Us younger OT's remember it was known as the Omni V.9
Greg, KC8HXO
From: Jim Brown <k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: tentec@contesting.com
Sent: Friday, September 2, 2016 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] I hate to say it but...
On Fri,9/2/2016 12:45 PM, Greg S via TenTec wrote:
> 1. They never made an Omni V+. (RTFM)
Ten Tec made the Omni V. N4PY added a board that made it a V+. The used
radio I bought had that board installed, and it added some useful
functionality that made the radio a lot more user friendly.
> 2. I concur, the TS-850S was also ergonomic for me.
> 3. I will suggest, if you used your KX3, for several years, and never used
> your K3, you would say the opposite about their UI's. You "like" the K3
> because you are used to it. The older one gets, the more likely one is to
> "like" what they are familiar with....... and forget some things.
Of course. Which is one of my points. I use N1MM Plus as a contest
logger, and I use it a lot. As a result, all the keystrokes have long
been second nature.
> Like Roman Numeral designations of TenTec rigs. ;-)
In this case, most of us OTs know about the V+.
73, Jim K9YC
> 73-Greg, KC8HXO
>
>
> From: Jim Brown <k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com>
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Sent: Friday, September 2, 2016 2:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] I hate to say it but...
>
> How we view ergonomics is a very personal thing. Itis strongly affected
> by what we're used to, to how our minds work, and what we do with our
> radios. ICOM's is different from Yaesu's, which is different from
> Kenwood, which is different from Ten Tec. The last rigs I've owned from
> these companies (in the order I mentioned them) are the 746, the
> FT1000MP, the TS850, and the Omni V+. The UI that I liked the least was
> the 746, the MP was better, and Omni V+ was third, and the Kenwood UI
> was the one I liked the best.
>
> Enter the Elecraft K2, which my friends, including NY9H, were telling me
> was the new big thing, and I bought one (no time to build it, I was
> running my own small biz). This was 2003, and my other radio was the
> Omni V+, also bought used. The K2 is tiny by comparison to any of those
> other radios, so get all the functions and controls we need, buttons and
> controls had to do double, triple, and even quadruple duty. Think about
> the functionality of early handheld GPS units; my primary GPS is still
> a wonderful handheld Garmin that runs on AA batteries, has a full set of
> maps (I had to buy them), has great sensitivity, and does waypoints. 8
> buttons total. Can you say SLOOOW? But I love it because it runs on
> AAs, it does waypoints, and it tracks me walking on trails!
>
> That K2 got my brain used to the control logic that was greatly expanded
> and refined for the K3. The target market for the K3 is the high end
> user who doesn't have high end bucks. It's highly modular, and it is
> MUCH smaller and lighter than other high end radios. I'm part of the
> target market -- very demanding of performance, take my radios out in
> the field so I really appreciate the compact size and weight, also have
> limited space on my operating desk for two complete stations, and that
> compactness and modularity helps there too.
>
> I do NOT find the K3 UI in any way limiting or frustrating. Perhaps
> that's because I RTFM before I start using a new product, whatever it
> is. I was unable to RTFM when I sat down in front of an Orion at a
> friend's contest station, so I had no idea what to do with it. And I
> never made a QSO with it. The K3 (and K3S) UI meshes ideally with MY
> operating style, MY mindset. Yes, I nearly always go the wrong way round
> the mode toggle. But as to changing bands and modes, the K3 and K3S have
> a bunch of memories that can be easily programmed (if you RTFM) to hold
> a bunch of standard setups. These radios can be set to remember power
> and other settings by band, and some by mode.
>
> And once I've set up my radio for a given station (or on FD for the
> preferences of the operators, the mic/cans we'll be using and where we
> plug them in), there's zero need to access the menus. In 2008, when the
> K3 was a brand new radio, Elecraft loaned a bunch of them to the VP6DX
> expedition, and K3NA sat the team down to give them a half hour class on
> the new radio. He then sat them down in front of the radios, and later
> reported that these experienced operators from all over the world felt
> comfortable with the new radios almost immediately, and found them very
> logical and easy to operate.
>
> The UI in the K3 and K3S (virtually the same) is, by far, the best of
> any radio I've ever used. Operationally, I find it no more complicated
> than my S38D, my BC348, and my HQ129X, all of which did a LOT less! It's
> FAR easier to control bandwidth and move the IF around than in the Omni
> V+, the FT1000MP, or the TS850. There's a built-in keyer, also very
> adjustable (from the menu), with a front panel knob for speed. My Omni
> V+ lacked a keyer. A very good antenna tuner is an option in the K3; my
> Omni V+ lacked an antenna tuner. The K3 and K3S have an optional 2nd RX
> that is equal in performance to the main RX. The only shortcoming of
> that 2nd RX is that you DO need to mess with the menus to adjust it. OR
> -- with two quick pushes of the A>B button, you can transfer all
> settings of the main RX to the 2nd RX. AND -- I can set up BOTH
> receivers with the NB and NR turned on. That can be a VERY big deal if
> you use diversity mode and one or both of your RX antennas is noisy.
>
> I also own a KX3, a far more compact radio than even the K3/K3S, and
> each of the buttons and knobs has even more multiple functions. I don't
> use this radio much, so I find the UI frustrating at times. But it's a
> very powerful radio, it fits in the pocket of my winter jacket, and I've
> loaned it to a friend who, with help from XYL and W6JTI, have dragged it
> up a 2-3 mile trail that gains 1,000 ft elevation, along with its 100W
> amp, batteries, antenna, and coax! Try doing that with an Omni VI+. :)
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
> On Fri,9/2/2016 2:39 AM, Barry N1EU wrote:
>> The front panel ergonomics on the K3 is a nightmare compared to the Omni
>> 6+, which has perhaps the best front panel EVER. FWIW, I've owned them
>> both for many years.
>
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