[TenTec] High performance radios

[DennisKT5D at aol.com]

       I really love amateur radio. Been at it for over 35 years. Started out 
as a novice and have never fallen out of love with CW. I consider myself a 
casual CW DXer and contester. I also enjoy building modest things of my own 
design (I am an electrical engineer). I think of myself as a decent operator who 
has never really aspired to win contests but only to enjoy the experience. In 
short, I am not a high performance operator, which is okay by me. Therefore, do 
I really need a high performance radio if I already have one that meets my 
current needs? No. I should first hone my skills or set a new direction for 
enjoying my hobby. I presently do not need nor could I effectively utilize a high 
performance radio to it's full capabilities. A new ORION (I have an OMNI 6+) 
will not enhance my current satisifaction with amateur radio unless I am 
willing to work to improve my abitility to match it's capability. 
       It's much the same way with cameras. An old friend of mine runs a 
camera shop. His advice to the serious amatuer user is to buy a camera that is 
more capable than your current skill set, then work to improve your skills to 
match the camera. I think that sometimes we confuse new technology with 
automaticially enhanced skills.