Rick, Jim, and others,
Tnx for the info. As you say, different strokes.....
73 Ray W2RS
In a message dated 9/28/2010 6:31:10 P.M. GMT Standard Time, Rick@DJ0IP.de
writes:
For the very serious contest stations, you are absolutely correct.
They want the very best and even they cannot agree on which rigs to use.
In my contest club, the Bavarian Contest club, we have about 5 or 6 big
contest stations.
"Big" is relative of course; they're no match for K3LR, or KC1XX, etc.
These have pretty much the same hardware all the time.
Most of our 300+ club members do not work from these locations.
Most work from home in any given year, but each big contest, probably about
10 little groups go off on mini expeditions.
A couple might work multi-multi, but most work multi-single or multi-2.
The transportation is often by airplane.
The amps are often just a kilowatt.
The antennas are mostly Spiderbeam (now W4PA in USA).
Here, the guys take what they can get. And most take their own rigs; they
don't have a club station waiting for them where they're going.
Many are still students or young kids and they can't afford a $4K radio.
They'll scrape to afford something, and just like I somehow managed to
afford a Drake Line while in College (early 70's), they can manage $2K.
Many just lug a lot of old heavy stuff along, like TS-850 or FT-1000,
because these are relatively cheap on the used market and get the job done.
Only people going for the first time would think about taking something
like
a TS-450 or FT-747, or even an Icom IC-735, which is actually a good rig on
its own. All of the lower priced Japanese rigs cause problems. These are
one time and never again radios for such purposes. Not only do they get
interfered with by the others, they cause a wideband noise to the other
local rigs when transmitting, especially when using a linear.
If you are the only one going on the trip, then you can drop down a class
and use an Icom-735, an FT-900, and even a TS-480, as long as you know
you'll need a lot of attenuation on the low bands. And if you go really
far
away and have marginal antennas, any radio at all will do!
I still get invited regularly on expeditions, but rarely go along, mostly
due to age and not wanting to spend so much money on the hobby.
Occasionally I do go and take my own rig. My Omni VI was always
acceptable.
Only us guys here on this reflector would want to use an analog rig (like a
Corsair).
For CW only, many use the K2. I did too for several years. But very few
people find it adequate for SSB.
This would make the Eagle the cheapest acceptable rig currently on the
market if you want SSB and CW.
And look at its size and weight; PERFECT!
MY PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS AS A CONTESTER:
Over the years, for me, the quality of the receiver in a multi-rig
environment has been at the top of my personal list of "must have".
I have activated 4U1VIC several times in CQWW, with two transceivers
(usually 2x Omni VI) and two amps and we did not even use external bandpass
filters. There, all of the antennas are located on the same rooftop. When
some of the kids would bring their cheap Yaewoodcom transceivers along, I'd
let them try and use it. You can't tell them their rig is no good; they
don't believe you!
After twenty minutes or so, they would push it aside and use the other
Omni.
Not long after that they would buy anther rig.
If you have never tried this, then I understand how you might have a hard
time believing it.
Try it.
It's easy to get a second ham with a radio, and put up a second antenna at
your shack.
If that's not how you work, and not how you want to work in the future,
then
you can ignore all of the above and buy anything.
BUT are you sure?
I once went to Liechtenstein (HB0) for Field Day, camping.
To my dismay, two other hams from Germany had done the same thing.
We were 3 stations with less than 100 ft. separation between our antennas.
The other two had JA radios with 100w; I had a Ten-Tec (QRP).
They could not operate at the same time, so after about an hour into the
contest, they decided to do multi-single.
I operated with my 5 watts, did not disturb them, and they didn't disturb
me
much (they had no amp; otherwise the wide-band noise would have wiped me
out).
Despite their presence, I managed to take first place in Europe in the QRP
class. Of course the rare HB0 callsign is always good for 10 dB.
You never know when you will encounter local QRM.
Sorry guys, this was another longwire transmission.
73
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Rsoifer@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 11:22 AM
To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle
Rick,
It's been many years since I was a serious contester (I dabble a bit
nowadays but I'm really a DXer), so this is really more of a question than
a
comment. I would have thought (perhaps incorrectly) that a serious
multi-multi would be using radios in a higher price/performance bracket
than
the
Eagle, such as the K3 or the Orion/Orion II. Am I wrong?
73 Ray W2RS
In a message dated 9/28/2010 3:27:07 P.M. GMT Standard Time, Rick@DJ0IP.de
writes:
What's wrong with the market position of being the lowest cost HF
transceiver on the market that has a decent receiver?
It seems some folks just don't appreciate good performance. Perhaps they
don't understand what it is.
If you think some cheaper radio is good, try taking 12 of them and putting
1.5 KW amps behind them and then run them all at the same time from the
same
site (run station and multi station for each band).
That's what we do in contests.
We are talking about radios that can do that, not toys.
If you don't need it, you don't need it. Period.
The EAGLE is the cheapest radio you can use in this environment unless
you
count the K2, which is a kit.
If you don't do that and don't want a radio of that caliber, well, don't
buy
it.
Buy a toy and play with all its gadgets.
Different strokes for different folks.
;-)
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Jim M.
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 6:25 PM
To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle
I don't understand the business model for this Eagle. Seems pricey and
doesn't seem to have much unique. Looking back at TT history it seems
they
like to continually introduce a plethora of radio models with names like
Eagle, Argo, Jupiter, etc. Why not just concentrate on a few well
positioned tcvr models? Why not spend the man hours to finish up the
Orion
II work?
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