Thanks for the informative review.
I was looking at the picture of the Argo V, rear view....Is the coax antenna
jack really stuck on there like that or was that just a prototype?
Steve
N4LQ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Erbaugh" <mark@microenh.com>
To: "Ten-Tec Inc. Amateur Radio Sales" <sales@tentec.com>;
<tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2002 4:16 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Argo V Comments
> I've had my Argo V for about 10 days. While work and other obligations
have
> prevented me from having as much time as I would like to play with it, and
> band conditions have been less than optimum for a QRP rig when I have had
> time, here are my comments, and suggestions for improvement. I think most,
> if not all of them can be addressed with a DSP update:
>
> Pluses:
>
> 1) When the band is open enough for folks to hear me, I get good audio
> reports on SSB. People who know my voice say it sounds like me - this is
> with just the supplied hand mic.
>
> 2) I have the TXCO option. The unit seems stable enough for me to use on
> PSK31. I stopped using my Elecraft K2 on PSK31 as it would drift 8 or 10
Hz
> during a typical transmission as things warmed up inside the K2. It would
> drift the other way as it cooled down on receive. No such problem with the
> Argo V.
>
> 3) The operation is pretty intiutive, though I haven't messed with
memories
> yet. Also, part of this ease of operation is due to some key (to me)
> features being left out (see below), and if it doesn't have a feature, I
> don't consider that feature hard to use <g>.
>
> Room for improvement:
>
> 1) The operator interface is not up to today's standards:
>
> a) There are some features (such as the RF attenuator and the tuning lock)
> that have no indicator to indicate that they are engaged. In fact, the
> manual says that to determine if the tuning lock is engaged, try turning
the
> VFO knob. For the RF attenuator, the only way to know if it is engaged is
> toggle it and see if the received signal goes up or down.
>
> b) There are some buttons the only work in certain modes, while other
> buttons are overloaded with functionality. For example, the an additional
> press of the KEYR button is required to adjust the frequency of the CW
tone,
> while the TONE button is unused in CW mode. Similarly, the SP button is
not
> used in CW (couldn't it be used for keyer SPeed?).
>
> c) There is no indicator for TX / RX.
>
> d) The meter can be placed in different modes (Reverse power, SWR, final
> current, low power 1 - 5 watts) during Tx. Again there is no indication of
> what is being displayed. Also, and maybe because of this, the meter
reverts
> to 'normal' 0 - 25 watts forward power once the radio returns to Rx. Thus
> you can't leave the meter in a particular mode.
>
> e) This is probably just a pet peeve of mine, but - when changing to a
> faster tuning speed, I think the frequency should be set to the nearest
> mulitple of the new tuning speed, so that the tuning is always done in
exact
> multiples of the current. For example, say I have tuned to 14.005.010
using
> the slow 10 Hz rate. If I switch to the the fast 1 kHz rate, the frequency
> should adjust to 14.005.000 and then tune 14.006.000, 14.007.000, etc.
> However, currently, the Argo tunes 14.005.010, 14.006.010, 14.007.010,
etc.
> In fact, if the unused digits were blanked (i.e. 14.005), that would be an
> indication that the fast tuning mode was engaged. I also find it strange
> that the 1 Hz digit is displayed at all, when there is no way to tune
finer
> that 10Hz and thus, the 1 Hz digit is alway '0'.
>
> f) I haven't seen this on other TT radios, but I offer it as a suggestion.
> There should be a way to reverse the sense of dit and dah paddles when
using
> the keyer. Obviously, I could rewire the paddle plug or put a switch
inline,
> but this should be a simple setting in the software and most competing
rigs
> offer this with their internal keyers.
>
>
> 2) There is no audio monitor in SSB. While the audio monitor in the
Pegasus
> was somewhat limited in its use for adjusting a voice input (i.e. it
doesn't
> truly represent the audio signal being transmitted), it was useful for
> setting up a soundcard for PSK31 (and other soundcard modes) transmit. For
> example, if there was audio feedback it was obvious in the monitor.
>
> 3) There appears to be no TX bandwidth adjustment.
>
> 4) There is no TUNE button. On the Omni series this tune button
> automatically put the radio in CW mode and generated a carrier. It was
very
> handy for adjusting antenna tuners and power output. The only way I have
> found around this is to switch the Argo V to CW mode and press the mic PTT
> button (I have the CW input set up for paddles and pressing one of them
> generates dits or dahs). It works, but is awkward. I'm sure this could be
> implemented in a DSP update to the Argo V, which is why I mention it.
>
> 5) There doesn't appear to a REVERSE button to listen to the TX frequency
> when operating split (other than swapping VFO's).
>
> 6) There is no auto notch function. I recently had an opportunity to try
the
> auto notch on my Omni VI (opt 3), when someone took forever to tune up on
> top of a net I was monitoring. At first, I had to double check and make
sure
> that the carrier was still there. The auto notch had completely eliminated
> it. Again, I'm pretty sure that this could be implemented with a DSP
update.
>
> 7) Operating full QSK there seems to be some artifact of the keying that
> gets carried over to the receive which appears to increase the receive
> noise. For example, I have the sidetone adjusted to a comfortable level
and
> audible over the current receive background noise. As I start keying the
> receive background noise seems to increase and I have trouble hearing the
> sidetone. Once I stop keying, the background noise seems to drop. Note:
I'm
> not a big CW operator.
>
> 8) Moving around frequencies is somewhat awkward (granted, I haven't set
up
> memories yet). Even the fast tuning speed is too slow for major
excursions -
> for example from one end of 10m to the other. It's even more awkward to
move
> around frequencies outside the amateur bands, such as SW broadcasts.
>
>
> Big suggestion to TT here:
>
> The Argo V can be controlled via commands sent to its serial port.
According
> to the manual, these commands are documented in a 'Programmer's Manual'
> available at www.rfsquared.com. As of this morning, the manual has not
been
> posted.
>
>
>
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