[TenTec] My First Ten-Tec

["Kris Merschrod" <Kris@merschrod.net>]

I came to know Ten-Tec through a good friend KV1A (SK). He had Ten-Tec gear 
and spoke highly of the rigs.  He also received my signals from overseas an 
patched me into the family.  My rig was (I still have it) a Drake TR-4CW/rit 
that I carried all over South and Central America.
In the early-1990s a new assignment in Ecuador came through. It involved 
five field stations with radios on non-ham frequencies.  I finally had the 
excuse that I'd been waiting for.  I'd looked at Tec-Tec and Cubic rigs over 
the years for remote locations.  Being a QRP nut the Argonaut II kept 
catching my eye when looking at the Ten-Tec literature; the Jones filter was 
a gem of an idea.  I had to be practical - phone patches to the States, 
making sure I could reach the field stations all added up to 100watts - the 
Ten-Tec Delta II was the right rig, and I could reduce power for those QRP 
sprints.  Most important of all was that with the push of two buttons it 
worked off the ham bands (Years later that put me onto the 60 Meter Band!). 
That is how I came to buy my first Ten-Tec. A second hand Centaur Amp came 
my way.  I also have an Argonaut V  that I bought second hand - another gem 
that I bring with me here and there.  It was mentioned by John K4AVX it a 
few threads back - was lightening or static damaged, but who needs an SWR 
meter or variable output when you can just set a pot inside at QRP?  They 
listen well.   That is the Ten-Tec station at KM2KM.  Of course I have had 
great communication with Ten-Tec over the years.
Kris