[TenTec] OMNI VII vs. K3 ? Opinions invited.

[Richards]

ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU SAY GOOD ABOUT THE K3 AND
ELECRAFT CAN BE SAID ABOUT TEN-TEC AND THE OMNI II.


> I've never seen an Omni VII, nor have I ever heard one on the air, so can't
> comment on it.

		You give good advice about asking questions about the
		facts and circumstances behind claims of good audio.

		I can vouch for how good the Omni VII sounds good on
		the air because I am a relatively new ham and I get LOTS
		of unsolicited comments on how good my station sounds.
		No EQ.  No compressors.   No gadgets.   No outboard
		processor.   I use a standard, regular-guy Shure
		headset microphone the one used on the Model 512,
		SM-2,  Wh-20, and other models.

		I recently joined an AM group and they have all commented
		on how "rich and smooth"  I sound on the air - saying it
		sounds like I am using an old Collins tube-based rig.   As
		you know, that can be very gratifying.

		During the 160 M contest in February, we received many,
		many compliments about the station audio and we were
		using that $40 Yamaha headset you mention - I was surprised
		at how many operators took the time to say something nice
		about our audio during the contest when time is of the
		essence in getting high scores.


> I own two K3s, have many friends who own K3s, and have heard LOTS of them
> on the air. Elecraft product support is legendary -- the OWNERS of the
> company read their email reflector every day, and respond when appropriate.


		Yes.   that is true of both companies.   Both are  US-made
		and US - supported.   That is why it is such a hard decision.

		What you say of Elecraft applies equally to TT.


> As the buyer of two used K2s about five years ago, I utilized their tech
> support to troubleshoot problems and found it very good (far more friendly
> and far less inclined to try to extract money from me than Paul Clinton).


		Just avoid Paul  - Gary is really cool.   I am building all their
		radio kits, and they are VERY KIND AND GENEROUS WITH
		THEIR TIME - no efforts to cash in on my inexperience or
		goof-ups.



  The K3 is NOT primarily menu-driven -- all the operating
adjustments are knobs and button on the front panel. Menus are
used to configure the radio, to set  things that you wouldn't
ordinarily do while operating.


		This is ALSO TRUE of the Omni VII.   Most settings
		can be changed on the face of the rig.   But, if you
		do access the menu, it is a single list and easy to
		manage under pressure.



The K3.... It DOES need an
> outboard preamp on 6M to hear the weak ones, but there are IN/OUT BNCs on
> the rear panel to plug in a preamp, or for a separate RX antenna.


		Did not know that.   Does not speak well for it, however...


> You can use almost any decent mic with it and make it sound good -- nothing
> special required, and bias is provided for electret mics, and it can be
> turned off with a menu setting. And the TXEQ allows you to tailor the
> response of virtually any mic to your voice and the way you want to sound.
> The wonderful new Yamaha CM500 boom headset mic ($45) plugs straight into
> 1/8-in connectors on the rear panel, and is a great sounding mic for both
> rag-chewing and contesting. There's a standard 8-pin connector on the front
> panel.


		ALL EQUALLY TRUE of the OMNI VII...



> The K3 is also available as a kit for about 15% less than the cost of an
> assembled radio.
			

		BFD.    If figure if you gotta save 15% on a rig of this
		caliber, then you really cannot afford it in
		the first place...   ;-)       (just kidding... sorta....)



> A minor negative for the K3 is the internal speaker, which is small and not
> great.


		Unfortunately, equally true of the Omni VII.
		The internal speaker is adequate, at best.



BUT -- there's a real panel jack where you can plug in virtually any
> good loudspeaker, and there's a decent amp built into the K3 to drive it.

		Same with the Omni VII.   No problem driving external
		speaker.


> FWIW, I've always liked Ten Tec rigs, so please don't interpret my comments
> as negative toward them.

		Funny that  YOU would mention it...         ;-)

		And NOW here comes the PITCH...

		Consider =  Any words in a statement that come after
		the word "but" in a sentence totally negate the words that
		come before it.    Such as... "You are a 	nice guy, ... but...."
		Whatever comes after the word, "but,"  totally contradict
		and cancel out the initial compliment !

		So... you continue...

BUT -- over the past 6-8 years, Elecraft has .....
	
		(sales pitch deleted... although it was a good one !  )
		
		But nearly everything you say about Elecraft can
		be said of TenTec.... well... most of it...anyway.


> these things come along much sooner, because Elecraft actively LISTENS to
> their customers, and places VALUE on what they hear.


		Hmm...  There is an equally plausible alternate take on
		that...  It could also be true these things come along more
		frequently... well... because ...THEY HAVE TO ?

		IN FACT THIS IS EQUALLY TRUE OF THE OMNI VII  !!!

		The K3 was released long before its full feature set was
		available and working, and long before all the bugs had
		been worked out.

		So... this is a huge NON ISSUE for BOTH RIGS.	


CONCLUSION - BOTH RIGS ARE GREAT RIGS.    BOTH COMPANIES
HAVE GREAT SERVICE REPUTATIONS.   BOTH RIGS HAVE SUPER
QUIET RECEIVERS AND GREAT AUDIO OUT.   BOTH RIGS CAN
BE RUN FROM KNOBS AND DIALS ON THE FRONT PANEL OR FROM
COMPUTER PROGRAMS.

GET THE ONE YOU LIKE BEST AND REST CONFIDENT THAT EITHER RIG
IS A GOOD BUY,  WITH GOOD PERFORMANCE.

JUST REMEMBER TO AVOID and NOT SUCCUMB TO PEER
PRESSURE...  JUST FORGET WE WILL NEVER TALK TO YOU
AGAIN IF YOU BUY A .....    ;-)

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