[TenTec] Argo V Purchase

[George, W5YR]

Thanks for the info, Ron, but don't go to any trouble making .wav files. I
have a friend with an Argo who would let me audition it if I became
interested in getting one.

What I was trying to understand is why everyone raves about the performance
of the Argo V, which has essentially the same IF-DSP architecture as the
Pegasus and Jupiter, and my 756PRO2 and 746PRO, and has no narrow roofing
filters, and yet Ten Tec in the ORION ad, etc. implies that a radio without
selectable narrow roofing filters just won't do the job.

I realize that there is a large cost differential between the ORION and the
Argo, and that they are intended for different markets and applications. So,
I would not expect the Argo to have the added expense of roofing filters.

But, it seems curious that all reports from Argo owners have been highly
enthusiastic about its performance and it seems to do well under contest and
other big/little signal conditions with the same wide roofing filters as my
PRO radios. I have not had any problem with big/little signal conditions
with the PROs since the DSP filters are quite good and the PRO2 front end,
especially, is markedly improved over the original 756 PRO. But the new 7800
sports a 6000 Hz roofing filter selection, so evidently for top-tier
performance, a narrow roofing filter has merit.

I just wanted to know your feeling about  wishing that you had a better
front end when using the Argo.

Doubtlessly, the roofing filters improve the ORION performance - the coming
ARRL Labs tests will quantify this. But owners of the RX-340, Pegasus and
Jupiter and now the Argo, all with IF-DSP architecture and no narrow roofing
filters seem to do quite well in their applications. But, I gather that the
ORION is aimed at a much more difficult set of operating conditions and is
designed accordingly.

My experience with IF-DSP dates back to the Kachina 505DSP which was
designed by Doug Smith a few years back, and it did a very creditable job as
well.

Thanks again for your response! Hope you continue to enjoy the Argo - my
friend loves his!

73/72, George
Amateur Radio W5YR -  the Yellow Rose of Texas
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13QE
"In the 57th year and it just keeps getting better!"
<mailto:w5yr at att.net>





----- Original Message -----
From: "RON ZOND" <K3MIY at csonline.net>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 9:06 AM
Subject: RE: [TenTec] Argo V Purchase


> Hi George
>
> I notice that in contests, I can usually pull a weak signal by adjusting
the
> filter to elimiate (as much as possible) the strong station. Then I use
the
> bandpass filter to peak the desired station. The Argonaut has 36
selectable
> filters fro 200 to 3000 hertz, and the bandpass moves 3000 hertz either
side
> of VFO frequency. By using the DSP filters and variable bandpass, I can
> usually get what I want. Improvements I would like to see (maybe with
> firmware upgrades) include a better noise blanker, DSP notch filtering,
and
> selectable AGC. The QSK is quite good on the Argo V. Another poster to the
> reflector noted "machine gun" recovery at high speeds. This is a problem
> with all rigs if the noise blanker in turned on. If you would like, I can
> send you wav
> files of the filters in action. Specify conditions that you want, and I
can
> send you files.
>
> 73
> ron
> K3MIY