Congratulations and may you have many more anniversaries! My earliest
contact with Ten-Tec was a PM-2B QRP rig and the KR-5 (or was it the
KR-1?) that I ran off a couple of lantern batteries. Had a ball from
home and portable. I remember clearly when the company was small enough
to send just about their entire management staff to our local club
meeting to boost the Triton 540/544 transceiver, then state of the art
and still a great rig. I remember Al Kahn, Jack Burchfield and Dick Frey
in particular. There were a couple of others including their then
marketing manager (not Scott) whose names I can't recall and we all had
dinner together at a local steak house.
Since that time, I have remained a loyal but not fanatical customer of
the guys down the road (two hours from my QTH). Product wise they have
had hits and misses, but are still batting over .750. For over 35 plus
years I have owned four of their then top of the line transceivers and
many accessories from amps to tuners to T-kits to parts. I have always
been impressed by the company and its people as building a quality
product and standing behind it with superb service before. during and
after the sale. While not "a place where everybody knows your name", I
do know a bunch of the guys and some of them even remember my name/call
when I call or stop by with a problem or just to say hello. How many
Yaecomwood people do you know at "the plant"?
As to the confusion about imports and transportation, it is obvious you
have never tried to get to Sevierville in the middle of the summer
season or during the fall leaf color days...or just on a weekend by
auto. Don't forget Ten-Tec is in the mountains where road construction
is measured in yards, not miles. It is sad that the technical folks have
to be imported. You know it's bad when both of your marketing guys are
from Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Sorry Scott and Stan, I couldn't resist!
To repeat, congratulations and keep on keeping on, Ten-Tec.
73,
Jim, N4IR
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