[TenTec] Screen impact

Fri Jun 11 18:42:38 EDT 2004

    I'm sure that we have all seen the price comparison (relatively
speaking) of what a 1963 vintage Collins KWM-2 & power supply or a Drake
TR-3 & power supply would cost in today's dollars.  We also have the
comparison of the hunter spending $1500 for a new shotgun, the fisherman
spending $30,000 for a new bassboat and the camper spending $100,000 for a
new RV.

    The point is that $3300 is not that much to spend for a hobby.  If you
want it and can afford it, go for it.  If you can't afford it, get what you
can and enjoy the hobby.

    There will always be the haves and the have nots.  That's one of the
facts of life.

    I am not making light of those who can not afford $3300 for a new ham
radio.  What I am saying is there will always be those that can afford the
best of anything, whatever it may be.  So, there shouldn't be a big deal
about it.

    And, I for one, would like a color display for my Orion.  Will I get it?
I don't know.  But, then again, I have heard a few rumors.

    Let's enjoy our radio hobby.

    Just one man's opinion.

            73


            Bernard, WA4OEJ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Notarius" <wn3vaw at verizon.net>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2004 2:18 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Screen impact


> Let's keep things in perspective.  One of the things from Dayton 04 that
> stands out in my memory is that it was almost impossible to talk to Scott,
> there were so many people standing around him and most of the other TT
staff
> there, and all wanting to talk about the Orion and other rigs.  To say
> nothing about the crowds that I constantly saw (2 or 3 deep) around the
> Orions that were there.  And frankly, I saw more people waiting in line at
> the Yaesu booth to talk to OH2BH (and get a ZA1A or other QSL from Martti
&
> company) than I saw around the Pheasant Under Glass on display there.
>
> In any event... in terms of performance, I have no doubt that the Orion is
> one of the top-of-the-line rigs available today (I can not say with
absolute
> confidence that it's THE top of the line rig as I haven't used that many
of
> the other more-or-less comparable rigs out today).  But we all know, it
> won't stay that way; sooner or later, technology will push the envelope
out
> further and eclipse the rig, just as the S-Line, the C-Line, the
TS-930/940,
> etc. have been eclipsed.
>
> So let's be brutally honest.  How important is a color screen going to be
in
> the Orion II (or whatever it's called)?  And there are two categories to
> answer:
> (a)  is it important from a FUNCTIONAL standpoint?
> (b)  is it important from an ESTHETIC standpoint?
>
> Let's also hope that the cost of small color screens continues to drop so
> that when the time comes, the cost of adding color to the O2 will be so
> insignificant as to be a moot point.
>
> But I do have to agree with Scott.  $3300 is still a lot for a radio, even
> one as fine as the Orion.  What I can't understand is how ICOM & Yaesu can
> truly justify a $10k radio... and isn't it odd that Kenwood hasn't joined
> the party yet?  Hmmm...
>
> 73, ron wn3vaw
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ten-Tec Inc. Amateur Radio Sales" <sales at tentec.com>
> To: <tentec at contesting.com>
> Sent: Friday, June 11, 2004 10:40 AM
> Subject: [TenTec] Screen impact
>
>
> > At 11:34 PM 6/10/04 -0600, W6LX wrote:
> >
> > >Wow. This is very, very interesting. Does anybody remember the uproar
> > >surrounding the Orion's price when it was first announced? Thirty-three
> > >hundred dollars, and everybody practically fainted. Just go back and
> > >read the threads and feel the anxiety: How could they charge that much?
> > >How can the little guy afford it? Does it really do that much more?
> >
> > And on the "Ten-Tec listens to customers" theme, I can assure you that
> > the commentary about how $3300 was very high for an HF transceiver
> > back in 2002 definitely had an impact on our decision to not put a color
> > screen in the Orion.   That was the whole point of bringing out the
Orion
> > at the 2002 Charlotte Hamfest - so we could get direct feedback on
> > what we were doing.  Same motivation for Icom and Yaesu showing the
> > IC7800 and FTDX9000 well in advance of availability.
> >
> > In 2002, I thought $3300 was a lot of money for an HF transceiver -
> > even one as good as the Orion is.  I still think so today.
> >
> > Scott Robbins W4PA
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> > Ten-Tec, Inc., 1185 Dolly Parton Pkwy, Sevierville, TN 37862 USA
> >    Contact Mon-Fri Eastern: Office/Tech (865) 453-7172 9 am-5 pm.
> >    Repair (865) 428-0364 8-4.  Sales (800) 833-7373 9 am-5:30 pm.
> >    Fax (865) 428-4483 24 hrs.  Visit us at <http://www.tentec.com>
> >    Email:  New product sales/product info         sales at tentec.com
> >               Service department
> service at tentec.com
> >    While we make every effort to answer email in an expedient manner,
> >    the telephone is a much more efficient tool for getting a quicker and
> >    more complete answer to your inquiries.  Thanks!
> >
> >
> >
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