[TenTec] Lightning Strike Results...

[K5XS at aol.com]

Kim,
Sorry for all your travails.  Those moments aren't fun.
For what it's worth, I bought my O-II with the auto-tuner, and I have been  
very happy with it.  It seems very stable, tunes quickly, and matches most  
anything.  (If I have any complaint, it's that the chatter of the relays  makes 
it sound rackety.    But that's minor.)
Good luck in getting things back to normal.
73,
Bernie K5XS
 
 
In a message dated 6/20/2007 9:48:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net writes:

TenTec  has advised me that my O II did not survive the burn-in on the test 
rack: it  suffered multiple failures. Paul told me that they could fix the 
known  failures, but it would be very expensive and the radio would never be  
reliable. TenTec is sending me a letter stating that the damage is too  extensive 
to allow economical repair and that they deem the radio  non-repairable.  
That's a disappointment, but also a lesson. I will  replace the radio with a new O 
II, similarly equipped (full set of filters  plus autotuner), save for the 
auto tuner. I'd put  an LDG unit in there  and LDG no longer makes the internal 
auto tuner for the O II, so I'll have to  go with the TenTec internal auto 
tuner. I liked the additional features in the  LDG unit, but I'm sure the TenTec 
auto tuner will do just fine.

The  ARRL insurance through the Marsh Affinity Group will reimburse me up to 
the  insured limit that I decalred when I paidn the policy for a new radio 
once  presented with a receipt, less the $50 deductible. This is better than my  
homeowners insurance, which has a $500 deductible. Still, I was proud to own  
the rig that had been featured in the QST review and disappoitned at its  
demise. 

In 36 years of radio, this is the first lightning-related  damage I've 
suffered. I sure hope it's the last. Problem is, 50+ kA with a  rise time of less 
than 1 microsecond can do pretty wild stuff, even if it's  only close-by.

Kim Elmore, N5OP








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