[TenTec] Omni VI first impressions

[tafrank at sbcglobal.net]

           Tom

           K0HHB
           FISTS  # 3441
           MVDX/CC

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Hunt" <steve at karinya.net>
To: <TenTec at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 6:03 AM
Subject: [TenTec] Omni VI first impressions


> Folks,
>
> I got the Omni VI yesterday and so I'm now an expert after 1 day playing
with it :) Here are my first impressions, comparing it to my Corsair II :
>
> Advantages
>
> 1) The tuning "feel" is silky smooth, and it's nice to be able to change
the tuning rate; but will I get "withdrawal symptoms" if I don't have to do
a PTO re-build now and then :)
> 2) The auto-notch seems to work well
> 3) It will "auto band change" my Hercules II linear
> 4) Keyer speed control is (slightly) less non-linear than the Corsair
> 5) CW side-tone sounds like a sine wave, unlike the Corsair
> 6) It's nice that the frequency readout is the carrier frequency on CW,
and that you don't have to go to "Reverse" for 17m SSB
> 8) Nice to be able to change bands without worrying if the band-change
knob will crack :)
>
> Disadvantages
>
> 1) An annoying heterodyne (non-tunable) in the pass band on all bands,
significantly above the noise level.
> 2) I don't like the agc characteristics. Perhaps after 22 years I've just
got so used to the Corsair "hang" agc. I find myself turning the RF gain way
back on the Omni to stop the noise rising between words - even with the agc
in the Slow position
> 3) Audio quality on SSB Rx is not as nice as the Corsair. I've tried
various external speakers on the Omni, but the Corsair always sounds better
> 4) The meter and Frequency display is quite dim (even at the highest
setting) compared to the Corsair's bright display. And the meter
illumination varies with the number of LEDs that are on. For example if you
switch VOX off and on the meter illumination varies!
> 5) An annoying "thump" in the speaker going from key down to key up.
> 6) S meter calibration not as accurate as the Corsair. I set the Omni as
per the book (S9=50uV, S3=0.3uV) but it's not as accurate as the Corsair
in-between. [It probably wouldn't normally worry me, but at the moment I'm
doing a lot of a antenna azimuth measurements]
>
> I certainly wont be getting rid of the Corsair. I did a lot of A/B
switching between the two. I couldn't detect any difference in sensitivity
or intermods etc, but I kept prefering the Corsair because of its nicer
sounding (to me) audio and the annoying heterodyne on the Omni.
>
> If anyone has any "fixes" for the Disadvantages I'd like to hear from
them.
>
> 73,
> Steve G3TXQ
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