[TenTec] First comments: Triton IV Model 544
randas@mindspring.com
randas@mindspring.com
Thu, 5 Aug 1999 20:20:34 -0400
Thanks for the report Jim..I look forward to hearing more.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Reid <jreid@aloha.net>
To: Jim Reid <jreid@aloha.net>; TenTec List <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Thursday, August 05, 1999 2:43 AM
Subject: [TenTec] First comments: Triton IV Model 544
>
>Aloha, now it is operating.
>
>> The rig appears to be in "brilliant, uncirculated, mint"
>> condition!
>
>Oops, when the power was applied, all was well, except,
>the S-meter was NOT in the window!! It was loose, sort of
>fallen back. Evidently suffered a jolt in shipping; but the
>little rig was wrapped in about four layers of bubble wrap,
>and had foam inserts on the sides of the shipping box.
>
>Bright light within the S meter lights up the area around it inside
>the case, now visible via the window where the S meter should
>be sitting. No sign of any mounting hardware; wonder if the
>meter came "unglued" from its mounting case? Clear plastic
>case around the visible front of the meter appears to be in
>fine shape. Will have to go inside in the morning and re-set
>the meter somehow up against the view window.
>
>Before I go inside in the morning, any comments about the
>S meter mounting from anyone who has been there, done
>this?
>
>Meter is working fine; agress within 1/2 S unit at various signal
>levels with the same signals tuned by the Omni VI+; Omni is
>the bit more stingy with readings, hi.
>
>> Looks very nice on the shelf just above the Omni VI+; will
>> have a comparison between them in a day or so.
>> First is to compare noise, as that was the impetus;
>> someone was praising the "quietness" of the Triton,
>> so we'll see.
>
>Well, they sound different. But when listening to a quiet band,
>then switching the antenna ON or OFF to either rig, the noise
>appears to increase the same delta in each.
>
>One quite noticable audio difference, without headphones,
>is that the Triton sounds thin, high passed, but the speaker
>is beneath the rig which sits close to the desk top, whereas
>the built-in Omni speaker is on the top above which is plenty
>of space on my desk. So that makes a very noticable sound
>difference using the built in speakersl Just discovered two
>snap down legs below the Triton which raise the front
>helping the audio out from the bottom speaker.
>
>Headphone audio is also a bit high passed sounding; however,
>with my Heil phones, audio only goes to the left ear, so I
>turn the phone around, hi. Guess need to get mono phones
>for the Triton. Unfortunately, the phone jack is on the rear of
>the radio, so with it up where it is, I would really need an
>extension cord for the phones. So for now, my comparisons
>between these two rigs will be using speaker audio.
>
>The Triton has wider pass band width than the Omni, even with
>the Omni using cascaded INRAD 2.8 kHz filters. On both
>CW and SSB I can hear adjacent signals with the Trition,
>but not with the Omni. Cannot find a spec on IF pass band
>with using SB-N mode for the Triton. On CW, the Triton has
>a CW-2 mode poition which the manual describes as using
>the same bandwidth as the SSB channel except when the
>Triton 245 CW accessory filter is not installed, which it is in this
>rig. When installed, the "CW passband curve is peaked at
>750 Hz with reduced response on either side"; this is when in
>the CW-2 mode. In the CW-1 mode position with this filter
>installed "the full 150 Hz wide filter is connected into the
>circuit, which provides very sharply attenuated skirts."
>Quotes from the Triton manual.
>
>Noticed that the manual I rcv'd is for the analog, dial
>version of the Triton. Quite a bit about dial adjustment,
>and dial cord replacement. Not a word about the digital
>display I have.
>
>Note that the tuning rate of this unit is about 13 kHz per
>complete rotation of the main tuning knob ( at least on
>20 meters; quite a bit of DX tonight also).
>
>I will spend more time with this little fellow tomorrow, after
>going in to re-seat the S meter. Hope to have more meaningful
>comparisons between these two fine Ten Tec rigs.
>
>Tonight I would say the Omni remains my rig of choice!!
>
>But I have to become more familiar with the greatly
>differing operating controls and characteristics of
>the Triton IV.
>
>73, Jim, KH7M
>
>
>
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