This is probably a good time for me to chime in with a couple examples of
Ten-Tec's great service ethic.
1. When I sold my ten year old (plus) OMNI-C (loaded with crystal filters)
with matching remote VFO and speaker-PS to my best friend only to have him
call me three weeks later complaining of the rig no longer working; I
suggested he call Ten-Tec service to ask for their help in diagnosing the
problem. He called and spoke to Gary or Paul, who determined the diodes on
the SWR board may have been damaged by a close lightning strike when the
antenna was connected during a storm the previous week. The TT service man
suggested that my friend buy the replacement diodes locally (Radio Shack or
radio-TV shop) and then explained how to remove the SWR board, how to remove
the the defective diodes, how to correctly install the replacement diodes
including soldering instructions, how to reinstall the SWR board, and close
up the radio. Although my friend had little electronic repair experience,
being a gunsmith he was very meticulous and precise with basic tools and
metal work; Ten-Tec service was able to encourage my friend to do his own
repairs with assurances they would help him and were just a phone call away
if soldering in two diodes didn't fix the problem. When my friend called me
back he was very excited that he had repaired his Ten-Tec OMNI-C and that
Ten-Tec Service Department had supported the trouble-shooting and repair of
a 10 year old, second owner radio by a phone call.
2. I purchased a new TITAN-425 amplifier from a dealer at a significant
discount, when Ten-Tec offered a new revised version. Within a month I had a
couple of failures for which Ten-Tec Service department sent me replacement
parts (plate choke and vacuum relay) at no charge, but when the plate
current meter began showing significant current during idle I called Ten-Tec
Service and asked for help and was told to ship it back. A week later I
received an email to call Ten-Tec Service. When I did so, Paul asked me if I
wanted the good news or bad news first. I said I might as well have the bad
news first. Then Paul said, "The two 3CX800-A7s are bad, they are out of
Eimac's one year from production warranty and they cost right at $350
apiece." I replied, "but I just bought that amplifier, its new, as you can
tell by the absence of wear on connectors, switches, and the thermal ink on
the tubes." Paul then said, "the good news is, we agree, you bought a new
Titan 425 which appears to have sat on a dealer's shelf unsold for more than
a year so we (Ten-Tec) are replacing both 3CX800-A7s from our stock,
updating your TITAN-425 with the latest modifications - revisions and
providing expedited return shipping so you'll have your amplifier for the
contest this weekend." I saved over one thousand dollars on the purchase of
my TITAN-425. I learned how to repair the RF deck as the result of the
initial failures. Ten-Tec may have lost some money short-term on my
TITAN-425, put they wound up with a very satisfied customer who has returned
to purchase another $10k or so of new products directly from Ten-Tec!
I have had other favorable experiences with Ten-Tec service including the
repair of my Model 253 Automatic Antenna Coupler. The Model 253 being old
has some rather expensive parts and Paul wanted to make sure I understood
the cost before he ordered the parts.
73 ES DX,
Gary -- AB9M
-----Original Message-----
From: wade staggs
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 7:00 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] 40m BCI and Ten-Tec vs. Elecraft
*There comes a time in every things life cycle, where the Labor Costs
alone, would quickly eclipse the value of the equipment. I can imagine that
this is always a tough call for the folks at Ten Tec to make. As for
aftermarket parts, or an endorsement of someones board or service? If, you
owned the factory, would you send someone to Joe Blow for an upgrade or
modification? You would be endorsing someone Else's product or service with
factors and business practices beyond your control. I could never recommend
someone Else's services. As a person I could but, as a business that would
be unwise. Personally, the other day I took 2 hours of my time to repair a
neighbor's DVD/Blueray Player. He could have bought a new one at Wallyworld
for $ 39.95 but, at a $ 65.00 an hour labor rate? For 2 hours labor, things
would have been quite different. Several weeks ago, a friends Corsair just
quit transmitting. After troubleshooting it, I found a ten ohm resistor
open and a shorted cap in the keying circuit. If, I had been the service
center. First, I would not have known the person or the radio's history.
Instead of just fixing the one problem, and to making sure that all was
well. The factory would have needed to check all functions, alignment and
make sure that all factory mods and upgrades were done. The Labor and
Shipping could have quickly piled up to be more than this Vintage Rig was
worth, even on Epay! Which would you rather tell a customer? 1. Your Rig is
too old and the repair bill would be more than we could recover if, you
decide Not to repair it ! Or.... 2. Sorry, we can no longer get the needed
parts. I know what I would say.*
* I HAVE NEVER ..... called Paul Clinton or anyone at the service
center with a schematic and smoking soldering iron in hand that they did
not bend over backwards to help me out. In many cases Paul has sent small
parts to me Free of Charge. Ten Tec is a business, They must follow
business practices and guidelines. Call KenYaeChicom and try to get the
service manager on the phone !!!*
* End of rant 73 de
Wade/KJ4WS*
On Sun, Jul 22, 2012 at 9:34 PM, Jerry Haigwood <jerry@w5jh.net> wrote:
> Barry,
> This part we are talking about is not completely obsolete. Glenn of
> DMS
> Labs has purchased a large quantity of these parts (Motorola 68705P). So,
> TenTec cannot claim they cannot get the part. It is a matter that they
> (TenTec) has chosen to not buy the parts anymore. When one of their
> radios
> hit a certain age, they do not recommend sending it in to them for repair
> because they no longer want to work on it. At the very LEAST, Tentec
> should
> recommend who to go to in order to find repair parts and service. A
> simple,
> "We don't repair these radios anymore but we recommend you obtain service
> from XYZ." A GOOD company would do that for their customers.
> Jerry W5JH
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of Barry N1EU
> Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2012 4:31 AM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] 40m BCI and Ten-Tec vs. Elecraft
>
> On Sun, Jul 22, 2012 at 1:54 AM, Jerry Haigwood <jerry@w5jh.net> wrote:
>
> > I contacted TenTec to see what fixes they may have for the display
> > logic board. Paul informed me they don't have any fixes for this board.
> > Paul also stated that the Corsair II was so old that it is not worth
> > fixing and he does not recommend sending it to TenTec for repair.
> > Well, so much for that great TenTec support we have all been discussing.
> >
>
> It's clearly not economically feasible for Ten-Tec to invest engineering
> resources in designing a work-around for parts that are no longer
> available
> in a 25 year-old radio. I might not like it but I wouldn't blame any
> company taking that position.
>
> Barry N1EU
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>
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