[TenTec] Pricing...

[John Clifford]

As a small business owner myself, I understand (and agree with) Ten-Tec's
decision to charge as much as the market will bear. How much the market will
bear is the question though, isn't it?

Re the Argonaut V/516, this radio sounds like a 'stripped-down' Jupiter...
like the Argosy II was a stripped-down Delta II.  Sure, the box is
different, but the 516 seems to have most of the features of the Jupiter
except the transmitter.  I've heard good things about the Jupiter, and based
upon my personal Ten-Tec experiences I think that either rig would be worthy
of ownership... but I would also wonder what I could buy for $800 +/- with a
similar feature set.

Hams are not the cheapest people out there... that title is reserved for gun
enthusiasts.  But, ham are among the cheapest people out there!  The problem
with new radios is, like new guns, they compete with used items.  Case in
point: I almost bought a new IC-746 a year ago, but instead 'discovered' the
Omni VI/Option 1.  For the same price, the used rig was a better deal.  (Of
course, Ten-Tec benefited when I bought a full assortment of filters plus a
coffee cup!)  The point is: there is a TREMENDOUS secondary market for ham
radios and accessories.

The 516 has to not only compete with other new QRP rigs (SGC 2020, perhaps
FT-817, perhaps the K2), it also has to compete with used QRP rigs (built
K2s on eBay, etc.) and new and used QRO rigs (Jupiters, IC-746s, FT-840s,
FT-920s, etc.).  A beginner is going to look at an IC-718, FT-840, etc.,
before the 516, just because the QRO rigs are cheaper AND they can run QRO.
I would think that the committed QRP enthusiast would be more likely to
buy/build a K2... because in my experience most QRP enthusiasts are also
enthusiastic about building.

I thought the 516 was a darn good deal at $595... even toyed with the idea
of perhaps getting one (for what, I don't know, since I have a K2 that I'm
perfectly happy with, but it seemed like a really good deal!).  At $795,
I'll most likely sell my Drake R8A and buy a used Jupiter instead.

I hope Ten-Tec sells a ton of the 516s... and makes a ton of money.  I'm
sure that someone has a break even #... the # of units that need to sell in
order to recoup development costs... I'd guess somewhere in the neighborhood
of 300 units.  Six radios per state doesn't seem like an awful lot.  How
many Scouts sold?

I'll segue into the Orion a little here... my Omni VI/Opt1 is one machine
that I have never felt handicapped by.  The Orion looks pretty neat, and
inspires lust, but in all honesty is there a QSO that can't be made with the
VI that could have been made with the Orion?

Oops, there I go trying to be practical again.

 - jgc

John Clifford KD7KGX

Heathkit HW-9 WARC/HFT-9/HM-9
Elecraft K2 #1678 /KSB2/KIO2/KBT2/KAT2/KNB2/KAF2
                  ...waiting _eagerly_ for KPA2!
Ten-Tec Omni VI/Opt1

email: kd7kgx@arrl.net