Here's what you need to know...
First, welcome to the most exciting, most flexible hobby/service on earth.
Second, radios are like shoes. Two people who wear a size nine might have
very different opinions of a single shoe that would otherwise fit both of
them.
Saying that any one anything is "better" than another comes back to a
question of quantitative (lab tests) vs. qualitative (fuzzy feel).
For many, many years, I owned a Kenwood TS-520S. Great rig. Not very
portable (37 lbs, only 120 VAC). Eventually, I bought an Icom 735. I
loved that little radio, with its narrow CW filter, 12 lb. weight, and I
made thousands of QSO with it, and finally parted with it when I got my
OMNI V. Admittedly, the OMNI V doesn't have a general coverage receiver,
but wow, do I like the quality of the received and transmitted audio, and
the break-in is superb.
Anyway, some time later, I got my hands on another IC-735 and, lo and
behold, suddenly I realized how "raspy and thin" they sounded - and my old
one had sounded the same way, but I didn't know any better at the time.
Anyway, I kept it for a little while and then sold it.
About five years later, for some strange reason, I sold my venerable
OMNI V. I tried a half-dozen other radios in the interim, and eventually
found another OMNI V, and bought it, and still have it.
What you will find is that ham radio is a weird world where used equipment
really doesn't depreciate very much beyond its initial plunge, which
occurs in the first year of ownership (after the warranty is gone).
As such, if you have a few bucks to "convert" into a radio, and don't mind
doing it once in a while, you can give yourself the opportunity to try out
MANY radios and truly end up with the one you want to keep for the long
haul.
Radio clubs and Field Day operating events are great for that too...
Radios I've used in the past 15 years:
Yaesu FT-707, 747, 757, 767, 890, 900, 1000MP, 1000D, 817
Kenwood TS-520S, 530S, 430S, 830S, 440S, 850S, 570D, 930S, 950SDX
Icom IC-701, 720, 730, 735, 740, 737, 736, 761, 765, 706
Ten-Tec Argonaut 509, Corsair II, Omni V, OMNI VI, Delta 580, Scout, Argo
plus the Alinco DX-70T, RS HTX-100, plus a plethora of QRP/kit rigs
After all of this experimentation, I own:
OMNI V, Elecraft K2, Wilderness Sierra, IC-706 (mobile), FT-817
and those are my favorites - and I know I made the right choices :)
Good luck in your quest - remember, if you buy used, you can usually get
back what you put into it if you decide you don't like it...
73,
Scott N7JI
On Tue, 4 Mar 2003, Jody Levine wrote:
> I'm looking at buying my first HF rig and was leaning toward the Yaesu
> FT920, but I'm intrigued by some of the scattered comments I've been seeing
> about the TenTec Pegasus. I'm not sure if I'd mind the lack of a traditional
> control panel (and I can't afford the extra $300 for the Jupiter -- doesn't
> look like it's worth it anyway), or 6metre capability. I'm also really not
> keen on having to mail order, though it sounds like TenTec is a good outfit
> to deal with. What has really interested me are the reports on how quiet a
> receiver this rig is, and the PC control's advantage in flexibility. Trouble
> is that I can't seem to find any personal experience with this radio around
> my local club (Mississauga - near Toronto) so I'm hoping you all can provide
> some insight on what I might be getting into here!
>
> Is the Pegasus a better radio than the FT-920 or the Kenwood TS-570? Is that
> a ridiculous question :-) ? What are your likes and dislikes?
>
> Thanks for any help, and 73,
>
> Jody
> ve3ion
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
--
Scott Rosenfeld ARS N7JI
541-684-9970 Eugene, OR Land o' much rain
If you find me on the air, I'm probably in my car
ham@w3eax.umd.edu http://w3eax.umd.edu/~ham
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