[TenTec] Re Please tell me about the TT Omni VI+

[Steve N4LQ]

Rob:
I think your comments about the Omni VI are helpful, objective and fair. 
That is why they don't go over well with Scott. Factory reps will seldom 
admit the shortcomings of their products. They will almost always blame the 
user, not the product and they will never admit that a competitor has a 
better product. Scott has now stooped to the point of tuning the bands, 
listening for key clicks from Icom rigs and sending email from the company's 
mail server to the "offending" station, being sure to mention the brand and 
model of the Icom rig. I know this because I got one of his emails. I will 
not bother denying that the rig has clicks but will point out that if you 
make too many negative comments about "his products" you can expect a 
response. Do they have a right to respond? Of course but most corporations 
tend to avoid public conflict and I think Scott sometimes goes over the line 
of good policy.
As for the INRAD kit I mentioned. My intent was to simply use the fact that 
INRAD makes a kit to correct the problem to substantiate that there is 
indeed a problem.
And as for RFI shielding. I've had almost every rig TenTec ever made and 
they often fall short in this area. It's almost like the engineers invited 
RFI problems by putting plastic washers under the top and bottom cover 
screws and as you mentioned, little if any bypassing. I remember some mods 
for the Omni V that involved redressing wires to prevent audio transients 
when keying and power supplies that couldn't be placed on one side of the 
rig due to magnetic coupling. These things we just put up with or modify 
them ourselves since we like other things about the rig so much that we just 
overlook the faults.
So Rob, we may get some flames because of our apparent  lack of company 
loyalty but truth must prevail.


Steve N4LQ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj at hotmail.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 6:53 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Re Please tell me about the TT Omni VI+


> Scott, W4PA, seems to have taken issue with some of my advice to a ham 
> asking about the wisdom of an Omni VI purchase.  Now Scott you are a nice 
> fellow, but you are also in the business of selling Ten Tec rigs.   I 
> think my comments were reasonable and fair and I stand by them.  You may 
> focus on measurement numbers for receiver performance tests which I notice 
> folks on this list seem to do often, but I submit these do not tell the 
> whole tale when it comes to overall transceiver performance, build 
> quality, reliability and modern convenience.  For example, as an SSB 
> operator, the questioning ham may find a transmit monitor, so he can hear 
> himself through his headphones when transmitting, convenient.  This is 
> something lacking with the Omni VI.  Let us suppose the receiver specs on 
> the Omni VI indicate performance that is superior to the Kenwood and Yaesu 
> rigs I mentioned.  I doubt if the difference is noticable, or noticable 
> most of the time.  Since I'm interested in merely helping someone and am 
> no more than a ham with a computer and an opinion, I do not desire to 
> become involved in some sort of protracted nit picking debate.  I will 
> simply respond to the comments to date:    It is true that I stated at 
> some point in the past that some problems with Ten Tec rigs (the Omni VI 
> may have been the topic however I have also heard of RF in audio 
> difficulties with the Jupiter) were probably due to installation errors. 
> I doubt if that has changed.  On the other hand, I do think the current JA 
> gear seems to be more robust at dealing with RF coming into the rig from 
> unwanted sources.  For example, I can pop off the cover on my TS870 and 
> find ferrite chokes on the dc supply leads inside the rig.  I don't recall 
> seeing anything like that on my Omni VI and Corsair II.  If I am mistaken 
> please correct me.  Perhaps things have changed.  Until then I make no 
> apologies for having an evolving opinion.
>
> While the hamfest price reductions are nice, they do this fellow whom I 
> assume was not there, little good.  What are the current factory direct 
> used prices?
> Re the Google audio search:  A google search of some topic hardly proves 
> anything.  I can search for NASA Moon Landing Hoax and get a lot of hits. 
> Does that make it true?
>
> As for the INRAD audio mod, if you already have an Omni VI and you don't 
> want to buy a new rig, the mod is better than nothing in the sense that it 
> offers some improvment.  However if someone is starting from scratch there 
> are options out there using DSP beyond noise reduction that offer several 
> different frequency response ranges that are not possible with the Omni VI 
> available IF xtal filters.  However, since this is not what the original 
> questioner was interested in, and it is he whom I wish to stay focused on, 
> I will not belabor this point.
>
> 73,
> Rob/K5UJ
>
> p.s. note to anyone attempting the INRAD mod:  I advise removing the stock 
> carrier null pots (I think they are R7 and R8) and installing 20 turn trim 
> pots (Mouser is one source, about $2.50 ea.) as they make finding the null 
> much easier when you have the carrier right up against the 2.8 KHz filter 
> skirt, and they hold the null longer.
>
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