[TenTec] My First Ten-Tec

[chacuff]

Interesting story Rick.  Mine is not nearly as interesting nor that long 
ago.

It's funny...I've seen Ten-Tec gear for years and why I never really 
seriously considered purchasing one I don't really know.  My first rigs were 
Heathkit.  I guess because 2nd hand they were cheap (mid 70's) and they got 
me in the hobby on what I could afford.  Later I upgraded to Kenwood using 
the TS-820/830 series.  My first brand new radio was a Yaesu FT-1000D which 
was what all the self respecting DXers had to have right.  It was a good 
radio but I got out of the hobby and sold it off after about a year of 
ownership.

10 years later I reentered the hobby and figured I had to have another 
Yaesu...went through the FT-1000, the FT1000MP and finally the FT-1000MP 
MKV...even had an Icom 756 Pro II for a while.  Still DXing.  Then recently 
I got the urge to pick up a completely different radio and having this 
desire to Buy American I was seriously looking at the K3.  Funny I still 
hadn't considered Ten-Tec....even though one of my favorite places on the 
planet is the Great Smokey Mountain National Park just a stones throw from 
Ten-Tec's front door.  I had owned an RX-350 for a while and it was a decent 
receiver but I liked my Drake R8B better so I sold the Ten-Tec....and didn't 
think much else about it.

Then I happened upon an ad for a used but like new Orion II.  I thought...I 
had never considered that rig..but didn't know why.  Did lots of research 
and decided to make contact with the owner.  I was certainly partial to big 
radio's with real knobs which was one thing I really didn't like about the 
K3 when I visited a friend that had one.  No one in our club owns Ten-Tec 
gear but I decided it was time to change that and I made the deal.(and sold 
the Yaesu)  Drove an hour and a half to meet the owner and pick it up.  It 
was beautiful and once I got it on the air and got used to some of the 
uniqueness of the thing I loved it.  I can't imagine trading it for anything 
else at this point. (and one of my best friends is the local Icom Dealer)  A 
couple weeks later the previous owner of the OII called and said he had 
decided to sell the matching Centurion amp...well that was unexpected and 
unplanned for but back on the road again I went.  What a nice amp. This guy 
had decided to buy the entire K3 station and needed the money from the amp 
sales to fund the purchase.  Last time I talked with him I think he was a 
bit disappointed that his K3 didn't perform any better than he was use to 
with the OII and was missing the big knobs. (and a bunch of cash)

I do some radio repair for local club members and had an Omni VI Option 3 
brought to me to check out and tidy up for the owner.  I fell in love with 
it...it couldn't leave the shop.  Fortunately for me he found an Alpha amp 
he just had to have and I was able to buy the Omni from him for $600...$250 
of which was in trade for repairing blown finals in his Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV. 
What a deal and what a radio.  I don't know how I overlooked Ten-Tec all 
these years.

I'm not sure if it's their marketing or what that has kept more of their 
radio's out of more hams shacks.  But I'm glad I found my way to the small 
radio company that has managed to survive the attack of the Jap radio's up 
there in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.

Long Live Ten-Tec

Now to save my pennies for the RX366 upgrade and one day an RX-340.

73 folks...

Cecil
K5DL

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick at DJ0IP.de>


>I am interested in hearing how others came to their first Ten-Tec radio, 
>why
> they bought it and how they used it.
>
> Jim, if you feel this is not an appropriate topic for the Forum, then pull
> the emergency brake.