Interesting comments, John. I think you are right on
target.
I have an Omni VI Plus which, at the moment, does all
I want. I say "at the moment" because of the new 60
meter band coming. Then again, do I really care
whether I work 60 meters when the band first opens?
Another item of interest to me would be to try a DSP
rig which I could use on AM as well as hear a good AM
signal well. Such a radio would be software
upgradeable for 60 meters as well. This means that I
may consider a new or used Jupiter IN ADDITION to my
Omni VI Plus. That, of course, would be IN LIEU OF an
Orion.
Larry, W3UIO
--- John Clifford <johnclif@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> As a small business owner myself, I understand (and
> agree with) Ten-Tec's
> decision to charge as much as the market will bear.
> How much the market will
> bear is the question though, isn't it?
>
> Re the Argonaut V/516, this radio sounds like a
> 'stripped-down' Jupiter...
> like the Argosy II was a stripped-down Delta II.
> Sure, the box is
> different, but the 516 seems to have most of the
> features of the Jupiter
> except the transmitter. I've heard good things
> about the Jupiter, and based
> upon my personal Ten-Tec experiences I think that
> either rig would be worthy
> of ownership... but I would also wonder what I could
> buy for $800 +/- with a
> similar feature set.
>
> Hams are not the cheapest people out there... that
> title is reserved for gun
> enthusiasts. But, ham are among the cheapest people
> out there! The problem
> with new radios is, like new guns, they compete with
> used items. Case in
> point: I almost bought a new IC-746 a year ago, but
> instead 'discovered' the
> Omni VI/Option 1. For the same price, the used rig
> was a better deal. (Of
> course, Ten-Tec benefited when I bought a full
> assortment of filters plus a
> coffee cup!) The point is: there is a TREMENDOUS
> secondary market for ham
> radios and accessories.
>
> The 516 has to not only compete with other new QRP
> rigs (SGC 2020, perhaps
> FT-817, perhaps the K2), it also has to compete with
> used QRP rigs (built
> K2s on eBay, etc.) and new and used QRO rigs
> (Jupiters, IC-746s, FT-840s,
> FT-920s, etc.). A beginner is going to look at an
> IC-718, FT-840, etc.,
> before the 516, just because the QRO rigs are
> cheaper AND they can run QRO.
> I would think that the committed QRP enthusiast
> would be more likely to
> buy/build a K2... because in my experience most QRP
> enthusiasts are also
> enthusiastic about building.
>
> I thought the 516 was a darn good deal at $595...
> even toyed with the idea
> of perhaps getting one (for what, I don't know,
> since I have a K2 that I'm
> perfectly happy with, but it seemed like a really
> good deal!). At $795,
> I'll most likely sell my Drake R8A and buy a used
> Jupiter instead.
>
> I hope Ten-Tec sells a ton of the 516s... and makes
> a ton of money. I'm
> sure that someone has a break even #... the # of
> units that need to sell in
> order to recoup development costs... I'd guess
> somewhere in the neighborhood
> of 300 units. Six radios per state doesn't seem
> like an awful lot. How
> many Scouts sold?
>
> I'll segue into the Orion a little here... my Omni
> VI/Opt1 is one machine
> that I have never felt handicapped by. The Orion
> looks pretty neat, and
> inspires lust, but in all honesty is there a QSO
> that can't be made with the
> VI that could have been made with the Orion?
>
> Oops, there I go trying to be practical again.
>
> - jgc
>
> John Clifford KD7KGX
>
> Heathkit HW-9 WARC/HFT-9/HM-9
> Elecraft K2 #1678 /KSB2/KIO2/KBT2/KAT2/KNB2/KAF2
> ...waiting _eagerly_ for KPA2!
> Ten-Tec Omni VI/Opt1
>
> email: kd7kgx@arrl.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
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