I thought I would share my first experience with the new Omni 6 plus option
3 upgrade.
We arrived at our field day sight three hours before the start. The time
was judiciously spent installing antennas and stations for a 3A battery
operation. The CW station , my rig, consisted of the Ten Tec Omni 6 plus,
just back from the factory with a fresh option 3 upgrade. This would be its
trial by fire as the rig was pulled from the carton and hooked up, for the
first time, just prior to the contest. Running at 5 watts, I was sure that
I would have no trouble hearing any stations that were workable. However, I
was not counting on the horrendous noise from a nearby hydro generating
plant and substation, and from passing thunderstorms that we had on this
particular weekend. Even 20 meters was ablaze with noise levels that I was
used to hearing on 40 meters and below. I switched on the OMNI and
immediately saw the advantages of this radio.
Seven minutes before the start I frantically looked for the old clock button
to set the front panel time. It was nowhere to be found. I pulled the
upgrade manual and the first item was about the clock. I brought up the
menu and found that it was very easy to scroll through and was laid out so
that the functions were instinctual by nature. Very nice touch, Ten Tec.
Next I tried a few pre field day contacts to be sure all was well. The
first thing I noticed was that other receivers were lagging behind in
performance to the Omni 6. Then I pushed the new NR button on the front
panel. Amazing!!! I never thought the Omni 6 could have been improved upon
so much by integral DSP noise reduction. (All external DSP units I have
used have lacked in many areas) The CW signals seemed to literally leap out
of the back ground noise.
Gentlemen, it is my opinion that the option 3 upgrade is a bargain. The
automated DSP alone is well worth the money and is a serious weapon against
the noise levels on the HF bands. Again, the engineers at Ten Tec have
impressed me with their skill in designing a high performance, state of the
art, no nonsense radio with a simple user interface. If you like trinkets
and LEDs, buy a KenComSu. If, on the other hand, you like to really hear
the station you are trying to work, invest in a real radio built by Ten Tec.
I am the least skillful ham alive when it comes to contest operating. So I
attribute the fact that I made as many field day contacts on my Ten Tec, as
the other two off shore rigs combined, to Ten Tec's superior design. This
rig was a true pleasure to operate for 24 hours straight under far less than
optimum conditions. Think how nice it would work in a shack without all the
noise pressure and a good Yagi attached to the back.
Very 73, Rob, WS7u
~Jeep CJ-5, Harley Davidson Soft Tail Classic and Ten Tec Omni 6+... The
right tools for the jobs at hand!~
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