[TenTec] Field Day 2002

k4beh@juno.com k4beh@juno.com
Fri, 28 Jun 2002 22:20:42 -0400


Hi Guys and Gals,

Since everyone is telling of their T-T experiences on Field Day, I'll add
my comments.

Our group has been operating field day since 1993, the year I got back
active again after an eighteen year absence.  I bought a used Paragon
loaded with all filters and the Giehl chip.  It has run flawlessly every
year and usually gets outstanding reports from the other end.  Without
exception everyone who operates the rig, especially the CW operators,
can't say enough good things about it.  We have even had several converts
to Dollywood products because of it.  One year I did think it had died
toward the end of a long run of contacts on ten meters when it suddenly
stopped transmitting.  The backup Delta II was pressed into service to
finish the last few hours.  When I got it home to check it out it worked
perfectly.  It must have had high temp shutdown because it has never
flinched since.

We operated this year with only two antennas, a 135 foot sloping dipole
fed with ladder-line aimed west and a 1000 foot loop up about 70 feet
also fed with ladder-line.  After only a few contacts it was determined
that the loop was the big performer (again!) and that is all we used for
most of the weekend on all bands.  The CW nightshift was very impressed
with both the rig and the antenna.  They said they had about ten stations
waiting in line each time they would call CQ on 40 and also 20 CW.  I got
many unsolicited comments on the big signal and great audio on SSB.  I
use the 705 mike and moderate processing (to the top of the bar on the
processing scale).  I use a speaker from a Motorola Motrac radio.  It
sounds GREAT.  I used a T-T 291 tuner in which I have added a homemade
4:1 balun to feed the ladder-line.  We operate off three 100 amp/hour
batteries in parallel kept charged with a 7 amp power supply set at 13.8
volts.  It gets rather warm by the time it's over but it has worked for
nine years now!  At home I use a 961 PS.  We operate class 1A and have a
blast.  We also got the 100 bonus points for natural power by using a 33
amp/hour battery charged by a solar cell for two weeks prior to FD
weekend.  We got them on 15 SSB and I first turned the power down to
about 25-50 watts and then after we had knocked off the required ten
contacts I cranked it up to 100 watts to see how long the little battery
would hang in.  It lasted for about 25 contacts before getting "garbled"
reports. 

We have come in first in our class in Georgia four out of the past eight
years and the station is just about perfect for field day in my opinion. 
The 250 and 500 Hz filters plus great QSK, PBT and notch make CW a dream.
 Vive la Ten-Tec.  Next year's rig du jour an ORION? I wish!

73,

Pat Haynes - K4BEH

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