[TenTec] Delta II?

[M. P. Haynes]

Hi Larry,

I ran a Delta II mobile for about eight years.  The only reason I 
switched first to a Scout and then an Icom 706 is that my company car
went from a Taurus with a bench front seat and then an Aerostar van to a
Taurus with buckets and a console.  With the console there wasn't  enough
room for the Delta II, which is rather large by today's standards.  (It
is about the size of the old Kenwood TS-440's and TS-450's.)  I never had
any problems operating it mobile.  The only time I had a problem was when
I used it on Field Day one year and tried to make some contacts on the
solar-charged battery which was only up to about 12 volts.  It is an
excellent rig with one limitation, as I see it.  The display is rather
dim but can be used without visual control by programming favorite
frequencies into the memories.  That way you can scroll to your favorite
spots and then use the VFO to hunt up and down.  I replaced the
electroluminescent panel which backlights the LCD display and it was
considerably brighter, though still dim in sunlight.  I operated both SSB
and CW mobile and it is a joy to use on both.  It does not have a
built-in keyer, but I use a straight key anyway.  The noise blanker is
very effective for ignition and line noise.  The Jones filter is VERY
effective on both modes and it is easy to get used to operating it "by
feel", negating the need to constantly look at the display.  It has an
easy to use RIT which is nice for CW especially.  The mobile mounting
bracket (if you can find one) is adjustable for viewing angle.  In short,
it is a great rig if you have the real estate to mount it.  The received
audio is very nice to listen to.

I started out using Hustler coils and masts with an MFJ mobile tuner. 
This worked, but lacked the ability to effectively go from the high end
of 75 meter SSB to the lower part of 80 meter CW.  The tuner would tune
it but the antenna was very inefficient if moved that far from the
resonance point.  I got around this by tuning the antenna for the high
end of 75 and then when I wanted to check into my CW nets I would stop
and clip a collapsible little Radio Shack portable radio replacement whip
antenna attached to a large Alligator clip to the top of the loading
coil.  I could then adjust the length of the "top hat" to resonate the
antenna at the desired frequency. (The 2:1 SWR points were about 20 kHz,
as I recall, although the tuner gave you about a 50 kHz range with good
efficiency.)  There were really two drawbacks to that arrangement.  1,
you had to stop the car and either change the coils to change bands or 2,
attach the "top hat" to change portions of the band.  Also, you had to
watch the SWR meters on the tuner to make your adjustments.  I got around
that by going to a screwdriver type antenna that allowed me to tune the
full spectrum of all bands 80-10 meters without getting out of the car. 
I also put a Radio Shack Field Strength Meter on my dashboard to let me
monitor the radiated RF voltage from the antenna.  I attached a short
piece of wire from the FS meter and attached it to the rear-view mirror. 
This gave me more than adequate signal to tune by.  I would change to the
desired band or frequency and roughly adjust the antenna by listening to
the signals and/or noise peak on the speaker.  Then I would either close
the CW key or switch to FM and press the mike button to get RF
generation.  I would quickly raise or lower the antenna to peak the
signal strength on the FS meter. By utilizing this method I eliminated
the need for a tuner and could change bands and tune to a 1:1 match
without even taking my eyes off the road, a much safer arrangement!  I
always got outstanding signal reports, especially with the screwdriver
antenna.

I think you would be very happy with the Delta II mobile!  Go for it!

73,

Pat-K4BEH

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 16:39:01 -0500 "Larry Keith" <kq4by at rocketmail.com>
writes:
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com 
> [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
> Greetings!
> 
> Are there any Delta II owners out there?  I am curious about this 
> rig since
> I ran across an ad during my recent perusal of some old ham 
> magazines.  I
> have read the QST review and the reviews on eham.
> 
> Specifically, I am considering a Delta II as a mobile rig.
> 
> Thoughts?  Comments?
> 
> All appreciated!
> 
> 73,
> 
> Larry Keith
> KQ4BY
> 
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