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[TenTec] First and last word on Orlando

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: [TenTec] First and last word on Orlando
From: Mike Stricker <info4mjs@yahoo.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:15:50 -0800 (PST)
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Hi,
I am the person who originally pointed out that Ten Tec's presence was missed 
at the Orlando Hamcation this year.
For the previous 3 years, I have spoken with various Ten Tec representatives at 
the Hamcation...I only live 20 minutes from the fairgrounds.
I made this observation and publicly pointed it out because after 2+ years of 
playing around with various Orion 2 updates that weren't  "complete", I decided 
to sell it and I was hoping to try out an Eagle.  Unfortunately, Ten Tec was 
not present but I did get to play with an Eagle at the HRD display.
During the past 2 years there were a few updates for the Orion 2 that were 
released. Each time, I found issues with them and wound up reporting them back 
to Ten Tec.  I was told that they could not reproduce them and to send them the 
settings on my XCVR, which I did.  They still could not reproduce them.  I 
spent many hours using my test equipment devising tests that demonstrated the 
issues that I reported.  Since nobody else seemed to be complaining as loudly 
as me, I guess there wasn't a problem...until I devised and submitted the tests 
that demonstrated the issues.  After a couple of months or so, low and behold, 
a new update came out that addressed the more serious issue but not all of 
them.  I was told by Ten Tec that the minor issue was easy to resolve but 
unfortunately it never was with 2 subsequent releases.
As an engineer that works with programmable devices regularly, I know that if 
an issue is easy to resolve, it is done so that the customer is happy.  In this 
case it was not.  
I really liked the Orion 2 and I would not have sold it had Ten Tec addressed 
the one issue that drove me nuts since I could SEE it every time I used my 
radio...the fact that the spectrum display did not accurately show an LSB 
signal appropriately.  My feeling was that the receiver was fantastic and I 
would probably be happy with the Eagle.
I went to Orlando expecting to see Ten Tec and speak with them about the Eagle 
but they were not there.  The way I look at things is that if something simple 
wasn't or could not be fixed in a timely manner and since the manufacturer is 
not really promoting their equipment, I would have to shop elsewhere.  From a 
financial point of view, I suspect that Ten Tec lost more in sales of new 
radios from not being at the show than they would have spent on attending the 
show.  Yes, I wrote a note to Jim Wharton and another Ten Tec ambassador about 
this and received no response.
With all of this secrecy, one has to wonder.
Mike Stricker, WA1SEO
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