[TenTec] Ham-Com & Ten-Tec

[R. Eric Sluder]

While at Ham-Com I stopped by the Ten-Tec booth to see what was going 
on.  Not a lot of folks there at the time so I got to fiddle with the knobs 
on the Orion.  Nice radio, looks good and feels good!

I am troubled by the display on it though... I noticed while tuning around 
that the numbers change so fast that you can't read them like when tuning 
my Paragon, it's just a blur.  So I stepped over to the Jupiter and noticed 
the same thing.  I'm not sure if it's because they're display models, or 
not.  I must admit I didn't like it, but I don't have much to compare it 
too.  Later I checked out another manufacturers radios with LCD displays 
and noticed a tuning appearance that one would see on a more conventional 
radio.  It could've been the tuning speed as well on the Ten-Tec rigs.

Any of you Jupiter owners notice this... or maybe I was dehydrated at the 
time :^)  Anyway, the Orion sure seems to be a nice radio unless you must 
have a color display.  Personally, now that the VI+'s are available and 
more in-line with my price range I'll be looking there.  I'm not that much 
of an operator to warrant the bucks that the Orion dictate, but some of you 
will have a ball with it!

The 516 seems to be a nice little radio and I'm sure the electronics inside 
are fabulous, but man am I disappointed in the ABS plastic main knob.  As 
much as I try to overlook the aesthetics of a good radio, it troubles me to 
pay $795 for plastic that looks like something from a toy.  A miniature 
version of the knobs used on the big Ten-Tec rigs would have been far more 
fitting.  It seems folks like the knobs on the Yaesu's a lot -- maybe 
something like that would put the touches on a fine radio.  Maybe even 
contract SGC's knobs since they're an American company... just thinking out 
loud.

Lastly, a few Triton's and a good looking Paragon for sale in the 
market.  Not as much Ten-Tec gear in comparison to the other manufacturers 
like I just saw at Dayton though... that was Ten-Tec heaven.

73,

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R. Eric Sluder, W5WLW
North Texas, USA
resluder@coserv.net
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