[TenTec] Re: Scout instability, revisionism, please stop

[Steve Ellington]

> The prototype did not jump and neither did the other Jack's jump either.


This calls for a quote from the reflector's 1997 archives.

On Sat, 21 Jun 1997, Jack W. Rucker wrote:

> To Chris & other Ten-Tec Fans:
>
> I followed with interest the Out-House Engineering (well .., it wasn't
> 'In-House') on
> a new rig from Tennessee. I was getting ready to place an early order,
> and thinking
> of giving up one of my 2 Scouts, when some of you mentioned updating the
> Scout.
>
> WOW!! Fix the Scout!! What a good idea!! I was responsibile for over 20
> other CW ops
> buying Scouts, and at least two of them sent them back after a few days.
> There are proably a few more who won't talk to me. Because of thousands
> of QSOs on my 2 Scouts - fixed, mobile, and two 7-week trips operating
> as 9N1SON - I inadvertently caused a lot more operators to never
> consider a Scout purchase, due to my drift, jumps, and/or a rough note.
> Several guys call me 'the Frog'. [Frog in the Middle - -
> Pond?]
>
> The Scouts are the most fun rigs I've owned in my 46+ years of hamming,
> and trekking
> in Nepal with solar panels and gel cells was frosting on the
> cake.
> After many dozens of hours repairing the rigs, & making minor 'no-holes'
> mods, I now
> have one Scout with a clean, almost stable, CW signal. I'll save the
> other one for a
> monsoon season.
>
> My vote is to test and stabilize ALL Scouts coming off of the assembly
> line, and
> then providing a factory FIX on bad ones in the field after the Omni VI+
> Gold-rush
> is over. With current prices, the Scout + all modules and accessories,
> including
> power supply, is around $1K. (Well worth it, when you have one that
> works
> right.)
> Another alternative that has been mentioned is to make all of the Scouts
> drift at
> the same rate. Then we could form Scout Clubs (Troops?), maybe a UFO*
> Club, call
> "CQ Scout", and have Scout awards and contests. QRM would only be a
> temporary problem.
> *Unstable Frequency
> Oscillator
> 73,
>
> Jasck
> W4SON/9N1SON


Steve Ellington
N4LQ
> The prototype did not jump and neither did the other Jack's jump either.