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Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO

To: <n4py3@earthlink.net>, "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO
From: "rick@dj0ip.de" <Rick@DJ0IP.de>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:35:47 +0100
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Nothing wrong with it.  It's just too expensive "for me" for a radio that
would only be used for SOTA.

After my previous post, I decided that maybe I already have the best SOTA
radio for me.
I threw my Scout on the scales.  It weighs 5.3 lbs.  Probably twice as much
as a good SOTA radio should weigth... but should I spend many hundreds of
dollars to save having to carry 3 extra pounds up a mountain, 5 or 6 times
per year?

I may just buy a YouKits in order to have "something" really lightweight,
and then depending on the mountain, decide between the Scout or the You.

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)



-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Carl
Moreschi
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 12:31 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO

What's wrong with the Argo VI for SOTA.  It will run on as little as 8
volts.

Carl Moreschi N4PY
58 Hogwood Rd
Louisburg, NC 27549
www.n4py.com

On 3/16/2016 2:33 AM, rick@dj0ip.de wrote:
> (changed the subject:  was Service, overhead   and the future A/K...)
>
> Barry,
>
> I did a lot of reading in the past day and I believe you are right.
> The KX3 is exactly the radio I described. PERFECT.
>
> Unfortunately it's beyond my budget.
>
> The basic KX3 costs $1500 here in DL.
> Add in a tuner and roofing filter and paddle and it's over $2K for a 
> 10w radio that I might use 5 or 6 times per year on a mountain top.  
> The ROI just isn't worth it.
>
> For home use, say as my 2nd radio, I would need an amplifier.
>
> Bottom Line:  It's a champagne dream on a Budweiser budget.
> For that money -(at this point in my life)-  I would get more bangs 
> for my buck out of playing with something else, such as a 7300 or an
Annan, etc.
>
> I need a Plan B for SOTA.  Maybe it's just "bite the bullet and carry 
> my Scout up the mountain."
>
> I don't mind spending $500 or so but I would sure like to know how the 
> radio is going to perform BEFORE I buy it.
>
> My primary bands for portable have always been 40 and 20.  15 will be 
> dying soon.  Do I really need 17m for SOTA?
>
> QUESTION FOR YOU ACTIVE SOTA Ops:  What bands do you mainly operate 
> when you are on a mountain top?
>
> I've only been on one SOTA outing together with a buddy and we 
> operated
> 40/20/17/15 making a lot of QSOs on each band.  Perhaps not quite as 
> many on 17.
>
> I think I will take a second look at the LNR offering.
> It is indeed an SDR with DDC - so not an NE-605 type of radio.
> Unfortunately they don't show much detail; just a block diagram.
> There is a box called SDR-RF BPF.
> This is a make or break component.
> Some SDR radios have ham band BPFs (good), others have an LPF, with 
> 0-12MHz (useless).
>
>
> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> (Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Barry 
> N1EU
> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 5:48 PM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Service, overhead, and the future. A/K/A/ I've 
> got my
> 2 cents!
>
> Rick, I'm not sure if you would be satisfied by the KX1 or the MTR radios.
>
> Unfortunately I don't know the answer to something better but not too 
> expensive.
>
> I suggest you try to borrow an MTR-5B.  That's the only lesser 
> expensive radio that will do 40-15M inclusively.  And you'd have to 
> search around to find one for sale currently although LNR should be
bringing it out soon.
>
> Or, just stick with the FT-817.  I like the radio, although it really 
> needs an external speech processor to work well on SSB.
>
> 73, Barry N1EU
>
> On Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 11:50 AM, rick@dj0ip.de<Rick@dj0ip.de>  wrote:
>
>> Hi Barry,
>>
>> I'd love to have a KX3 but it is much too heavy.
>> It's weight would place too big of a dent in my wallet!
>>
>> For SOTA I really only need 40/20/17/15m.
>> 10 is dying and by the time it comes back, I doubt that I will still 
>> be running up any mountains.
>>
>> My next scheduled SOTA operation is 1-April.  "Fool on a hill" - 
>> that's
> me!
>> I don't know yet if I'll try carrying my Scout up the mountain or not.
>> I can borrow an FT-817.
>>
>> How good is the KX1?
>> We have some heavy challenges on our receivers here in EU.
>> A weak DR3 destroys 40m, especially at night, and a weak DR2 makes 
>> working 20m difficult - especially at night.  You guys in the states 
>> can't appreciate that.  You have to see/hear it to believe it.
>>
>> I once built a 20m QRP rig based on a design by Rick Littlefield.
>> Had some kind of IC mixer.
>> It was marginal.
>> I ran a QRP CW contest using a home-brew magnetic loop antenna.
>> Sitting in my living room with radio, mag loop, and battery, I worked
> dozens of QSOs.
>> Thought it was great.  Then I put it on a big antenna and all hell 
>> broke loose at night.
>>
>> So I bought the MFJ 20m QRP CW rig.
>> It was no better than the one I built.
>> I sold both.
>>
>> I want something better than that - but not too expensive.
>> But I don't know the QRP radios at all, except for the Argonauts.
>>
>>
>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>> (Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
>> Barry N1EU
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 12:25 AM
>> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Service, overhead, and the future. A/K/A/ I've 
>> got my
>> 2 cents!
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 9:40 PM, rick@dj0ip.de<Rick@dj0ip.de>  wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> My Scout is a bit too heavy and over-powered, but the FT-817 just 
>>> isn't enough radio for me.
>>> I'm looking for something in between.  I'd like to see a 10w or 20w 
>>> radio with a good RX.
>>> I want it to have both SSB and CW.
>>
>>
>>
>> It's called a KX-3
>>
>> I've got one, but I usually carry a much lighter KX-1 or MTR-5B when 
>> I actually hike up a mountain.  (200 SOTA activations here)
>>
>> 73, Barry N1EU
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