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Re: [TenTec] Non-digital Ten-Tec transceivers

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Non-digital Ten-Tec transceivers
From: John/K4WJ <k4wj@bellsouth.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:34:13 -0400
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
At 10:48 AM 6/12/2006, you wrote:
Hi William,
   The Omni C was the last of this line of the Omni's and had all
the proper mods made. It also worked properly on the WARC bands.
I know C before D. The process was Omni A (analog)model 545; Omni
A  series B, Model 545B; Omni D (digital display) model 546; Omni
D  series B model 546B; Omni D series C (also known as Omni C)
Model 546C. The model 546C was the only one with the WARC bands
that worked properly, others has spurs due to choice of IF
frequencies.
Here is a good web site that tells about the different ten-tec
equipment. http://www.qsl.net/tentec/
73 Jim K4CGY
Jim,

It appears you didn't do your homework correctly.   :-)

A few years back I posted a message that I will paste below.


It has been bothering me that some folks are calling the Omni C a "Omni D Series C" since over the years that I've owned my Omni C I have never heard of it as a Omni D Series C.


The front panel of my Omni has only the word Omni above the Ten-Tec logo. There is no letter "C" after it. My owner's manual has the word Omni on the front. There is no letter "C" after it.


On the back of my Omni, below the heat sink and between the external speaker jack and linear connector, it is stamped,


        HF TRANSCEIVER
        MODEL 546 SERIES C
        TEN-TEC, INC.
        SEVIERVILLE, TN 37862
        MADE IN U.S.A.


All of my repair invoices refer to the transciever as 546 and then the serial number follows. There is no model or series letter.


I got out my old QST magazines and found the following.


Omni Announced in October, 1978


The October, 1978 QST has a TEN-TEC advertisement that announces on pages 128 and 129,


"there's a world of difference in TEN-TEC's  all new hf transceiver-- OMNI"


The Omni was avaialble with either a digital or an analog frequency readout. The specifications for both OMNI models were the same except for the readouts


" ANALOG OR DIGITAL READOUTS . OMNI A features an analog dial with 1 kHz dial markings. OMNI D has 0.43" LED readouts with the 5 most significant in red and the 6th in green to show 100 Hz increments."


The price for these beauties was "Model 545 OMNI-A $899" and the "Model 546 Omni D $1069".


Both transceivers pictured in this advertisement have digital readouts and have "OMNI D" printed above the TEN-TEC logo on the front panel. In other advertisements I saw pictures of the Omni A and it had an analog dial and "OMNI A" above the Ten-Tec logo on the front panel.


August, 1979


It appears that this is the first time Ten-Tec advertised the series B. This advertisement announced,


"New OMNI/SERIES B Filters The Crowd". The advertisement claims "NEW I-F RESPONSE SELECTION" and "NEW NOTCH FILTER" and new prices.


The prices were, "Model 545 Series B OMNI-A $949" and the "Model 546 Series B OMNI-D $1119". Pictures of the digital model show OMNI-D printed above the logo on the front panel. Ten-Tec continued to offer an analog and a digital version of the Omni.


May, 1980


In QST on page 109 I found the first Omni - Series C advertisement. It said, "new features, new performance + all 9 bands". The price line says "Model 546 Omni - Series C...$1189" The front panel has "OMNI" printed above the logo and the A and D were dropped.


The digital "Model 546 Omni - Series C" replaced the analog "Model 545 Series B Omni-A" and the digital "Model 546 Series B Omni-D" in May, 1980.


In summary, the Ten-Tec OMNI models were as follows,


Omni Analog Models  (545)
Model 545 OMNI-A $899 announced around October, 1978
Model 545 Series B OMNI-A $949 announced around August, 1979
Around May, 1980 the analog version was discontinued.

Omni Digital Models  (546)
Model 546 Omni D $1069 announced around October, 1978 (same date as the analog version) Model 546 Series B OMNI-D $1119 announced around August, 1979 (same date as the analog version) Model 546 Omni - Series C $1189 announced around May, 1980 (the analog version was discontinued)

The Omni C does have the WARC bands but as Mike, N4NT, pointed out, it isn't very useable on 17M.

73..de John/K4WJ ex K8PXG


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