Ron et al;
Yep, just the typical performance attained when one correctly uses Tentec
radios. Even the older ones.
73
Bob, K4TAX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ronf404 via TenTec" <tentec@contesting.com>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2014 6:53 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Radios in the Future
I inherited an underused Delta II from a friend. It was checked by the
factory and shipped to me.
I don't have a modem rig for comparison, but I am very pleased with its
performance. I'm only using SSB now as I don't have a keyer. My antenna
is a 120' wire up 65'. I've worked 80 countries since July. I also get
consistent reports of good quality audio.
Ron Fish, KX1W
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 31, 2014, at 21:59, Steve Berg <wa9jml@frontier.com> wrote:
I don't have any particular interest in a computer operated radio. But, I
am not a top notch DXer or contester, either.
To my mind, the best compact radio format was that of the Argonaut
II/Delta II. It had most of the same capabilities as the Omni V, but not
the same level of performance. I managed to get a really good Argonaut
II, and it has served me well for several decades, but it is getting
tired. I bought a Ten Tec 6&2 meter rig, but found that it was not as
versatile as the Argonaut II was with transverters. The one shortfall
for the Argo II showed up when we had a wild 6 meter opening to Spain and
Portugal, and the selectivity of the Jones filter was simply insufficient
to sort out the closely packed CW signals. The keypad frequency entering
is a really nice feature. And, the noise blanker on the old clunker is
the best I have ever found. It also had a pot to set the delay for
keying the transverter and my ancient Mirage brick amplifier. The new
rig could not do that it was set for fast QSK, and that was it. My brick
could not keep up with the keying. So, I sold the radio.
In terms of performance, I have very few problems with my older Corsair
II. It has served me very well, but it is of the same vintage as the
Argo II. So, I bought an Argonaut VI, to see how well a modern radio
can work. It is very good, and I had a lot of fun working the W1AW
portable stations with 10 watts. It did a lot better than I expected,
even on SSB, helped a lot with the RF speech processor accessory. I will
be using the Argo VI on 2 meters with a transverter and brick.
Once I decided that the sale was a fine incentive, I purchased an Omni
VII with the optional 300 HZ filter, remembering that it helps to have a
really narrow receiver, even on 6 meters. I will be keeping the older
Argonaut and Corsair II in reserve. I expect that it will become
increasingly difficult to find parts for the older rigs, but I am not so
sure that we will continue to see increased designed obsolescence in our
ham rigs. As ham radio is a hobby, and also that most people's incomes
are not rising much these days, it will behoove manufacturers to follow
Ten Tec's lead and provide much better service for their older radios.
Many of us will not be able to afford frequent radio replacement.
Your mileage may vary.
Steve WA9JML
_______________________________________________
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
|