[TenTec] Some perspectives on the Argonaut V

[Buhyoff, Greg]

I am new here....well, not really 'new' since I first participated in this group and some other "contesting.com" groups in the 1991 (?) until about 1997 timeframe. I think those dates are correct as memory serves.   I was sort of semi-retired from ham radio for a few years from about 2001-2005 due to other interests and obligations as well as tying up things in my professional endeavors before my retirement.  I recognize some of the calls and names here.  

 

My intention here is to say a few words about my experience with a recent Ten- Tec purchase --- an Argonaut V.  But, I would like to give you a frame of reference you might use to evaluate my comments.

 

Over the years I owned, as near as I can remember,  approximately 22 different transceivers, including Corsairs, Omnis, Icoms, Kenwoods, Yaesus and many of them were considered to be top-end radios of their time - 940,850,1000, 1000D, 761, 765, 781, etc.  My all time favorite radios were an Omni 6 and 6+ and an Icom 751A (oddly enough).

 

I was able to start getting back into the hobby last year when I retired, but only had a few old Qrp or low power radios left over from the 'house cleaning' I did a few years ago  --- An SGC 2020 (good little, tough radio for me to carry  for flying due to its size and weight), an FT -897D ( another small useful transceiver for carrying in my aircraft) and an Icom 746 that I bought for reasons not understood - I should have bought another Omni 6+.  After many years of very avid DXing using a tribander and amplifier, I decided to re-enter the hobby and see what I could do with low power (not necessarily always true Qrp) on both CW and phone with strictly homemade wire antennas during the lower part of a solar cycle.  Crazy?  Probably, but I think it might be fun.  It will require greater patience, a lot of listening and skill and a dose of good luck (brief propagation openings, for example).

 

After looking around at all the transceiver options and not wanting to build a kit right now (the K2 certainly caught my eye) since I have other interests that take a good portion of my time, I opted to buy an Argonaut V since I had such great luck with Ten-Tec, their products and their support.  

 

I'll be honest, when the Argonaut V arrived, I was looking for problems since I had read a few somewhat negative reviews of it, including comments about less than friendly ergonomics and "possible transmit SSB audio quality problems".  In the end, I put my trust in what some other people, whom I trust, told me and went ahead with the purchase from Ten-Tec.  

 

 I spent many hours testing the Argo V.  I used it on CW and it was typical Ten-Tec --smooth with excellent filtering and QSK.   I waited for strong SSB stations to come up on 40, 20 and 17 meters and contacted them and asked them if they had a scope available and to give me information on what they saw in my audio trace on their scopes, etc.  I really scrutinized the ergonomics of the radio and did A/B comparisons with my other radios, and two borrowed radios (a 746 Pro and an Omni VI).   I've had the radio for a while now and have spent many hours with it in an effort to find out if the Argonaut would stand up to my expectations for a small, low power transceiver and to find out if my new goal of low power operation would be self-satisfying. 

 

My conclusions:

 

The Argonaut V is excellent little transceiver, with a very good front end that does not overload compared to the other transceivers I had on hand or on loan - save for the 746 Pro and Omni 6.  I have been using a home built inverted L doublet, center fed with ladder line.   The Argonaut V's receiver  performs much better than that of the FT-897D in handling close in signals ( much better filtering through its sharp DSP BW and PBT controls); is much quieter ; the QSK seems flawless; and the front panel ergonomics are excellent.  I, intentionally, only skimmed the manual when I first got it to look for "gotcha ya" warnings and then started using it to see if I was going to bump into something not apparent or illogical in its use.  This is a great test of ergonomics and human factors engineering (a research discipline in which I was involved with during  my prior professional life).  The buttons, knobs and controls were intuitive and logically arranged.  I love the analog meter and I like the implementation of seeing forward and reflected power - the reflected power tells me more than just seeing a 'computed' SWR.  

 

I would have liked a band up/down button but this is really not a big deal.   I also had some discussions with some folks like Don Rasmussen about the possible transmit audio 'problem'.  I have only used the TT stock handheld mic and have not attempted as of yet to try other mics.  The Argo puts out a solid 20 watts on all bands (not like the SGC 2020 and some other small 5 to 20 watt transceivers which vary by band ).  The BW and PBT work great -better than the ones on the non-Pro IC 746 and FT 897D (others may disagree).  I found that the noise blanker should not be run over about a value of 3 or 4 otherwise some distortion of the incoming signal occurs.  I wish it had a notch filter but I use an external digital processing unit on the output audio as need be.  But I have not needed that very often.  

 

The Argonaut V hears the weak or 'covered' signals that the FT-897D has trouble with and, in my opinion, does a better job than the IC 746 (not the Pro version) as well.  Some of this is subjective perception but since it sits on my desk and my ears are the ones listening to it, then that is what counts.  And, that is why just looking at specifications really can't tell you how you will react or perceive the output of any device.  In fact, I know some of my fellow pilots who do not like Automatic Noise Reduction headsets and would rather use non-ANR David Clarks even though there is a huge difference between the two.  

 

My unit has the TXCO (it is rock hard stable), Version 1.08 firmware and the external fan, which by the way, is quite quiet and does not bother me at all - another minor complaint I heard from some others.  I found out it can be easily disabled and is not needed for typical CW or SSB but is needed for digital modes.   Maybe all fans from the factory are not 'created equal' or maybe it is a result of my experience of listening above some background noise in the various aircraft I fly despite using a Bose Digital Noise Canceling headset.  So, again, I note that much of the impression of anything (radios included), a stimulus (audio, visual, tactile, whatever) is partially a function of the perceiver; partially a function of the constancy of human sensory system and partially a function of the type and magnitude of the stimulus itself.  So, there is no way I can factor 'me' out of this review.  Results may vary by user, prior experiences and variances in their own perceptions.

 

On Air Tests:

 

I will not spend time on its CW performance.  Ten-Tec designed it and that almost speaks for itself - it is their trademark CW capability.  I will say, that it is so silky smooth on CW I thought I was using one of the Omni transceivers I once owned and the one on loan to me during my testing of the Argonaut V.   

 

On SSB, I have had over 60 contacts so far in a two week period, including hams in 18 states, 12 countries in Europe and Great Britain and several in Central and South America.  All were made using the full 20 watts output and all were made with the inverted L doublet and I used the hand mic for all of them.   For 23 Stateside contacts  and several of the Eu contacts that were very strong and hearing me with a signal strength 8-9 or better signal,  I asked them during extended QSOs to evaluate my transmit SSB audio.  I requested this early during the QSOs.   We had some excellent propagation on Feb. 2nd and 3rd on 20 meters from about 1700-1900Z on the east coast   ALL stations reported the audio sounded "just fine" or  "very good -no problems"; or "very good - not Hi Fidelity, but very good SSB transmit audio".   I kept a log of their reports and quotes regarding the SSB audio.  Five very kind and patient operators (four here in the states and one in Britain) had scopes and monitored my SSB audio.  All of them said the trace looked "very good' and showed a "nice spread between from about 450-500 cycles to 1600-1700 cycles"   I experimented with the processor on and off and on with different settings.  All stations said the audio sounded much better with the processor off and the ALC light just flickering on input audio peaks (just as the manual indicates).  They also noted the audio did not lack the punch necessary to enjoy an easy to copy conversation.  In fact, the audio was often criticized as being "on the edge' with the speech processor turned on.  I have rarely used a processor over the many years I have been a ham since I do not care to listen to highly processed audio.  I do admit to having used it every now and then on other radios when I was an active DX'er and just trying to 'get through'.

 

 So, in summary, I found the transmit SSB audio on the Argonaut V to be totally acceptable.  For the rest of the contacts I have made with the radio, I did not ask for an audio report and nobody commented negatively.  Several in this group made unsolicited comments of " good signal, good audio".

 

Conclusions:

 

The Argonaut V is great little radio and in the Ten-Tec tradition.  It has a very quiet receiver with great ability to hear the weaker stations and to not suffer from front end overload on a crowded band.  The lack of adjustable AGC has not made a difference, in my opinion.  I honestly detect no problems with having a set AGC for phone and CW in the Argo V.  Since I got this radio and then listen to the 897D or 746 or SGC 2020, I immediately want to go back to the Argonaut V.  It is not an Omni, Orion, or 756 Pro and it does not cost as much.  It is a different radio for a single purpose - to make a contact with limited power and to 'hear' very well.    I prefer Ten-Tec's ergonomics for controlling functions in contrast to having to remember a laundry list of menu items and which ones control which functions and having to try to do all of that while I am in QSO. The 897D drives me nuts in that respect - and so does the 746.  But, those are my preferences and others adjust to the menu driven 'computer radios' quickly and love them.   

 

Since my time off from ham radio, I found that a new subset of operators had evolved - those who are very interested in high fidelity audio.  That is fine (they sound great) and it is one reason the hobby is so much fun.  There is something for everyone to try to accomplish and to experiment with.  But, at the same time, I have the impression that this has created a mindset in how SSB audio should sound.  When I started in the hobby, just making a contact of any sort was fun.  Later, making a tough contact was fun, no matter if you inserted processing or clipping to make it through.  (Side note: I bet we'll hear the processors when Peter I comes up!)

 

The Argonaut V was designed to be a communications radio and the transmit audio design was developed (my guess) with the 'making the contact' in mind --- and if it is SSB and a power output of 20W, then the transmit audio should be in maximized with intelligibility in mind.  I worked in computer modeling and artificial intelligence systems research and used these methods to be involved several projects for the DOD which involved human perception and signal detection of variable stimuli (audio, visual).  And, we expanded upon the research that was done many years ago -- that human interpretation of audio signals is best achieved in the 300 to about 3000 cycle range.  Of course, this is not new, but we went much further with that type of research to assist pilots in the cockpit and engagement environment - when correct interpretation is critical - hearing once and interpreting correctly.  So, I have no problem with Ten-Tec designing a radio that rolls off the transmit audio where it does.  It makes sense to me.

 

For those using the Argonaut V,  I found that using no processing, speaking in a normal voice and not artificially raising it as sometimes happens when a person is trying to make a difficult contact (a possible  subconscious thing that some people may do without thinking) is the way to transmit in the SSB mode.  I hold the mic about 3-4 inches from my mouth and at an angle and sideways as we learned in the military ( I have not done any testing to see if this mic angle has any effect).  I also found it interesting to hear what my transmit SSB audio scope traces looked like --- my scope traces were not even down to the 350 cycle level where Ten-Tec has a sharp audio cutoff.   And, I have fairly normal voice with no extraordinary highs or lows - it is pretty mid-range with a touch of bass.  I've received comments that I sound like a pilot making an announcement to passengers --- maybe that came about as the result of years of military and general aviation piloting where you develop a method, as sort of cadence to your speaking over the radio - speaking as if you are announcing without a lot of emotion which may eliminate a lot of highs and lows in your speech and thus 'fitting' the Argonaut V design parameters.  This, of course, is pure speculation and I wonder if there is anything to it.  Some of you may know more about this.

 

Finally, I found, with the help of Don Rasmussen that POSSIBLY when the version 1.08 upgrade was made to fix some early transmit audio problems that maybe the speech processor is not functioning perfectly now with the 1.08 software and the electronics mods.  As someone who wrote a lot of software for many years, I know that it is often the case that when one bug is fixed, another is introduced.  Since 1.08 requires some hardware mods as well, this may increase the possibility that is the case.  But, this, again,  is speculation on my part.  I don't normally use processed audio anyway and operate about 50/50 CW and SSB now.  I used to be a 90% CW op but with the layoff I need to get my speed back - and it is coming faster than I thought.

 

I am sorry for the very long post and I know the rules of this group - "that we should try to be as succinct as possible."  But, after reading so many reviews of the Argonaut V and many of them being just a few lines saying "it doesn't work very well on SSB", I felt the need to explain my experiences and to give this group some of my background which I think is important to evaluate my comments --- either negatively or positively.   I also think that people speak out when something, in their own mind, appears to not work correctly, or, if in fact, it does not.  But, when searching for reviews, what we may sometimes see is a bit of a distorted reality.  We may see more complaints and fewer compliments since the people who are happy with something simply don't speak up since they are happy with it and don't take the time to say so.  I guess the review I trust most are those where there is some overwhelming positive or negative opinion.  When numerous reviews are split, the only way I'll really know if something fits my needs is to try it.  There are many movies that I hated and formal reviewers or even my friends loved and vice versa.  I was the editor of a scientific journal and I know that when I sent a paper out for review it was rare that all the referees would be positive or negative - it was usually some form of a split opinion and I would have to make a judgment on the relative importance of the negatives and overall worth of the paper.  I don't know if that is the case with the Argonaut V but I think it might be.  My review is strongly positive and I have been having a great time using it for rag chewing and DXing.

 

Ten-Tec did a great job with it in my opinion.  It is definitely a keeper and some radios never lasted more than a couple of weeks at my operating position and others only a few weeks at most.

 

 My next goal, besides seeing what else I can do with low power under less than optimal solar conditions and homemade wire antennas, is to start to rebuild my Ten-Tec station.  The Argonaut is a good start in that direction and now I need to add back the treasured Omni 6 and/or 6+ that I unfortunately sold since I did not think that I would not have the time to, once again, enjoy this great hobby for more than possible emergency HF communications from some of the locations I fly into.  But, I think it was my success with using low power HF radios and minimal antennas from remote locations that inspired this new phase of my amateur radio experimenting. And, the Argonaut will be instrumental in this phase of my ham radio operation.

 

Thanks for listening and, again, I apologize for the length of these comments.

 

Best Wishes,

Greg K2UM

 

K2UM at vt.edu