[TenTec] The Eagle and the legacy TTs

[Joe Roberts]

On 9/27/2010 3:55 PM, Frank Kirschner wrote:
> Re: General coverage vs. ham bands-only receivers.
>
> I recently did some extensive A/B testing with a Ten Tec Omni V and a
> Kenwood FT-480HX.  On every signal - strong, weak, or in between - the
> Kenwood did a better job.  The S/N was better at the speaker on all ham
> bands.



Well that goes to prove that some non Ten-Tec radios are good too!

The Omni V can be a real noisebox. I've had two and fixed the noise 
issues in one with a complete recap of several boards.  It will never 
sound as good on SSB as most Kenwoods though.

Were you an Omni V owner comparing the Kenwood or a 480HX owner 
comparing the Omni? I ask because the Omni V is a bit "touchy" and 
tricky to dial in sometimes. It can grow on you though, once you learn 
the quirks.

Even though I still have my Omni V, I think the Corsairs, older Omnis, 
and Triton were a bit more successful at what they were than the Omni 
V....more "Classic" with super ergonomics and less quirks. Better audio too.

The Omni V is great in a strong signal environment though. Good 
filtering and crunch resistant if you back on on the RF gain. Great for 
weak CW but maybe not the best at resolving speech at S-0 levels, 
especially if band noise is a factor. The audio filter features are 
sorta CW oriented.

I used it in casual contesting a lot some years back. Held up pretty good.

After 10 years I have learned to work with the rough edges of my Omni V, 
just as my wife has learned to work with mine. Well, maybe even more 
successully than that...

Funny you should mention the 480HX, because I've been thinking about 
trying one. Supposedly a very good receiver in that rig. That might be 
my next foray into "modern" life.

Joe N5KAT