Paul,
Great find! If you're technically savvy at all, fix it yourself. There are
plenty of resources on this list who can guide you through the rough spots.
(Are you listening Jerry?) Maybe I'll dig into my OmniA/B (it has a few minor
issues but probably not anywhere near what yours has) as a "parallel"
project. If you were closer by I'd suggest getting together for a "tech
fest".
That brings me to another potentially "inflammatory" point - for the casual
non-contest non-DXCC chasers like myself, is there really a need for
the "latest and greatest"? I've found that I can accomplish almost all of the
contacts I want with the likes of the early Omni (especially B series),
Argosy, 560 Corsair, etc. In fact, I find that I prefer the RX audio of an
analog rig. Maybe it's just psychological, but most if not all of the
synthesized/DSP rigs seem to have a harshness or "fuzz" to the audio that the
analog rigs don't.
Just my $0.02 worth....
73, Al
On Wed January 26 2011 12:17:36 pm PaulKB8N@aol.com wrote:
> >From the time I was first I was licensed in 1960, I bought used gear.
>
> Finally, in 1980, I bought my first piece of new gear...a Ten-Tec Omni A,
> Series B. This radio would be my primary rig for the next 15+ years and
> would travel with me to three continents and provide me with well over 100K
> QSOs without a single failure. I parted with it in 1995, but always had a
> warm spot in my heart for that simple, reliable radio.
>
> Its amazing how the mind can observe and record things without you
> consciously directing it to. At a swap meet last weekend, my eyes fell
> upon something on the other side of the room that I needed to see. As I
> got closer, I saw a stack of beat-up-looking Ten-Tec gear. It was covered
> with a layer of dirt and grime. It took a little imagination to realize
> that it was an Omni A, Series B, matching remote VFO, 252 power supply and
> remote digital display.
>
> It looked as though someone had stacked stuff on top of the Omni and put a
> large gash on the top of the case. The trim ring on the transceiver looked
> corroded and unrecoverable. I started to walk away, but noticed that all
> the lettering on the panel looked good, as best I could tell. I spit on my
> finger tips and rubbed some of the grime off the tuning knob. The expected
> scratches were not there suggesting that this radio may not have seen a
> lot of use. I did the same on the other knobs, and found the metal inlays
> to be in very good shape.
>
> I noted that the dial cords were broken and the VFOs were both seized, but
> everything seemed unmolested, with the exception of the power cord, that
> was crudely cut about a foot from the connector. I made a ridiculous
> offer and was countered immediately with a "Sold!".
>
> I brought it home, set everything next to the kitchen and started
> cleaning. The more I cleaned, the more excited I got. This gear was in
> excellent shape. Front panels were perfect, the cases were much better
> than expected, the gash could be repaired, and the trim ring cleaned up
> perfectly with just a light application of Soft Scrub. Then I took off the
> top
> cover......bonus!!!...a 217 CW filter! (it is worth more than half of
> what I paid for everything!)
>
> Now I'm in the quandary of whether I should try un-seizing the VFOs and
> repairing the dial cords. I'm sure there may be other issues, maybe it
> would be better to send the radio back to Ten-Tec (if the still even work
> on these). Any suggestions out there? I know there is information on
> line on doing these repairs and I still need a power cord to do any
> testing. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.
>
> This is one of those good luck stories. This Omni A has serial number in
> the 600s, just like my original Omni did. I will keep you posted on my
> efforts to get it back on the air!
>
> Paul, K5AF
>
> This radio is probably as nice as any 30+ year old radio you'll find
>
> Paul and Karen Schaffenberger
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