[TenTec] I get nervous when . . .

[John Rippey]

It looks like the first Orions are just around the corner, and I get 
nervous when I think that the rig's reputation will to a considerable 
extent stand or fall on what the ARRL's lab reports. Since the report will 
be based on lab tests of a single early production unit, it is a dicey 
(i.e., Las Vegas crapshoot) business for Ten-Tec. Recall that the QST 
review of the OMNI VI Plus some years back had several nits to pick that 
detracted substantially from the overall report on the rig. Those nits 
clearly were the result of minor production glitches, not fundamental to 
the design of the radio at all. Also, a lot will ride on who does the QST 
review. Will he be a top CW op, a digital mode enthusiast, or perhaps worst 
of all a casual SSB rag chewer? Dave Newkirk and Rus Healy (a CW maven), to 
name two eminently qualified folks, are no longer available. That's why I 
get nervous when . . .

73,
John, W3ULS