[TenTec] Ten-Tec Service

[NJ0IP]

Don, I assure you that your experience was non-typical.

I haven't had much need for service but a few times in my 33 years of using
Ten-Tecs I had to have some spare parts.  It's too far away to send the rigs
back.

The best example is one year, many years ago, I was drilling two small holes
in the back of my Omni VI so that I could install a two jacks for connecting
an external preselector.  I wasn't careful enough when drilling and when the
bit went through the back panel, it also went through some components.

This was one week before I was scheduled to go to a dx-pedition for CQWW DX
contest.  I telephoned my order for the parts and 4 days later they arrived
in my mailbox, here in Munich, Germany.

Of course the very best experience was more of a sales issue than a service
issue, but it demonstrates the service of Ten-Tec sales.  I had planned all
year to activate 4U1VIC for CQWW DX CW.  About a week before the contest,
John Oakberg, the station custodian at the ham shack in 4U1VIC called me and
informed me I would not be allowed to use my "Big" amplifier (QRO
Technologies HF-2000) and to please not bring it.  In panic I called every
ham shop I could think of here in Europe trying to buy a smaller amp with
delivery within one week.  No chance!  I called Scott at Ten-Tec.  The
little Centaur arrived at my door (UPS) here in Munich 4 days later.  It was
in time for the expedition to the United Nations in Vienna.  

But a REAL example of how Ten-Tec takes service to a higher level can be
witnessed by a problem we incurred about a year ago.  We found that the
Orions were not working together with the ACOM amplifiers.  And we have lots
of guys here in Europe running ACOMs.  The ACOMs were going into a fault
condition.  After lots of speculation by lots of disappointed users, I
emailed ACOM and Ten-Tec, explained the problem, brought them into
communications with each other, and after exchanging schematics and
bread-boarding switching circuits, the cause of the problem was found and
fixed.  Changes were made by both companies and now the two companies'
equipment hum in harmony - in full QSK.  Try getting one of your Asian
companies to even address such an issue!  Their attitude and response is
simply finger pointing to the other guy.

Ten-Tec's service is #1 in my books and I've been at this game for a very
long time.

73
Rick
DJ0IP



-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Don and Diana Cunningham
Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 12:33 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Ten-Tec Service