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

[Larry Kayser]

Steve:
I was speaking of the Scouts during the prototype evaluation period, this 
was before the production runs and the problem became seriously 
rampant.  They were probably hand made and tweaked - what ever.  This email 
that you are quoting came much later at the peak of the first run at the 
problem.

If Jack (SON) had smelled the problem he would never have bought the first 
one let alone the second one.

If Jack Burchill of TT had been on the air with a prototype with a problem 
signal I doubt the rig would ever have gone into production either.

Larry
VA3LK


At 09:38 AM 2002/03/03 -0500, Steve Ellington wrote:
> > 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.