TenTec
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TenTec] New Radio - Day One

To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Radio - Day One
From: "Mary Ann Higgins" <mahiggins@gmail.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 14:59:42 -0500
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Hi Denny : Looked at the Y-2000.Sexy, until I read the info, the
narrowest roofing filter was
3k!  (four pole not eight) and it didn't have a separate receiver,
ect. ect.- - -.  I've a
proud owner of my O-1 since SEPT03 and the more I look & read about
the so called super
rigs from JAPAN I just laugh !  Maybe  some day they might be  REAL SUPER RIGS:
BUT NOT UNTIL THEY HAVE A HAM BAND ONLY RECEIVER WITH 9Kcs 1st IF AND
A SEPARATE GENERAL COVERAGE RECEIVER !!!!!  GET IT!!!!!
Denny really enjoyed ur letter and hope this brings a smile to ur face.
73'  Ray






> I had my main contesting radio go toes up a few days back...  Decided  to 
> replace it as well as shipping it for repairs - again - so I can  operate in 
> CQWW...  Counted up the cash in my pocket, busted the dog's piggy bank, dug 
> out  the rainy day wad stashed behind the amp and totaled it all... I email  
> offered a few guys cash money for their advertised OI radios...  None  were 
> interested in my offers...   Thought it over for a day and decided debt isn't 
> THAT bad if it is for  a  n e w  radio - right Santa?  It's like that old 
> line your buddies  give you, "Aahh, have another beer, she can only get SO 
> mad."... Anyway, stashed the wad back behind the amp, broke out the plastic 
> and  called my drug pusher, name of Stan, and had a new OII fitted out with  
> filters and shipped 2nd day air...  It arrived at noon yesterday and  was 
> installed and working by two...
>
> So here we are the morning after the binge at two... Woke up at ten,  rolled 
> over and carefully looked - still looks like a 10 to me -  whew!  Anyway, all 
> jests aside, my first impressions: And let me say I had been put off on the 
> Orion by all the weeping,  whining, wailing, and teeth gnashing on this list, 
> so I was skeptical to  say the least when I decided to place the order...  I 
> did not want a  radio that merely learning to operate is an entire vocation 
> in itself - I  just want to contest and dx, not sit around stroking my cpu... 
>  And this is not new buyer enthusiasm, puppy love, or the first real  radio I 
> have ever owned - it took a lot of hard thinking before I made the  
> decision... After 46 years of hamming I have been through everything  from 
> junk to Collins... I have a steel cabinet that holds multiple radios  from 
> homebrew, HeathKit, Drake, Icom, Yaesu, Ten Tec - and a couple I  can't even 
> remember... This ain't my first rodeo...
>
> So, the big moment - power on:  It goes through the self checking for a  few  
> seconds then lights up like a pinball machine in a smoky  bar...  I 
> reflexively reach for a beer and a cigar while my elbow thumps  my side to 
> see if I remembered to tuck the heat under my belt before I  left the house - 
> oops, then remember I had to give all that up to buy  this radio - durn! The 
> speaker is hissing, lots of hissing... Hmmm, I punch the RF gain  button and 
> after a moment of figuring out which knob does the job turn  the gain down to 
> ~72 so the hiss sounds about right, punch the AGC button  and choose 'off' 
> ... I see the MODE  button and push it, golly there is a couple CW selections 
> even, push the  button next to one and we are in CW mode...  Hmmm, look the 
> panel over  carefully for filter buttons, finding none I finally see the BW 
> knob, give  it an experimental turn and the sound from the speaker starts  
> changing... Golly gee, look I can even see the bandwidth selected on the
>  display... Crank in down below 1 kc and I hear the sound change as the rig  
> auto selects the crystal filters as I dial down, just like Stan  promised... 
> Down to 590 cycles, the 600 cycle crystal filter auto selects and it  sounds 
> just right to my battered old ears...
> Okey doakee smokee, I plug the paddles in and hit it -> nada, nuttin,  no 
> dits, no dahs, no nuttin, ahh jeezzzz...
>
> I stare at the panel for a long minute, I even look at the back side of  the 
> radio and along the sides hoping for a button or knob, no joy, then  with 
> bowed shoulders I shuffle over to the shipping box and fish out the  manual..
> I hate it when I have to do that...
> 90 seconds later I am a  new man - That cryptic SP button controls the keyer 
> - oohhh ya, and I  even see how to get to the tuner when I want it, hey 
> reading the manual  aint half bad... Seconds later we have dits, yesssss, set 
> the numbers to  a solid 23 wpm, spin the dial, there's an IK3 calling, go 
> right back at  him and we have the first Q in the log... Life is GOOD...  
> Spent the  rest of the afternoon and evening going back to the radio and 
> making a  couple of Q's, then go work outside for a while - and gloat...
>
> So after day ONE -   Radio is a 10
> Operator is still a -1 but learning fast...
>
> The intent was that the Orion would go into the #2 radio slot on the  bench 
> during CQWW  while one of the 'reliable' #2 radios would go back to  being #1 
> for the contest...  But one day of operating the Orion and that  plan is 
> dust... The Orion will be in the #1 radio slot and either a Yaesu  or an Omni 
> will be in the #2 slot...  I took the time to plug the  computer into the 
> Orion and fire up N1MM Logger and reconfigure for the  Orion - it plays like 
> gangbusters...  The MK-V was more work to get  configured the first time 
> around... "lots tougher", I spent days reading that  manual...
>
> Color me happy so far...
>
> denny / k8do
>
> ---------------------------------
> Check out the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and 
> get things done faster.
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>


-- 
The joy is in the journey...
Mary Ann Higgins
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>