He was also apparently having distribution issues. There were a couple
of people handling the rig for him here - at least one in the US and
another in Canada - but it didn't seem to be working out. He even sold
them on the auction site and sold some as kits.
I tried to find one new and simply could not. Nothing to be found
through Internet searches or whatever. Did find one from a ham who had
two and the truth is that I really, really like it.
No one but insiders will ever really know, but it LOOKS like he cut a
deal with TT that works for both of them. It's a cool little radio and
he has a solid distribution partner. Do I wish it was a TenTec
designed and built rig - yep. But it's 2010 and it's simple global
economics.
Michael Goins, k5wmg
Pipe Creek, Texas
Fast cars, slow boats, big dogs, little yellow radios, and summers off to write
2010/5/23 Ron Notarius W3WN <wn3vaw@verizon.net>:
> I've been doing a little checking, and I have yet to hear or read anything
> significantly bad about the BD4RG HB-1A rig.
>
> So let's do a small reality check. Ten-Tec wants to introduce a new QRP
> radio, they come across this design, they find out that they can have a
> version of it built for them at an affordable price. So what's not to like?
>
> Would I have preferred that it be built in Tennessee? Certainly. But for
> the company to survive, it may have been inevitable that some of their
> manufacturing would be out-sourced, just to stay competitively priced.
>
> We don't know all the details, we may never know them, and for that matter,
> it's probably not all for the public ears anyway. It could be that they are
> currently so busy with equipment (amateur, commercial, and military) that
> they couldn't squeeze something else into the production line schedule, for
> example. So this is not necessarily a bad thing.
>
> And let's be realistic. Let's say Ten-Tec decides, for example, to
> introduce a small mobile HF rig... imagine an updated Argonaut V with 100 W
> output, for example. [I used to talk about such a possibility with Scott,
> way back when, and the answer I got was that it wasn't cost effective for
> Ten-Tec to do so -- the interest was there, but they couldn't price it in
> such a way as to be affordable (and competitive with others) and
> profitable.] If this new radio works out, and the opportunity presents
> itself, let's say that the new rig CAN be built at BD4RG's facility... and
> the retail cost to you is $599 or less. Would you buy that radio, even if
> it were made overseas? [I know I'd strongly consider it if I had the
> shekels to spend at the time... and probably would] And the alternative
> is... no radio at any price?
>
> My biggest concern however... well, a few of you on the list remember the
> Drake TR-22. Which was built for them with their design by a company called
> Trio. What happened next? Well, do you remember the Trio-Kenwood TR-2200?
> The rest I leave as an intellectual exercise for the curious.
>
> The bottom line is that this is going to be very interesting. I hope for
> Ten-Tec's sake (and for ours, for that matter) that it works out well. We
> shall see.
>
> And with any luck, come this fall, I will be able to get my hands on one
> myself.
>
> 73, ron w3wn
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of Bwana Bob
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 2:32 PM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] New TT website
>
> It looks like it was designed to compete with the Elecraft KX-1 and the
> Hendricks TFR. Personally, I would prefer a kit radio.
>
>
> 73,
>
> Bob WB2VUF
>
> Michael Goins wrote:
>> Yep. It's the Chinese rig by BD4RG with TenTec's name now on it. If
>> you pull up the manuals for the rig the schematic is still the same
>> and it has HB-1A on it.
>>
>> This is a really a fun little rig and the price is pretty good built
>> and ready to go. The audio is a little raspy on the original ones and
>> a little low. Wonder if it was corrected for this version and hte
>> schematic just hasn't been changed on the instruction sheets. Again, I
>> wonder why they split it into 20/30 and 30/40 when the original is
>> 20/30/40. Find that a little odd.
>>
>> Mike
>> Pipe Creek, Texas
>> Fast cars, slow boats, big dogs, little radios, and summers off to write
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 2010/5/21 Fotis SV8ING <sv8ing@yahoo.gr>:
>>> It's www.tentec.com
>>> and I see there a new TT site!
>>>
>>> 73
>>>
>>> Fotis SV8ING Papadellis
>>>
>>> GREECE
>>>
>>> --- Στις Παρ., 21/05/10, ο/η Kris Merschrod <Kris@merschrod.net> έγραψε:
>>>
>>> Από: Kris Merschrod <Kris@merschrod.net>
>>> Θέμα: Re: [TenTec] New TT website
>>> Προς: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
>>> Ημερομηνία: Παρασκευή, 21 Μάιος 2010, 14:37
>>>
>>> Good afternoon Fotis,
>>>
>>> Please tell us where the new T T website is. That is, please send the
> www.
>>> address or URL.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>> Kris KM2KM
>>> Merschrod
>>> 123 Warren Road
>>> Ithaca, NY 14850
>>> www.merschrod.net
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Fotis SV8ING" <sv8ing@yahoo.gr>
>>> To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:25 AM
>>> Subject: [TenTec] New TT website
>>>
>>>
>>>> A new TT website is out there!
>>>>
>>>> 73
>>>>
>>>> Fotis SV8ING Papadellis
>>>>
>>>> GREECE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
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