[TenTec] Opinions from Scout Owners?

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

On Wed, 2006-08-02 at 15:11 -0400, Mike Bryce wrote:
> Humm...
> 
> the Ten tec scout....
> 
> I own four scouts right now. They're really fine radios. abit with  
> some quirks, as with any radio designed.
> 
> the modules are a bit of a pain, of course, you don't need to lug  
> around the entire ham bands, just the modules you need. No DSP, but  
> the adjustable filter works quite nicely. 50 watts of RF provides  
> plenty of bang for the poor bands. And you just can't ignore the  
> simple, on-off and station selector ease of operation. Most  
> complaints center around high speed CW and frequency hopping caused  
> by the overloaded processor. The analog PTO is just that. It won't  
> give you the stability of a PLL.
> 
> 
> compare:
> 
> the Icom 703...
> The built in antenna tuner is a plus, along with the dsp and general  
> coverage receiver. the 10 watts RF is a bit low for emergency  
> communications when the bands are so so.
> The radio will work down to 9.6 volts. Reports of driver failure  
> quite common
> 
> The SGC 2020
> Miserable CW radio! Ok, on ssb. The dsp works fine, but the entire  
> radio is not very user friendly. Once you get the  hang of the  
> interface, it's doable. 25 watts rf... will work down to 11 volts or  
> so. Radio tends to drift until the TXCO gets things back on  
> frequency. The radio is built like a tank and would survive in the  
> field when most other radio would up and quit. Discontinued by SGC  
> last fall. SGC will still provide service and repair. While the  
> manual states you can receive "AM" it's dismal at best. The 2020 will  
> tune from 160 meter band to 30 MHz and everything in between. There's  
> no band switch, everything is in memory.
> 
> The Yaesu FT 817
> QRP in a QRP package. 5 Watts rf on hf and 6/2/ and 440 bands.  
> Battery run time with internal batteries is dismal. Radio will work  
> down to 9.6 volts. Very small and compact, those of us with "man  
> hands" will find operating the radio hard to do. If you plan on  
> running CW, you better get the crystal filter. Reports of final  
> failure are quite common. general coverage receiver with good AM  
> reception.
> 
> The Yaesu FT-897
> You get both QRP and QRO in the same package. Internal batteries will  
> operate the radio at 20 watts, external 12 volts will do 100 watts.  
> You can have your choice of two NiMh batteries (at $90 each, third  
> party) or the internal power supply. You can't have both. DSP filter  
> works nice. Basically a FT817 on steroids. Covers all HF as well as 6  
> meters, 2 meters and 440. While the dsp filter is better than most on  
> CW, the optional Collins CW crystal filter works wonders. DItto for  
> the crystal SSB filter. 

The optional filters also fit the 857 and are Collins mechanical
filters, not crystal filters. For certain the CW filter is more
effective at lifting a weak signal out of the noise than the DSP filter.
There is an unused pin on the 857 power connector that when grounded
puts its RF output to 20 watts or less for 897 battery mode.

> Run time of the internal batteries depends on  
> mode. I get about 2 hours of radio per battery on CW. general  
> coverage receiver with good AM reception. While generally inexpensive  
> at first, the FT897 is an option rich radio. Fully loaded, it can get  
> expensive very quickly.
> 
> That's a short break down of the "smaller radios"
> 
> I currently own all of the above radios with the exception of the  
> 817...to small for me. Each radio has it own virtues. For trip in one  
> of the Jeeps, the SGC2020 would come along ( could use it for a wheel  
> chuck  while fixing the Jeep.) For camping, the 897, for bike riding  
> either the 2020 or the 703. The scout would be happy at home or at  
> field day or even mobile.
> 
> there's a lot of choices... I personally would like to see ten tec  
> come out with a small radio...
> 
> 
> 
> Mike, WB8VGE
> SunLight Energy Systems
> The Heathkit Shop
> http://www.theheathkitshop.com/

Fact is, there are lots of radios about that do some of the same
function as the Scout, some better, some more versatile, some not as
good depending on your criteria: weight, power drain, continuous
coverage, VHF and UHF coverage, minimum operating voltage, SWR
tolerance, noise blanker performance, convenient user interface, and
cost. Virtually none of the radios mentioned in this thread are horribly
rotten, they all make contacts repeatedly.
-- 
73, Jerry, K0CQ,
All content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer