[TenTec] Re Please tell me about the TT Omni VI+

["Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj@hotmail.com>]

Scott, W4PA, seems to have taken issue with some of my advice to a ham 
asking about the wisdom of an Omni VI purchase.  Now Scott you are a nice 
fellow, but you are also in the business of selling Ten Tec rigs.   I think 
my comments were reasonable and fair and I stand by them.  You may focus on 
measurement numbers for receiver performance tests which I notice folks on 
this list seem to do often, but I submit these do not tell the whole tale 
when it comes to overall transceiver performance, build quality, reliability 
and modern convenience.  For example, as an SSB operator, the questioning 
ham may find a transmit monitor, so he can hear himself through his 
headphones when transmitting, convenient.  This is something lacking with 
the Omni VI.  Let us suppose the receiver specs on the Omni VI indicate 
performance that is superior to the Kenwood and Yaesu rigs I mentioned.  I 
doubt if the difference is noticable, or noticable most of the time.  Since 
I'm interested in merely helping someone and am no more than a ham with a 
computer and an opinion, I do not desire to become involved in some sort of 
protracted nit picking debate.  I will simply respond to the comments to 
date:    It is true that I stated at some point in the past that some 
problems with Ten Tec rigs (the Omni VI may have been the topic however I 
have also heard of RF in audio difficulties with the Jupiter) were probably 
due to installation errors.   I doubt if that has changed.  On the other 
hand, I do think the current JA gear seems to be more robust at dealing with 
RF coming into the rig from unwanted sources.  For example, I can pop off 
the cover on my TS870 and find ferrite chokes on the dc supply leads inside 
the rig.  I don't recall seeing anything like that on my Omni VI and Corsair 
II.  If I am mistaken please correct me.  Perhaps things have changed.  
Until then I make no apologies for having an evolving opinion.

While the hamfest price reductions are nice, they do this fellow whom I 
assume was not there, little good.  What are the current factory direct used 
prices?
Re the Google audio search:  A google search of some topic hardly proves 
anything.  I can search for NASA Moon Landing Hoax and get a lot of hits.  
Does that make it true?

As for the INRAD audio mod, if you already have an Omni VI and you don't 
want to buy a new rig, the mod is better than nothing in the sense that it 
offers some improvment.  However if someone is starting from scratch there 
are options out there using DSP beyond noise reduction that offer several 
different frequency response ranges that are not possible with the Omni VI 
available IF xtal filters.  However, since this is not what the original 
questioner was interested in, and it is he whom I wish to stay focused on, I 
will not belabor this point.

73,
Rob/K5UJ

p.s. note to anyone attempting the INRAD mod:  I advise removing the stock 
carrier null pots (I think they are R7 and R8) and installing 20 turn trim 
pots (Mouser is one source, about $2.50 ea.) as they make finding the null 
much easier when you have the carrier right up against the 2.8 KHz filter 
skirt, and they hold the null longer.

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