> ... so I'm really wondering: how much of that is nostalgia / camp /
> attitude
> (no disrespect intended ... that's why I run boatanchors) and how much is
> based on true operating performance / convenience?
>
> I guess I could run them side-by-side and make my own judgement, but space
> and time make that improbable. Besides, I'd like to learn from the
> experience of others.
>
> Jeff
> W8KZW
>
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