TenTec
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TenTec] (no subject)

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] (no subject)
From: Rsoifer@aol.com
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:42:31 -0400 (EDT)
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Rick, Jim, and others,  
 
Tnx for the info.  As you say, different strokes.....
 
73  Ray W2RS
 
 
In a message dated 9/28/2010 6:31:10 P.M. GMT Standard Time, Rick@DJ0IP.de  
writes:

For the  very serious contest stations, you are absolutely correct.
They want the  very best and even they cannot agree on which rigs to use.

In my  contest club, the Bavarian Contest club, we have about 5 or 6 big
contest  stations.
"Big" is relative of course; they're no match for K3LR, or KC1XX,  etc.
These have pretty much the same hardware all the time.

Most of  our 300+ club members do not work from these locations.
Most work from home  in any given year, but each big contest, probably about
10 little groups go  off on mini expeditions.
A couple might work multi-multi, but most work  multi-single or multi-2.
The transportation is often by airplane.
The  amps are often just a kilowatt.
The antennas are mostly Spiderbeam (now  W4PA in USA).
Here, the guys take what they can get.  And most take  their own rigs; they
don't have a club station waiting for them where  they're going.

Many are still students or young kids and they can't  afford a $4K radio.
They'll scrape to afford something, and just like I  somehow managed to
afford a Drake Line while in College (early 70's), they  can manage $2K.
Many just lug a lot of old heavy stuff along, like TS-850  or FT-1000,
because these are relatively cheap on the used market and get  the job done.

Only people going for the first time would think about  taking something 
like
a TS-450 or FT-747, or even an Icom IC-735, which is  actually a good rig on
its own.  All of the lower priced Japanese rigs  cause problems.  These are
one time and never again radios for such  purposes.  Not only do they get
interfered with by the others, they  cause a wideband noise to the other
local rigs when transmitting,  especially when using a linear.

If you are the only one going on the  trip, then you can drop down a class
and use an Icom-735, an FT-900, and  even a TS-480, as long as you know
you'll need a lot of attenuation on the  low bands.  And if you go really 
far
away and have marginal antennas,  any radio at all will do!

I still get invited regularly on expeditions,  but rarely go along, mostly
due to age and not wanting to spend so much  money on the hobby.
Occasionally I do go and take my own rig.  My Omni  VI was always 
acceptable.
Only us guys here on this reflector would want to  use an analog rig (like a
Corsair).  

For CW only, many use the  K2.  I did too for several years.  But very few
people find it  adequate for SSB.
This would make the Eagle the cheapest acceptable rig  currently on the
market if you want SSB and CW.
And look at its size and  weight;  PERFECT!

MY PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS AS A  CONTESTER:

Over the years, for me, the quality of the receiver in a  multi-rig
environment has been at the top of my personal list of "must  have".
I have activated 4U1VIC several times in CQWW, with two  transceivers
(usually 2x Omni VI) and two amps and we did not even use  external bandpass
filters. There, all of the antennas are located on the  same rooftop.  When
some of the kids would bring their cheap  Yaewoodcom transceivers along, I'd
let them try and use it.  You can't  tell them their rig is no good; they
don't believe you!
After twenty  minutes or so, they would push it aside and use the other 
Omni.

Not  long after that they would buy anther rig.

If you have never tried  this, then I understand how you might have a hard
time believing it.
Try  it.
It's easy to get a second ham with a radio, and put up a second antenna  at
your shack.

If that's not how you work, and not how you want to  work in the future, 
then
you can ignore all of the above and buy  anything.

BUT are you sure?
I once went to Liechtenstein (HB0) for  Field Day, camping.
To my dismay, two other hams from Germany had done the  same thing.
We were 3 stations with less than 100 ft. separation between  our antennas.

The other two had JA radios with 100w; I had a Ten-Tec  (QRP).
They could not operate at the same time, so after about an hour into  the
contest, they decided to do multi-single.
I operated with my 5  watts, did not disturb them, and they didn't disturb 
me
much (they had no  amp; otherwise the wide-band noise would have wiped me
out).
Despite  their presence, I managed to take first place in Europe in the  QRP
class.  Of course the rare HB0 callsign is  always good for  10 dB.

You never know when you will encounter local QRM.

Sorry  guys, this was another longwire  transmission.

73
Rick




-----Original  Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com  [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of  Rsoifer@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 11:22 AM
To:  tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle

Rick,

It's  been many years since I was a serious contester (I dabble a bit   
nowadays but I'm really a DXer), so this is really more of a question than  
a

comment.  I would have thought (perhaps incorrectly) that a  serious  
multi-multi would be using radios in a higher  price/performance bracket 
than
the  
Eagle, such as the K3 or the  Orion/Orion II.  Am I wrong?

73 Ray W2RS


In a message  dated 9/28/2010 3:27:07 P.M. GMT Standard Time, Rick@DJ0IP.de 
  
writes:

What's  wrong with the market position of being the  lowest cost HF
transceiver on  the market that has a decent  receiver?

It seems some folks just don't  appreciate good  performance.  Perhaps they
don't understand what it   is.

If you think some cheaper radio is good, try taking 12 of them  and  putting
1.5 KW amps behind them and then run them all at the same  time from  the 
same
site (run station and multi station for each  band).
That's what  we do in contests.

We are talking about  radios that can do that, not  toys.
If you don't need it, you don't  need it.  Period.

The  EAGLE is the cheapest radio you can  use in this environment unless  
you
count the K2, which is a  kit.

If you don't do that and don't  want a radio of that caliber,  well, don't 
buy
it.
Buy a toy and play  with all its  gadgets.

Different strokes for different   folks.

;-)
Rick

-----Original Message-----
From:   tentec-bounces@contesting.com  
[mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On  Behalf Of Jim M.
Sent:  Monday, September 27, 2010 6:25 PM
To:   tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle

I don't  understand  the business model for this Eagle.  Seems pricey  and
doesn't seem to  have much unique.  Looking back at TT  history it seems 
they
like to  continually introduce a plethora of  radio models with names like
Eagle,  Argo, Jupiter, etc.  Why not  just concentrate on a few well
positioned  tcvr models?  Why not  spend the man hours to finish up the 
Orion
II   work?

_______________________________________________
TenTec  mailing   list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

_______________________________________________
TenTec   mailing   list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

_______________________________________________
TenTec  mailing  list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

_______________________________________________
TenTec  mailing  list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>