[TenTec] Truth in Lending!!

[Ten-Tec Inc. Amateur Radio Sales]

At 07:39 PM 1/13/03 -0600, you wrote:

>Anyone could probably cob together some sort of station around the
>basic ORION at $3300, and those who can will probably do so. But,
>looking beyond the present customer base, "new" ORION owners will
>want/need the entire system, including all those filters that are
>deemed essential for the ORION to meet its superlative performance
>goals. And it is that group that I have in mind when I observe that
>the ORION is not a $3300 radio for the general amateur public. If the
>entire package has been designed to meet performance goals, then the
>new Ten Tec customer will either be required or will desire to
>purchase the package, not just the basic radio.

Well - not really.  Without going too far into it, there are a couple
of points that strike me as obvious, but apparently not as obvious
as I thought.

1) the performance numbers claimed for the Orion are for the
stock radio without any accessory crystal filters installed.

2) At 20+ years into the age of solid state transceiver era, many
hams have an accessory 13.8 Vdc power supply already on hand
to power an Orion.  Most hams already have a suitable microphone,
too, whether it's ours or Heil or someone else.  If not, we have
the options available.  We always sell far more rigs than options
(which is also why it's hard to come by used older optional
equipment for Ten-Tec radios).

3) Going along with #2, most purchasers of Orion are not buying
this as a first-time HF rig.  Rare is the day when I talk to a newly
licensed ham who is plunking down $3K+ for a new HF transceiver
as his/her first radio (though it does occur, sure).

>  The basic radio *is*, but if you want an ORION system
>(power supply, speaker, mic, tuner, full set of filters, etc) then it
>is a $4431.95 radio and should be viewed that way when being compared
>with other TOL radios, not the residue of older Ten Tec radios and
>parts that many current customers may already have.

Everyone sells accessories.   Each company has a different philosophy
about what is essential and what is not for a stock HF transceiver to
be supplied with.  Desk mic, speaker, computer command interface
and power supply are all options for the IC756ProII.  Explain to
me what I'm missing here (?)

Scott Robbins, W4PA


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