Like many, I have found TenTec to support their rigs incredibly well.
I have found that their technicians are much more knowledgable that
those from Icom and Yaesu [I have never owned any Kenwood gear].
TenTec people can actually answer technical questions without having
to resort to the manual or some sort of script. On the one occasion
that I asked, the guy could even tell me the reasons behind one of
their design choices. They try to avoid having rigs sent back to them
for service if the end user prefers to try to do the work themselves.
The japanese companies prefer you to send the rig back to the factory
for service.
In terms of a big plus in customer support, TenTec is willing to send
small parts for free and send the bill for bigger items instead of
payment in advance like the Japanese firms.
I also understand that I am MUCH less likely to be orphaned by TenTec.
They will support their older rigs for the forseeable future. Many
Japanese rigs or orphaned after only a few years when the manufacturer
runs out of their supply of proprietary components. To the best of my
knowledge, TenTec only uses off the shelf components.
As a minor comment, I have been led astray by TenTec. My
mis-information led me to purchase a Corsair II which I have to admit
has not been a big mistake. I was in search of the most modern rig
that TenTec made that did not contain a micro-processor or proprietary
components (including EPROMS for which source is not available). I
was told by TenTec in a letter that the Corsair II fits the bill.
Unfortunately this is not true, while there is nothing in the RF
chain, the Corsair I & II does contain a microprocessor for the
digital display (and the keyer for the Corsair II). The source for
the EPROM is not available.
Comments?
Conway Yee, N2JWQ
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