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Re: [TenTec] Ten-Tec commitment to customers...

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Ten-Tec commitment to customers...
From: K5XS@aol.com
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:20:59 EST
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
This whole discussion is interesting to me.  
 
There seems to be a number (however small or large) of users who  suggest:
 
1)  Ten-Tec is close to abandoning its customers of some models ("If  they do 
not plan any additional revisions or upgrades, they should clearly state  
so.").  My experience is anything but that, including my experience with  
support 
for their older models.  I'd love to have a "customer account  software 
developer" to instantly incorporate every comment into revised  software, but 
my 
sense is we are somewhere far from abandonment and (reasonably)  far from 
instant gratification.  I think the reason Ten-Tec hasn't "clearly  
stated...they do 
not plan any additional revisions or upgrades" is because they  DO intend to 
revise the code--when doing so is practical in their overall  priorities, and 
that's what they have said.

2)  Ten-Tec no longer "loves or supports" their products.   ("Ten-Tec is a 
tin-bending shop with a circuit designer talent pool that loved  and supported 
their products until they became a
software company and  started to struggle [underlining mine].")  I just don't 
buy that.   I have been helped with answers to lots of questions regarding 
old Ten-Tec  stuff and new.  I will add, I have been using my Orion II for 
close 
to a  year, and have had no reason to look for support.  I think I am a 
fairly  heavy (weekend) multi-mode user, and have had no reason to ask for a 
code  
revision.  I am still running the software that came with the box (2.037j)  
and have never encountered a bug in CW, SSB, PSK, AFSK-RTTY, FSK-RTTY, FM, AM,  
or Slow Scan.  My XYL, six harmonics (and grandkids) will attest that I am  
finicky (she calls me OC, and I love the TV program "Monk"), so I am not shy  
about reporting bugs; I just haven't had one!  I guess the hottest topic  
lately 
has been audio quality.  Well, with the right AGC settings, I am  delighted 
with the audio in CW, AM, FM, and SSB, so I am at a loss to understand  the 
issues.  I'll admit I may be missing something, but I don't know what  it would 
be.
 
3)  They have lost product focus ("They lost product focus and may  have a 
shot at survival with the OMNI VII if...").  I don't see it with  Ten-Tec, but 
I 
think I do with Kenwood, Yaesu, and Icom.  Their products  seem to have very 
short life cycles, and support is problematic once the  products are replaced. 
 Ten-Tec's product roadmap has been pretty clean in  my eye.  In the past 
decade or so:  Omni VI+, Pegasus Jupiter, Orion,  Orion II, Omni VII.  I think 
that's been pretty focused.  (I would  guess they might have put off releasing 
the Orion until it could have been what  the Orion II is today, but we can 
debate the "Wait for the better before you  release" discussion every company 
has.)
 
I am not a sunshine pumper by habit, and I think I know when I see poor  
support for hardware, software, or services.  I have not seen it with  Ten-Tec.
 
Bernie Skoch
K5XS



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