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

[Steve Berg]

HI Jerry,

Thanks for the info.  Ten Tec told me that the Corsair II is designed 
along the lines of Rohde's ideas, and that is not half bad.  I initially 
got the Corsair II to use with my Swan TV2 transverter on 2 meters.  I 
tried it on 80 meters one night, and it has been the HF rig of choice 
ever since.  I have the external VFO for it also, which adds some nice 
features.  I put the Omni V.9 over on the VHF desk, and use it with an 
Elecraft transverter and a pre-MFJ Mirage brick.  It works really well, 
although the noise blanker in the Argonaut II is much more effective. 
For 2 meters, I got a Kenwood TS-790A which has had some problems, but 
now is working.  Unfortunately, the center conductor in my 2 meter 
feedline has open circuited, and while I can receive fairly well, it 
does not transmit much as the VSWR is too high.  I need to get that 
fixed, but have been too busy at school to get to it.  I am seriously 
thinking of relocating to my place in EN55, and as the state budget 
crunch has cut my course load in half, may well just pull the plug, get 
the cabin built, and head up there with my 91 year old Dad.

The Kenwood covers 432, but the only time I ever got on the air on that 
band was with a modified Vocaline CB rig, that I retuned to cover 432. 
With a superregen receiver and a modulated oscillator transmitter, I did 
not try to make any contacts, though I could hear some of the locals on 
AM.

Well, back to grading local government budget papers.

Thanks again.

Steve


On 4/25/2010 5:47 PM, Dr. Gerald N. Johnson wrote:
> Probably because there are differences in the RF and first IF circuits.
> Those in the Corsair II use multiple transformer coupled feed back
> (Ulrich Rohde's favorite circuit though patented by Anzac) and in the
> Omni V uses Jfets in grounded gate in parallel. The dynamic range of the
> transformer feedback circuit may be a bit better, quieter and harder to
> overload. And while the synthesizer in the Omni V is fairly quiet, it
> may not have as low phase noise as the PTO in the Corsair II which means
> less reciprocal mixing of unwanted signals and noise. I don't know that
> either has been tested for phase noise as much as more recent radios.
>
> 73, Jerry, K0CQ
>
> On 4/25/2010 2:12 PM, Steve Berg wrote:
>> I have been enjoying this thread quite a bit.  One question that I have
>> about receiver performance may bear a bit on what has been discussed so
>> far.  Since upgrading to extra several years ago, I have been having a
>> lot of fun on the low end of 80 and 40 meters, working DX on CW.  I have
>> two Ten Tec rigs, a Corsair II and an Omni V.9.  Both have the 500 Hz
>> and 250 Hz filters in the IF string, and the Omni also has a 250 Hz
>> filter in the first IF.  What I have noticed is that the Corsair II is
>> seemingly able to pull out really weak signals more clearly than does
>> the Omni. I am reasonably familiar with both radios, and also have a
>> pair of ears that have given their all to heavy weapons and artillery
>> many years ago, and been further damaged by loud motorcycles, since
>> then.  Why might I seem to notice a difference in clarity from otherwise
>> somewhat similar radios?
>>
>> Steve WA9JML
>>
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