[TenTec] For Ci Jones, WU7R

[Mike Hyder -N4NT-]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <BPCI at aol.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 10:32 AM
Subject: [TenTec] Reflector is getting effective at killing sales
> I am sort of in the same position. I bought and Omni C a couple of  months
> ago. I am so impressed with it that I thought maybe I should go ahead and
> splurge to get an Orion II. But after reading all of the problems, and 
> realizing  I
> don't need to hook a radio to a computer (very simple CW only 
> operator--and
> mostly QRP), I'm thinking the Orion II just isn't the radio for me. I have
> heard  good things about the Corsair II and the Omni V, VI and VI Plus. 
> Some
> advice and  counsel from Ten Tec elmers would be appreciated...73, Ci
>
> Ci Jones,  WU7R
> FISTS #10789, CC #1853
> NAQCC #306
> ARCI #12163
> SKCC  #22
______________________________________________

Hello Ci,

Years ago I had an Omni-C (still have and use it today) and a Hercules 444 
amplifier.  The Hercules used a stepping relay to switch bands to track the 
Omni-C, which had an additional switch wafer on the bandswitch to provide 
the information.

I was down in Sevierville on some mission and Al Kahn was there so I got to 
meet him and talk a bit.  I asked if the Corsair II had the connections to 
make it bandswitch my Hercules 444.  He didn't know so called Larry Wirth 
(or is it Worth?) who came to answer the question.  Then Al asked me, "What 
rig are you using now with the Hercules?"

I told him I was using the Omni-C.  His now famous reply was, "If you've got 
an Omni-C, you don't need a Corsair II."

Now I have both.  I prefer the Omni-C because both it and my Triton 544 are 
very easy to listen to for long periods.  The receivers are very quiet and 
the output tones are pure.  My Corsair II has a bit of hash in its audio and 
tires me after awhile.  I use an Autek QF-1A on the output of the Corsair II 
and reduce its RF gain a bit.  That helps but still doesn't sound as good as 
the older rigs.  If I could keep but one, it would probably be the Omni-C. 
In addition to the above rigs, I've got a couple of the 580 Delta rigs and 
like them a lot.  They are quieter than the Corsair II but not as quiet as 
the Omni-C.

I've never even seen an Omni VI or an Orion but in general found with other 
"modern rigs" that the more modern they are, the more hash they generate. 
Then they have to add all sorts of stuff to eliminate the hash.  Years ago I 
bought a Yaesu FT-757GX because for me it was the perfect radio to replace 
my Heath SB-102.  It had a built-in keyer, came stock with a CW filter, was 
a full QSK rig and had a general coverage receiver.  My first 
disillusionment came when I tried to run QSK over 25 WPM and it wouldn't 
work.  The second came when I couldn't get the built-in keyer to go faster 
than about 25 WPM.  The next disillusionment came when I tuned in a very 
weak signal on 10 meters with the Yaesu's pre-amp turned on.  I could tell 
there was audio but couldn't make it out.  Thinking to myself that I 
wouldn't even have heard the signal with my Heathkit, I tried it and lo and 
behold, the signal was not only audible but copiable.  But the final straw, 
the one which caused me to drop-kick it out the shack window was that it had 
a constant hash in the audio output.  The hash was not typical to me, in 
that a strong signal would not override it but be modulated by it -- there 
was no reprieve.  Then I noticed after operating for over about 45 minutes I 
would have a headache and that the muscles in my back, shoulders and arms 
were all tensed up.  Normally I would have just left the rig turned on and 
left the shack but this one time I turned it off and kept my seat. 
Immediately I could feel all that tension just evaporate and my headache 
went away.  I believe that rig was never turned on again in my house.  What 
this says is that I may be more sensitive than most to the hashy sound of 
some receivers.  I sold that Yaesu and got my first Ten-Tec, the Triton 544, 
and never have even considered another brand.

In your position, I suggest the following self-test:
1. What do I need done that my Omni-C won't do?

73,
Mike N4NT