[TenTec] "The End of Ten-Tec" (Yeah, Right)

[Don Rasmussen]

The only thing constant in life is the reappearance of this thread - ugh.

But I have a new spin on it this year, after reading it for 10 years in a row. 

It has been suggested that a Chinese company has cloned the IC718 and will make that available for $450 new. It is also suggested that this will put all of the Japanese makers out of ham radio. I am pretty sure I have seen it, the HF version of those cheap Puxing jobs on the online bidsite. 

Of course this is nonsense. Even today, why would anyone purchase an EAGLE over an IC718 at a third of the cost? 

Hint  - there is an actual logical and valid reason, actually many. 

I am a little confused, since EAGLE is the best idea of the year in my mind - a simple to operate and high performance radio, why they made it too small? If you are buying this radio as a mobile - well that's some real Grey Poupon in the car or on the bike - way to go. But if you have this little radio in your hamshack, I dont see how the novelty would not wear off, leading the operator to use something that may be lesser, but that at least you can get your hands on. 

If EAGLE was packaged as OMNI 6 or OMNI 7, and simplified like EAGLE has been, it would seem to be more on point for those that will use it at home.

YMMV...





Re: [TenTec] "The End of Ten-Tec" (Yeah, Right)




from [Jim Younce]
[Permanent Link][Original]




To: 
"Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>

Subject: 
Re: [TenTec] "The End of Ten-Tec" (Yeah, Right)

From: 
"Jim Younce" <k4zm at comcast.net>

Reply-to: 
Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec at contesting.com>

Date: 
Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:17:29 -0600

List-post: 
<tentec at contesting.com">mailto:tentec at contesting.com>




I doubt that Ten-Tec is about to close the doors.  It is a fact that the 
amateur market is only a small percentage of the company's business. Their 
biggest volume is the manufacture of tools & dies and metal boxes for 
electronic OEM manufactures.  The amateur business was a labor of love for 
Al Cohn and Jack Birtchfield.  When Al sold Electro-Voice and bought Ten-Tec 
a tool and die manufacture they decided to build a ham transceiver. Al has 
since become a silent key and I am sure Jack is ready for retirement or 
already has retired.  Both were great gentlemen to do business with and to 
talk to on the air.

However, I am old enough to remember when National Radio, Hallicrafters, 
Drake, Regency, Multi-Elmac, Gonset, Central Electronics, Swan Electronics, 
Atlas Radio, Harvey Wells, Morrow Radio,  Clegg Laboratories,  Webster 
Bandspanner,  Walter Ashe,  Technical Material Corp.,  Barker and 
Williamson,  Peterson Radio,  James Millen,  Hammurland, EF Johnson, 
Heathkit, World Radio Labs, Knight, Lafayette, Eico, Ameco, Hornet Antennas, 
RME Receivers, Master Mobile Antennas, Collins, and several other American 
ham radio manufactures were major players in the manufacture and sales of 
ham radio gear.  Now we are down to two, Ten-Tec and MFJ.  Some of the 
exodus was caused but the failure of engineering departments to keep up with 
single sideband  technology but a great deal of them fell from the Asian 
manufacture competetion.

73

Jim Yoiunce K4ZM