[TenTec] Century 22

[Bwana Bob]

Robert:

Welcome back!  I recently bought a Century 22, so I'd be glad to compare
notes when you get yours. Mine has a couple of very minor quirks, which 
you may or may not observe.  It really is a fun little radio and its 
much more sophisticated than the Century 21. Mine has the built-in 
calibrator and keyer, which may be rare, but you could homebrew 
equivalents if you wanted to. I'm thinking about someday adding an 
outboard digital frequency display. Almost All Digital Electronics 
(AADE) makes some nice ones.

At 20W output you really don't need an amp. The power is adequate for
CW. Ten Tec made a 50 W amp for the Argonaut series and Tokyo High
Power Labs makes one intended for the Yaesu FT-817, but these are both
5W transceivers, so the C-22 may overdrive the amp.  The amps mentioned
put out 50 W, which is only a little more than 1/2 S-unit above the 
Century 22 anyway.

The Century 22 has the same VFO as the Omni and Corsair series. I find 
it to be very stable.  The receiver is a challenge  for contests because 
it is direct conversion and therefore not "single signal".  However, the
audio filter is very good with no ringing and you can sometimes avoid
QRM by swinging the offset tuning over to the other side of zero beat. 
I also discovered that the audio filter will take out the buzz from 
power lines and other sources better than a noise blanker.

30 meters is nice.  It is a lot like 40, and a little like 20, but its 
not crowded  and there are no contests to blanket the band on weekends. 
Right now, because of the low solar activity, its mainly a daytime band.

It's a good idea to have a circuit breaker, but if your swr is low or if 
you use a tuner and do the tuning at reduced power, you should be fine. 
  You can order an equivalent circuit breaker from Poco Sales.  They 
carry the 5 amp Airpax magnetic breakers that Ten Tec originally used.

When were you first licensed? I got my start in high school in 1966 as 
WN2VUF, with a Heath DX-60A and later with an HW-100.  I remember the 
HW-16 as a really nice cw rig and one of the few that used full break-in.

I use a keyer or straight key. At night when I'm tired, I always use a 
straight key because I make too many errors with the keyer. My straight 
keys of choice are the surplus J-37 variants, or better yet, the Navy 
CMI-26003A.


					73,

					Bob WB2VUF

Robert Johnston wrote:
> After a long absence from ham radio, i plan to get back soon.  I bought an
> Icom 730 last fall, but it just didn't bring back the old thrill 
> 
> started when i was a teen with an HW-16 on code.  Now i a looking to sell
> it.   I almost got an Omni D series B, but was second in line and so i
> bought a Century 
> 
> 22.  code was always my favorite.   So now i have to wait till this little
> gem arrives. meantime any advice about the 22 will be appreciated.  
> 
> anyone ever make a small amp for one?  
> 
>  
> 
> do i need a tuner to protect the finals if i carefully measure an inverted
> vee?  also, what is 30 meters like?  it wasn't around last time i was 
> 
> QSO'ing. 
> 
>  
> 
> my code speed is still decent - must be like riding a bike. i like straight
> keys for my end. 
> 
> thanks for listening and i guess though these are expensive they probably
> hold their value well. 
> 
>  
> 
> 73
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
> 
>