All good points which I won't dispute.
There are some rare exceptions.
A couple of comments:
- The Eagle would be a perfect rig for old codgers like your buddy (and
me), if only they had made the scale on the S-Meter about three to four
times larger. I can't see it. I saw it once with a lighted magnifying
glass. So my "honest signal reports" are: "you're moving the S-Meter a
little", "moving it mid scale", and "moving it a lot".
- If you aren't having any problems at your MM contest station, that's
great. But if you ever do, then you will indeed see a difference between
the OM7 and the Orion. BTW, the problem with 2x K3 disturbing each other
is a theme actively being discussed on the web RIGHT NOW.
- 160m... well James, you need to speak with some of the BIG 160m BOYS on
this, like Bill, W4ZV. When someone says "I can work everything I can
hear", I just chuckle and say again, "It's the ANTENNA stupid." With the
right antennas you hear stuff in the mud that the others never hear in a
lifetime. Then if a 59+20 signal plops down 1 kHz away or so, there will be
a difference between an ORION or K3, and a OMNI-VII. Since most of us would
have to win the lottery to ever own a QTH that would allow us to install
those antennas, it's a non-issue for us.
FINAL COMMENT for all Ten-Tec fans...
I used to go down to 4U1VIC in Vienna for CQWW CW Contest, back when John
was the station custodian. I've been there several times. We operated
Multi-Single, which means we had two rigs, one RUN station and one S&P (used
to call it the Multi-Station before the term S&P, evolved ...for hunting and
working multis).
I typically took a bunch of young kids (in their twenties) with me. All
were active members of the Bavarian Contest Club.
NOW THE GOOD PART: Running a pair of OMNI VI transceivers WITHOUT any
bandpass filters and about 1KW linears, we never had any problem with them
disturbing each other, unless you were tuned directly to a harmonic.
The kids could not believe that was even possible. They were used to having
to use ICE filters or similar at multi transmitter events.
In order to appreciate this, you need to understand that ALL antennas for
both stations were located on top of the same building.
They weren't hundreds of yards/meters apart!
PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT, MR. KENWOOD, MR. ICOM, MR. YAESU, and
perhaps even Mr. Elecraft.
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Richards
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 1:15 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Omni VII Filters
On 5/16/2012 8:58 AM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
> The one place where the OM7 will be at a disadvantage is if you are
> trying to use it at a multi-multi station where you have at least 6
> max legal power stations on the air simultaneously from a location the
> size of a football field,
I disagree based on experience. We run 2
Omni VIIs, an Orion II, an Omni VI, all in the same
room, and it is someone using a K3s that complain !
For some contests, the phone guys are in one place,
and the CW guys are 300 yards away on a big hill
in a field and the guys with the Elecraft gear complain
about intermod, not the TT guys. (I hope this does NOT
start a sub-thread about TT v Elecraft...)
Of course you gotta use passband filters, and stay off
the same antenna ... ;-) ... but I have NEVER
had intermod, interference, of any RF on my anything
under such extreme conditions.
Shoot, Rick... it might be better than you think ! ;-)
> Don't tell anyone I said this, but I even like it a wee bit better
> than my Eagle, but the Eagle has other advantages - size, weight, and
simplicity.
YES - The design team at TenTec obviously thought
about what to put on the Eagle and what not to ...
trying not to obsolete any of the other products in
the line. I prefer the Omni VII over the Eagle because
it has more stuff on it... such as a receive only
antenna jack, two transceive antenna jacks, etc.,
but the Eagle presents a high performance option,
at a lower price for guys who don't want all that
extra jazz.
I have considered using an Eagle as a "second receiver"
for the Omni VII, and letting Carl's N4PY Pegasus
control program integrate the two as one - so I could
use the band scope display for the Eagle to work as
a panadatper for the Omni VII - click on it scope, and
both rigs tune to the same frequency. Cool. I use
a TT RX-320D for that now, but the Eagle would be
way better I think.
One of our Lunch Bunch guys is older than the sun,
and sometimes talks about getting out of ham radio
because it seems to be getting too complicated for
him -- so I keep recommending the Eagle because I
think it would be a huge performer, but a much
easier rig to run than the rest of the crop. He could
easily take it to Florida when he goes down for the
Winter. Stubborn old coot... but he is a great guy!
;-)
> *The exception would only be a top notch 160m operator with great
> antennas in a 160m contest. The rest of the time, the rest of the
> contests, the operator makes far more difference that the tiny bit of
> difference in the radios.
We used an Omni VII to work the CQ WW
contest... and came in 1st in Michigan... 1st in
Section 8... Fifth in US... 7th in North America...
and the only guys to beat us were all on the East
Coast with a slightly better shot at EU multipliers.
So, I am not worried about using the Omni VII in
a 160 meter contest.
> In my books, the Omni VII is the best all-around radio on the planet
> today for 98% of all hams.
That might be a slight exaggeration... the real
figures is closer to 95% of all hams... ;-)
====================== JHR =======================
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