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Re: [TenTec] Pimp My Eagle

To: "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Pimp My Eagle
From: "rick@dj0ip.de" <Rick@DJ0IP.de>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2016 22:36:14 +0100
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Sorry Denton, your special wish adds $200 to $300 to the cost of the radio.
I doubt that 10% of the people would find it worth that.
I certainly don't want it.
I have 3 analyzers and I can use them with any radio, any antenna, anywhere.

Surely you have made yourself tuning charts with pre-sets per band.
An analyzer is useful for that, but once you have the chart you can remove the 
analyzer.
With those and a large cross needle watt meter (SWR meter), push tune and 
quickly prune.

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)



-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of denton sprague
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2016 8:21 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Pimp My Eagle

analyzer….for those that use manual transmatches…and to tell also what antenna 
impendences are when anything changes. 
> On Jan 7, 2016, at 10:37 AM, Louis Ciotti <lciotti1@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Do you mean Tuner not analyzer?
> 
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 1:16 PM, denton sprague 
> <denton@oregontrail.net>
> wrote:
> 
>> no
>>> On Jan 7, 2016, at 9:22 AM, Tony <va3dwi@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I hope you are joking about that!!
>>> 73, Tony VE3DWI.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
>>>  Original Message
>>> From: denton sprague
>>> Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2016 12:13
>>> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
>>> Reply To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
>>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Pimp My Eagle
>>> 
>>> A built in antenna analyzer also, please...
>>> 
>>>> On Jan 7, 2016, at 8:52 AM, rick@dj0ip.de <Rick@DJ0IP.de> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> PLEASE KEEP THIS THREAD FOCUSED ON THE “EAGLE.”
>>>> 
>>>> (feel free to start a new thread on O7+ or O3)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I agree with Brian . . . let’s talk about radios again.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> It seems the current tentative plan is:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 1) OM7(+) gets a new front plate and face plate, but not a lot of 
>>>> changes
>>>> 
>>>> 2) (super) Eagle gets new DSP and _ _ _ _ _ _
>>>> 
>>>> 3) Argonaut 6 will more or less resume production unchanged
>>>> 
>>>> 4) An O3 is in the making, details unknown
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I want to make a suggestions about the future Eagle.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> IMO TEN-TEC made a mistake with the Eagle.
>>>> 
>>>> They tried to address three market segments with one product.
>>>> 
>>>> 1) A simple easy to use computer for old folks (including me) who 
>>>> usually prefer not to even turn the computer on, just because we 
>>>> want
>> to get
>>>> on the radio – but do want high performance.
>>>> 
>>>> 2) The mobile hf market
>>>> 
>>>> 3) The entry level 100w hf transceiver market
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Result: Jack of all trades, master of none.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> If you read the wish list in the Eagle group, since the beginning 
>>>> there
>> were
>>>> clearly representatives of all three groups expressing wishes for 
>>>> improvements. What might benefit one group is often 
>>>> counter-productive
>> for
>>>> the other.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> If Ten-Tec is to succeed, they need to identify the market segment 
>>>> for
>> each
>>>> product and optimize for it.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Of the three segments I have listed above, I believe Ten-Tec’s best
>> chance
>>>> is in no. 1.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I don’t think any US based OEM can go big in the entry level 
>>>> segment
>> because
>>>> it is primarily driven by price.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I also believe a mobile rig today MUST have a removable front panel.
>> Sure
>>>> some people don’t mind having the radio occupy the front passenger
>> space,
>>>> but I prefer to keep it for my XYL. (In fact I have no choice ;-)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> My wish is for the Super Eagle to focus on number 1 above.
>>>> 
>>>> As such, I can propose some changes:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 1) And most important: a bigger box. In all my 15+ years 
>>>> participating in Ten-Tec groups, I can’t recall a single instance 
>>>> of
>> anyone
>>>> asking for a smaller box. Yet ALL OEMs seem to think that’s what we
>> want.
>>>> Lots of important things suffer when you reduce the size of the 
>>>> box. You have less knobs, more menu adjustable items, smaller loud 
>>>> speaker,
>> smaller
>>>> S-Meter, coils are smaller (lower Q), heat sinks are smaller and 
>>>> fans
>> are
>>>> smaller so you have more noise. Less room for working on the radio, 
>>>> less room for back panel jacks (so we must use plugs with 75 
>>>> pins!). DON’T
>> NEED
>>>> ANY OF THIS. I NEED THE FOLLOWING…
>>>> 
>>>> 2) Larger knobs. Concentric knobs are only ok if they are large 
>>>> enough.
>>>> 
>>>> 3) Larger S-meter. Prefer a true meter, but if not, then at least a 
>>>> color-coded LED meter.
>>>> 
>>>> 4) ¼ inch connections for things like key and headphones;
>>>> 
>>>> 5) Separate jacks for paddle and straight key
>>>> 
>>>> 6) PTT and AMP KEY should be RCA Phono (again)
>>>> 
>>>> 7) Dedicated RIT control (not the multi-knob)
>>>> 
>>>> 8) Simplified VFO mode (i.e. getting in and out of split)
>>>> 
>>>> 9) Buttons should have a max of dual function. Push once to enable 
>>>> main function, push twice (quickly) to enable secondary function. I
>> don’t
>>>> want to push multiple buttons that may be on opposite sides of the 
>>>> front panel.
>>>> 
>>>> 10) Exception to menu handling is allowed but only for things that
>> really
>>>> are “set once and forget”, such as defining filter slots and screen
>> color.
>>>> 
>>>> 11) Mic gain and CW Speed should be a dedicated knob. I’m OK with 
>>>> it
>> just
>>>> being one knob, but others might prefer concentric.
>>>> 
>>>> 12) Band stacking register. Don’t understand why it was left out.
>>>> 
>>>> 13) [finally] address the keying timing issues when using a 
>>>> non-Ten-Tec linear amplifier. The Pre-dit and Post-dit (hang) time 
>>>> must be
>> adjustable.
>>>> Pre-dit can be inside the “set once and forget” menu, but Post-dit 
>>>> is a value I change often. Either make it easy to adjust, OR make 
>>>> it
>> dynamically
>>>> linked to the keyer speed with user adjustable ratio. There are 
>>>> keyers
>> on
>>>> the market that have this feature.
>>>> 
>>>> 14) IF output to the real panel. Can be an option, but just plug 
>>>> one cable.
>>>> 
>>>> 15) Pre-selector output to the real panel. Can be an option, but 
>>>> just 2 cables.
>>>> 
>>>> 16) AUX-RX ANT connection. It’s to the point now that often the low
>> bands
>>>> are only usable with some kind of special small receiving antenna, 
>>>> due
>> to
>>>> all the noise from consumer products.
>>>> 
>>>> 17) NO BAND SCOPE. (Use the IF connector on the rear panel). Or use 
>>>> an ANT OUT, an external SDR, and Carl’s NP4Y software.
>>>> 
>>>> 18) Power Out indicator (not just an ALC LED)
>>>> 
>>>> 19) What else?
>>>> 
>>>> 20) Bright Red-Orange Dot! ;-)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I’m sure I have forgotten a few points, but mainly KEEP IT SIMPLE 
>>>> so
>> that
>>>> old eyes and old fingers can use it.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I intentionally began this thread here rather than in the Eagle 
>>>> group because maybe if we get these changes, some of the people 
>>>> here (and not currently in the Eagle group) will join us.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> PIMP MY EAGLE!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>>>> 
>>>> (Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
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