David:
I fully agree with your approach and what you have relegated to yourself
in order to keep the 2" quad machines and 1" helical machines running.
At the same time, it doesn't appear you are faulting RCA and AMPEX
either. I note that many hams seem always are wanting to "point the
finger" when something fails or parts are no longer available. Big
difference!
73
Bob, K4TAX
On 8/8/2018 7:00 PM, David J. Ross wrote:
Ok....I promised myself I wasn't going to weigh in any longer on this but since it has
gone into spirited discussion I need to take the opposite viewpoint. I fully understand
the economics standpoint but..... My business is television broadcast for a small under
budgeted facility. It is educational and much of the media is archived on ye old rusty
ribbon also known as videotape. The cost of wholesale transfer would be staggering and
we are never sure what a professor might suddenly need so I have no choice but to
campaign one each machine. Anyone remember names like Ampex and RCA? They have been out
of the business for 30 years or more but left a legacy of machines built to last a
lifetime. My colleagues have often branded me the last of the old time chief
engineers...living by the creed "if it worked once, I'll make it work again".
I scrimp, scrap, horde and do anything else I have to do to keep them running. I even
have a little machine shop where I've been known to make parts when I have to. Again, I
understand the business economics of what you guys are saying, but I have never bought
into the idea of scraping something just because an accountant said we're not gonna
support that anymore. It takes a total paradigm shift rendering the equipment totally
useless for me to junk it....and that said, believe it or not, I still have people
requesting analog CRT television sets from me.
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec <tentec-bounces@contesting.com> On Behalf Of Rick Cochran via
TenTec
Sent: Wednesday, August 8, 2018 6:39 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Cc: Rick Cochran <wo8l@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion VFO Knobs
Ten Tec was in the equipment market for a long time. I used their gear for
decades.
The founders knew that high quality and exceptionally good customer service
were essential to compete with larger manufacturers. They had gained
experience with their own earlier successful companies.
That includes both amateur and non-amateur equipment.
The founders seemed to have access to capital to both manufacture and to pay
the very best American employees in sales, service, development and
construction.
Those employees appear to be forgotten now even for repairs despite a wealth of
knowledge and ability. I suspect they had to sign noncompete agreements at
some point upon release from the company.
The current ownership seems sincere at times but sadly lacking capital.
The clock has ticked and technology is passing or has passed the existing Ten
Tec. Years have come and gone.
I enjoy this list as a collectors’ corner.
However, I doubt the new Ten Tec has an Eagle, OMNI VII or SDR radio up its
sleeve soon.
Still, I enjoy this blog.
73s,
Rick
WO8L
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 8, 2018, at 4:48 PM, Steve Berg <wa9jml@frontier.com> wrote:
Hear Hear!
We have been spoiled by the service we got from the original Ten Tec company.
Paul Clinton and his techs were always very helpful, and that costs money.
David is trying very hard to keep the company functional, but had to make some
changes.
When I was a tech at the Motorola Midwest Service Depot in Schaumburg, Illinois
in the late 1970s, they were charging $65 an hour for my services. From that
sum, I was paid $6.50 an hour. Inflation since then has taken its toll, and I
find that the new Ten Tec service rates are not excessive at all. If they can
find the parts, they can still fix most of our old radios. I just ordered some
ceramic filters from a place in Australia, so I can keep my Argonaut V alive
for some time. I have also bought final amplifier transistors for most of my
old Ten Tec rigs.
I once owned a Kenwood TS-790A VHF/UHF multimode radio. Once it had passed the
time they supported it, I could not get it fixed at all by Kenwood. I had to
get it fixed at a shop in Southeast Iowa. This is going to be the case for
whatever brand of radio that you purchase from now on. Product life cycles are
getting ever shorter, too.
73,
Steve WA9JML
On 8/8/2018 3:31 PM, Rick@dj0ip.de wrote:
David, you didn't start a firestorm. To the contrary, you triggered
a very important twist on the thread of getting old radios repaired.
Fundamentally: forget it.
And the lesson to be learned is, it will only get worse.
Consider that when making purchase decisions.
I will conclude my contribution to this thread by saying anyone
blaming the current Ten-Tec owner for anything in the past, or
failure to be able to repair radios that he never sold, is . . . not
only unfair, but damaging our hobby by discouraging others from
continuing to invest in the manufacturing side of it.
73,
Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
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