[TenTec] Old vs New = crunch time

Wed Feb 3 10:10:42 PST 2010

With a budget in the $600 to $1800 range, you can do quite well in  a TT rig, 

Please understand that because of the way the protective circuitry in TT rigs is set up, it is best to run with a TT power supply. NOT MANDATORY, but you are afforded better protection of the finals. You will also want some accessories. I have had several Corsair II's. They fall in that range. They are excellent. You may need to rebuild the PTO (not at all difficult if you have patience and follow TT's directions). 

The basic Corsair II is very affordable. When budgeting, however, don't forget that you'll want the optional filters (you may wish to choose only CW as that is what you indicate you operate(allow $100 to $130 for 2). With the amount of contesting and DX that you do, you'll probably also want the external VFO (Getting hard to find. Allow at least $150). Great accessory and well worth the addition. Add to that a power supply (another $90 to $120) and you're still in your price range. A good operator with a Corsair II can easily out-perform a so-so operator on any other rig. Malcolm's right about the sidetone, though there are some fixes to that. 

My point is that the cost of your 'new' rig may not be just the cost of the transciever. If you had indicated that you had a different budget, or that your operating habits were different, my suggestion would have been different. 

Never used a Jupiter, so can't comment on that option. Probably great for the rag-chew part of your operating, but I suspect that it may leave you short for the contesting and DXing. 

Given the $1800 top of your budget, you can have an Omni VI+ with TT 961 or 962 power supply, all 5 optional filters and a remote 301 tuning pod (a real must). With this rig, you can connect to your computer for logging and rig control. Until you've used that feature, you can't really appreciate how nice it is to have time, freq, etc in the log, or to jump to an exact freq by keying it in on your computer's number pad and hitting enter. The Omni VI is a very easy rig to use. All controls do what you would expect. Very well laid out front panel. Dynamite receiver and legendary TT QSK 

There you've got it. A choice for a rig in the lower half of your budget, and one in the upper half. 

Best of luck with your decision making, and when it is finally done, enjoy the new rig, whatever it is 

Dave 

WA3MKB 

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So the question is "If you wanted a relative simple radio for CW work (use 
is 75% rag chew; 15% contest; and 10% DX)and you had to keep the cost down, 
would you opt for an older rig such as a Corsair II or a software driven 
older rig such as an Omni VI or spring for something in the price range of a 
new Jupiter? My budget is somewhere between $600 and $1800 which rules out a 
number of options. 

Any constructive thoughts would certainly be welcome either off-line or on 
the list. Thanks and 73s 
Roger Rippy W7RIP 
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