I could not agree with you more. Over the years I have owned (and still
have) a lot of Ten-Tec gear. I started out with a Paragon and then had an
Omni V before I moved to an Omni VI. Over the years I have owned three of
them (two were upgraded to the VI+ and one was a factory model VI+). I still
own two of them. In addition to the Omni VI's I've had a Titan and a
Centurion amp, three 238 tuners (of different vintages), a Hercules II, a
Jupiter and a Corsair II with external vfo (my most recent acquisition).
Some of the gear was bought new from Ten-Tec and some was bought used from
them, but much of it was bought from hams who posted their Ten-Tec gear for
sale here on the reflector.
With the exception of some early problems with the new Titan (which were
corrected by Ten-Tec) I have had almost no problem with the equipment and
have used it for years. I have always enjoyed the performance of the
Ten-Tec equipment. In fact I was so impressed by the performance of my Omni
V that I sold an Icom IC-781 that had been my main radio.
While I have been favorably impressed by the performance of the equipment, I
have not been as favorably impressed by the "fit and finish" of some of the
equipment. Probably the most visible of these problems has been the
eccentricity (at least the appearance of eccentricity )of the tuning knobs.
Thus, this thread struck a chord with me.
I have never been distressed enough about the situation to try to do
anything about it, but in my personal experience there simply is no
comparison between the physical "feel" of other "top of the line radios"
(for example the FT-1000D) and the Omni VI.
I have been amazed at the perception of Ten-Tec equipment when first seen by
hams that have never operated the gear. Almost without fail - they
immediately say that it looks like **** compared to the Japanese equipment
that they are used to. Regardless of how hard one tries (and I have many
times), it is almost impossible to overcome this initial reaction to the
appearance and "feel" of the equipment.
I saw the exact same reaction at the Ten-Tec booth at Dayton last week.
Immediately after Icom unveiled the 7800, I went to the Ten-Tec booth. Two
hams (who had also seen the unveiling) were inspecting the Orion. I
overheard them talking about it (they were favorably impressed by the
specifications, but they were talking about what it looked like and how it
"felt"). I asked them if they had ever operated any Ten-Tec equipment and
they said they had not. So I spent some time talking with them about the
superior performance of the Ten-Tec gear I have operated over the years. I
extolled the superior performance of my Omni VI's, and answered some
questions that they had. When we parted I had the distinct impression that
while they were impressed by the performance of the Ten-Tec gear, they were
reluctant to buy it, based solely upon their perceptions of appearance and
"feel". I hope that I am wrong and that they both buy Orions.
Based upon my own experience and the experience of others related here on
the reflector, it would appear to me that this is an area that Ten-Tec would
want to address, even if there is only a perception of a problem. It seems
to me that it ought to be easier (and probably less expensive) for Ten-Tec
to make a superior performing radio look and "feel" good than it would be to
give a great looking radio the improved performance that it needs to be
competitive.
I believe that it would be a serious mistake to deny that a problem (at
least the perception of a problem) exists. I hope that Tec-Tec will address
it.
Ed W2ED
John KD7KGX wrote:
> But don't forget, all of the trim screws were perfectly aligned...
>>What this signifies to me is perfect attention to detail. It's a pretty
>>good bet that, if that level of attention was paid to the trim screws, the
>>rest of the car would also be of similar quality-of-assembly.
...
>>Finally, as a person who has been involved in creating and selling
>>products
>>that have won their niche of the market, I can tell you that most
>>consumers
>>don't, and can't, understand the intricate technical specifications of a
>>product. This is true even of ham radio! But they can see and appreciate
>>fit and finish.
>>Case screw alignment is not worth spending a lot of time on. Noticeably
>>eccentric knobs and/or displays/meters/etc., are because they affect the
>>customers' PERCEPTION of quality even if the radio works incredibly well.
...
>>Some ardent Ten-Tec fans think I write these posts because I hate Ten-Tec.
>>Give me a break... I own an Omni VI, Centaur, and 238B tuner, and am
>>strongly considering buying an Orion. I like their product line. I write
>>these posts not to piss off anyone... but the worst thing that can happen
>>to
>>Ten-Tec is for it to believe that fit and finish don't matter to their
>>customers. That is a sure way to declining sales and the eventual demise
>>of
>>America's best-loved amateur radio equipment manufacturer.
>>- jgc
>>John Clifford KD7KGX
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