Roger,
Just my opinions from operating many of these rigs, plus what I've read here
and other places -
I believe with older rigs in stepping up from the 540 (I have a 540), you
wouldn't go wrong with either a Corsair in excellent condition (Not certain of
the difference between the Corsair I and II), or a Omni VI+ in good
condition. I believe the Corsair's receiver went up a step or two from
previous models, and the VI+ a step or two above it. I don't have a Corsair,
but do have an Omni V and VI+, and there is a significant difference, although
the V is a good rig, too. I find the noise reduction in the VI+ to work fairly
well.
If you want to keep cost down the Corsair or Omni V would be the way to go. If
you can find a good deal (under$1200) on the VI+, you might want to try it.
All seem to hold value to Ten-Tec users.
If you want DSP based equipment, the Jupiter, Orion or Omni VII will work well.
IMHO, only the Orion has a superior RX to the Omni VI+. I have used the
Jupiter and Omni VII, but not the Orion, which I'd say is really specialized
for contesters and DX'ers, very demanding uses.
If you like CW, I have noticed a few Jupiters on the air that have a peculiarly
rough note - not tremendously bad, but not the great note Ten-Tec is famous
for. Don't know if it has been corrected or not.
The Omni VII does have lots of features and is easy to use, but, as has been
discussed the last few days here, may not have a better basic RX than the Omni
VI+. I figure this is a matter of opinion and what one is used to using.
For great receiver value, you might also consider the K-3....One thing about
all of these listed is that they are not greatly complicated with multiple
levels of menu's, etc. Good luck...
73, John, K4AVX
k4avx1@windstream.net
***************************************************
Message: 14
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 04:49:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Roger Rippy <svtincup@yahoo.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Old vs New = crunch time
To: TenTec@contesting.com
Message-ID: <364615.7941.qm@web110810.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
The thread last month regarding the Omni VI+ the best rig etc, certainly got me
thinking about the next Ten Tec rig. Please keep in mind that I really like the
"keep it simple" approach to most things and Ham radio has not been an
exception. It is time to seriously consider the next radio for my shack and the
decision crunch is between a previously owned rig and a new one. My current set
up is a Ten Tec Triton barefoot into a Force 12 XK40 (also have a K-1 for QRP
and an Alinco DX70 for mobile). When I think about the price of a new radio, I
start thinking the ole Triton sure is a good radio for my Ham activity (95%
cw). But I know it is time to consider an additional Ten Tec for the future. I
spoke with Ten Tec service yesterday and they were helpful discussing the pros
and cons of maintaining an older rig in terms of parts. I also have been
reading the comments on this list for some time regarding the maintenance
issues involving software driven
radios.
So the question is "If you wanted a relative simple radio for CW work (use
is 75% rag chew; 15% contest; and 10% DX)and you had to keep the cost down,
would you opt for an older rig such as a Corsair II or a software driven older
rig such as an Omni VI or spring for something in the price range of a new
Jupiter? My budget is somewhere between $600 and $1800 which rules out a number
of options.
I realize that this is not the first time this has been discussed but
after reading over a year's worth of archives, I still did not find my
answer. Ten Tec stated that if I was good at troubleshooting and
maintaining my own gear then an older radio would be fine as long as
I could find the parts that I need. Building a K-1 kit, hardly qualifies
me to do much in the troubleshooting department!
Any constructive thoughts would certainly be welcome either off-line or on the
list. Thanks and 73s
Roger Rippy W7RIP
Bozeman, Montana ?
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