[TenTec] Why I like my Ten-Tec (was: It just depends...)

[Ken Brown]

Why I use Ten-Tec rigs:

First a list of rigs I have had before Ten-Tec:

1) Hammarlund BC-779 and two tube TX with plugin coils, built from 1968 
handbook plans.
2) Heath SB-301 & SB-401, bought used, already built, from separate souces.
3) Kenwood TS-820S, my first transceiver.
4) Kenwood TS-440SAT, my first experience with QSK

I started getting involved in working 160 meter constests when I had the 
TS-440SAT. When you get hooked on 160 meters it is inevitable that 
eventually you will be using separate receive antennas and probabaly an 
amplifier too. The TS-440SAT does not have a separate RX antenna input. 
so I modified it to use a spare jack on the back panel for that purpose. 
It worked pretty good, and I still had the QSK that I had learned to 
love. Then I decided I needed more TX power and got a SB-201 which I 
modified to operate on 160 meters. I moved an option jumper inside the 
TS-440 to make the "amplifier relay" inside the 440 work. This made an 
annoying click when operating QSK without the amplifier, because there 
is no outside control to disable it. And when running the SB-201 I no 
longer had QSK. I was already spoiled by QSK and could not go back. So I 
started building various relay control interface kludges to allow me to 
disable the little annoying relay inside the TS-440, and also to regain 
QSK functionality while using the SB-201. This required a bigger, more 
annoying Dow Key relay outside the TS-440, but when operating without 
the amplifier, I was back to no relay noise. And the bigger relay could 
be put in a padded box to reduce noise. I also had ways of using the 
transmit antenna for RX too, or using separate RX only antennas, all 
with QSK, with or without the SB-201. It worked but was pretty 
cumbersome. On more that one occasion I made a mistake in connecting it 
all up and ended up with TX power at the RX input, requiring that I 
replace a lot of switching diodes in the TS-440 front end.

Then I got a JPS NIR-12 DSP noise reduction unit. In order to hear your 
CW sidetone when using one of these, you need to give it a control 
signal from the radio to tell it when to bypass the noise reduction. 
Otherwise you will only hear your sidetone if you only use the DSP tuned 
to exactly your sidetone audio frequency. Even if you do that, there is 
some time delay through the DSP which makes sending CW difficult. So my 
transceiver/amplifier/receive antenna switch/DSP interface system was 
really starting to get complicated. And I never really liked having to 
pay attention to the audio input level to the DSP, while using the DSP 
volume control for the speaker and headphone level. I also decided I 
wanted to be able to operate the legal limit instead of only about 500 
or 600 watts output. I was getting tired of my complicated switching 
system.

I decided I wanted a rig with built-in DSP, built-in separate receive 
antenna input capability, and great QSK, with the ability to run a full 
power amplifier with QSK. It seemed like whenever I heard about great 
QSK, I heard the name Ten-Tec. I did some asking around and looking 
around and reading, and finally decided that I would buy a used Ten-Tec 
Omni VI. I am glad I did. It is not the "perfect rig". I missed the 
general coverage RX I had with the TS-440, so I bought a used Paragon 
too. I was a bit dissappointed by the birdies I hear in the Omni VI, 
until I made carefull comparisons with the TS-440 and found that almost 
every birdie on the Omni is far below the receiver noise floor of the 
TS-440.  The QSK really is excellent, much better than the TS-440. And 
when using the Titan 425, the QSK is still excellent. With the 
headphones on I don't notice the annoying vacuum relay clicking away.

Maybe some flavor of an FT-1000 would have given me the same capability 
in one box as I am getting from the Omni and  Paragon combination. And 
after getting inside to make the key click reduction mods, my neighbor 
hams would be just as happy too.

I prefer the styling of the Omni VI and Paragon. They would fit right in 
on a shelf with equipment with names like Hewlett Packard, Tektronix, 
Fluke, General Radio, Wavetek, Siemens. Most other rigs would look out 
of place there, and would fit right in with names like Sony, Panasonic, 
Nakamichi, Mitsubishi, Realistic. While it is not really very important 
how they look on the outside, when you get inside the Omni and Paragon 
they also look more like lab test gear, and less like consumer 
electronics. That really makes a difference if you want to make a repair 
or modification.


I hope somebody has actually read all the way to the bottom. The bottom 
line is that I got into Ten-Tec gear by getting spoiled with the QSK in 
a Kenwood TS-440. When I read about less than great QSK in Orions, I 
hope that the firmware refinement process can make it as good as my 
Omni, so that someday maybe I'll want to buy an Orion. I've never tried 
an Orion, maybe with the right firmware version it is as good or better 
than the Omni already. If I had the choice between excellent QSK and a 
"bandscope" with color display, I'd choose the excellent QSK. I usually 
have my eyes closed while in a QSO anyway.

73 DE N6KB