[TenTec] PC Radio RX-320 first impressions

[Tom Cooper]

My RX-320 came yesterday and I've had a couple of hours to play with it
since.  Of course, the first thing I did was remove the top and bottom 
covers and see what is inside.  The cabinet is divided into two compartments.
On top is the RF board and below is the DSP board.  Both of these boards are 
very well made with a bunch of surface mount stuff on one side and the thru-
hole stuff on the other, over a ground plane.  Without surface mount, this
would be a 
MUCH bigger gadget.  The construction quality is first rate and it feels
strong,
like a metal brick.  

Unlike all the other T-T things I've owned, this one has no schematic or
technical
documentation.  It really is a "black box" for listening.  And listen it
does!  It
is no match for the Corsair II on CW/SSB on 40M in the evening (not a
surprise), 
but it is surprisingly good in heavy QRM and QRN.  I think an RF gain
control or 
an attenuator would be handy, but I got along without it.  I would say that
it is a 
better CW/SSB radio than an Argo 509 or Triton, so it is perfectly useable.  

I bought it mostly as an AM/SWL radio, and it really is great at "program
listening".
The DSP must kill all the heterodynes, because there were no whistles from
nearby 
carriers, and the recovered audio is very clear.  These is no speaker built
into
the unit, so I tried several speakers and headphones plugged into the
headphone jack.
Headphones need some series resistance (something <100 ohms, depending on
the phones) 
to not be overpowered.  

T-T expects most users to use the line-level output jack and a cable is
included to
connect this to the line-input jack on your soundcard or stereo.  I tried
this and 
it works fine, but I like the sound of the direct speaker better because my
soundcard
adds too much bass to everything.

The software is very easy to use and installed for me with no problems.
The spectrum scope 
mutes the radio when it sweeps a range of frequencies, so you can't really
see what you are 
hearing, but this and all the other features are done in software, so I
expect improvements 
over time.  T-T says that sofware updates will be available for download
via their web page.

Overall, I think that T-T has done a wonderful job here, and I can see that
I'm going to
have a lot of fun with my new toy.  

73,


Tom  W1EAT


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