[TenTec] Jupiter firmware problems & Ten-Tec quality control...

[John Clifford]

As someone who spent many years designing, developing, and successfully
releasing commercial software that has brought in maybe half a billion
dollars in revenue while I was there, seems to me the problem isn't
upgradable radios... it's quality control.  Either someone's releasing these
upgrades without testing, or the testing is totally inadequate.  Complaining
about these rigs is like complaining about the reliability of the first
automobiles... it's a good thing we went forward rather than reverting back
to horse-drawn transportation.

Nevertheless, having to come up with three product releases in a week just
to fix bugs speaks of non-existant or poor quality control (testing).  I
have worked in QC before (established and ran a QC department for a
then-major communications software company) and it was SIMPLE to come up
with a 5-minute human-operated test that found all of the obvious defects.
This is the first thing I implemented at the company where I started the QC
dept (made the developers run their release thru the test satisfactorily
before release to testing), and IMMEDIATELY the quality of releases went WAY
UP.

Evidently there is no automated QC testing of these releases so that at
least common problems, like incorrect ALC configurations, nonfunctional
bandscope, or low output power, could easily be detected IN THE LAB before
this stuff is released.  Why there isn't automated testing is beyond me...
seems like this would be among the easiest types of software QC testing to
automate.  This should be Ten-Tec's first priority for future Jupiter
upgrades (don't release another upgrade until the automated testing software
has been written and itself tested, and then don't release the upgrade until
it passes the automated test).  If this was in place, then 1.20 would have
been a kick-butt release, with no obvious bugs, and there would be no 1.21
or 1.22 needed YET.

Most of the complaints I read here and on other websites (like eHam)
concerning Ten-Tec have to do with QUALITY CONTROL... not product design,
service and support, or feature sets.  And, unlike these other areas of the
company, quality control is the EASIEST to fix while having the MOST IMPACT
on present and future customers. As a staunch fan of Ten-Tec ("my radio
right or wrong... but please make it right!") I fervently hope that SOMEONE
in Sevierville WAKES UP, goes to the QC Department and SCREAMS long and loud
until either those responsible for QC 'get the message' or others are found
who 'get the message'.  Someone BETTER own this area (meaning that someone's
continued employment depends upon good QC), and individual employees who do
the final testing before product release should have to sign/initial a QC
certificate ("I, Joe Smith, your Ten-Tec QC Engineer, hereby certify that
this product meets our standards for release.  If you have a problem, please
contact me directly at (xxx) xxx-xxxx Ext XXX or email me at
joesmith@tentec.com. Thanks for supporting Ten-Tec!")... and their
bonuses/reviews/raises should be tied in to the number of checked-off
products that get returned/service calls for flaws that should have been
caught during this testing.

Incompetent companies fail to meet customer expectations.  Competent
companies meet customer expectations.  Great companies exceed customer
expectations.  I'm afraid, for Ten-Tec, that the impression many hams are
getting about their company (neat products that often don't work out of the
box and need many trips back for fixing, i.e., incompetent company) is
killing their reputation for great products, service, and support.  This is
the same thing I see happening to MFJ... lots of neat product designs but
many hams deride this company for their poor quality control and won't buy
anything from it.  I don't want this to happen... I want to be able to buy a
brand-new competition-crushing Ten-Tec Orion XV in a few decades.

Ten-Tec's primary goal shouldn't be to get the Orion and the Argonaut
released... it should be to ENSURE that everything they ship works as
expected out-of-the-box.  I'm sure a lot of hams are waiting to see what the
Orion is really like... will it work out of the box with no glitches?  If
news of the first products shipped is bad, then sales will also be bad.  If,
however, the first batch out of the the door works like gangbusters, then
Ten-Tec better be ready to handle the onslaught of sales.

Come on, you guys!

 - jgc

John Clifford KD7KGX

Heathkit HW-9 WARC/HFT-9/HM-9
Elecraft K2 #1678 /KSB2/KIO2/KBT2/KAT2/KNB2/KAF2/KPA100
Ten-Tec Omni VI/Opt1

email: kd7kgx@arrl.net