[TenTec] Subject: Abbreviations used by amateurs.doc

[Dave Heil]

Bwana Bob wrote:
> No HF, even as backup? Ancient history now, but I was in Tel Aviv on 
> business in 1993 and all the embassies I saw had HF antennas on the 
> rooftops. 

Quite a number of U.S. embassies had HF backup until the mid-1990's. 
Most of them in the third world have SSB "Emergency & Evacuation" gear, 
but none for the record traffic circuit.  There's so much demand for 
bandwidth these days.  There's a need for ISDN voice circuits, e-mail 
and even video/imaging.


> Interestingly, most were dipoles fed with 600 ohm open wire 
> line. One embassy had an HF log periodic.

Most U.S. embassies used open wire fed dipoles with KW-rated, 
nitrogen-filled autotuners.  Many foreign embassies use/used cage 
dipoles with open wire line.  It was seldom that you'd see any type beam 
antenna.

> Wasn't the Ten Tec Paragon sold under GSA contract to government 
> agencies? 

It may have been, but it wasn't used by the U.S. Department of State. 
Our SSB gear changed in the 1980's from Collins to Transworld.  In 
J5-land, I had a Paragon at home and I tried to wear it out making 75k 
or so QSOs as J52US.  It made another 65,000 at 9L1US before being set 
aside for an Omni VI at A22MN.

> I wonder if any are tucked away in a corner of an embassy comm 
> room somewhere... Just in case.

Nope.  The Swedes in Guinea-Bissau used a large LP with a Drake TR-7 and 
L-4B.  Then again, all of their traffic was sent in the clear too.

Dave K8MN