[TenTec] Ten-Tec firsts???

[Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP]

Let's take these one at a time, Doug:

*** FIRST 100W TRANSCEIVER:  
You are confusing the launch date of the Atlas 180 with the 210/215.  The
180 may have preceded the Triton by a few months, but it only covered 160,
80, 40, and 20m.  The 210 covered 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10m, and the 215
covered 16, 80, 40, 20 and 15m, but they came after the Triton.

Similar with the SWAN SS100 (which I used on my DX-pedition to Andorra in
1975).  Like the Triton, it was rated 100w input.  The SS200 came out a bit
later.  Actually the 100 may have been earlier because Herb left Swan in
1973, but then again he only worked on the design...

The key factor here is Herb Johnson, W6QKI, who founded both Swan and Atlas.
He ran Swan until 1973 and founded Atlas in 1974; I remember all of that,
and I know he designed the SS100 and 200, but my grey cells remember the
transceivers actually launching after he had left Swan, which resulted in a
discussion about whether or not it would be risky to buy them.  This puts
the SS100 at about the same launch date as the Triton.

PERHAPS SOMEONE HAS A BETTERY MEMORY OR SOME EXACT LAUNCH DATE DATA.  IN ANY
CASE IT WAS VERY CLOSE!
MAYBE I GOT THIS ONE WRONG...MAYBE NOT...
BUT NOT THE REST!


*** FIRST LEGAL LIMIT AMPLIFIER:
In 1980 the legal limit was 1000w INPUT power.
The rules changed in 1983, allowing 1500 PEP output power, with a
Grandfather clause extending the 1000w INPUT power limit for AM, that lasted
until 1990,. I don't know what happened after that.
INDEED THIS ONE COUNTS AS A FIRST


*** PIONEERED TUNABLE CRYSTAL FILTER:
My Bad!   (but just bad wording on my part, still a FIRST).

I should have said "Pioneered First Tunable MULTI-POLE Crystal Filter"
(Jones Filter).
This filter was invented by Lee Jones, and the patent was issued to Ten-Tec.
Lee was an ex-Collins engineer.
The original Collins circuit used only one single crystal so it didn't have
very steep skirts.
The phasing [variable capacitor] which provided the variable bandwidth,
worked on this single crystal.
Lee's filter worked on a different principal, and was considerably better,
originally using 4 crystals.
He used varicap diodes to tune all crystals simultaneously.
I guess you could use as many crystals as you want, but I know my Scout had
4.
This was significantly superior to the Collins design.
INDEED THIS ONE COUNTS AS A FIRST!  (I just named it wrong.)

BTW, guess which other US manufacturer "borrowed" this filter design in
their early transceiver kits!

73
Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Douglas
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2012 11:22 AM
To: tentec at contesting.com
Subject: [TenTec] Ten-Tec firsts???

I'm a supporter of Ten-Tec but am not sure of all of those claimed "firsts".

First 100 watt HF Solid state transceiver? I  don't think so. For example
the Atlas 100 watt 180 and the 210 transceivers preceded the Triton by at
least a year (1974). 

Also the Swan SS-100 and SS-200 series were introduced in late 1974.

Also the 1980 Hercules (444) was not a legal limit amp. Unless you are
claiming the earlier 1KW input legal limit definition? It was rated at 1200
watts INPUT on SSB and 1000 watts input on SW. I've got one that is still
fully operational. It uses two 600 watt input modules each containing a pair
of transisters in push-pull running at 45 volts Vcc. Output is typically (CW
keydown) about 500 to 600 watts.

Pioneered tunable crystal filters? I don't think so. The Collins 75A1 had
them in 1949, the slightly more refined Collins 75A2 had them in 1952, etc..

See: 
http://www.wa3key.com/75a1.html

73,
Doug/WA1TUT



> 
> On 5 Jul 2012 at 8:39, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
> 
> > Jim, this is a reply to your post but I changed the
> subject, so that
> > we can keep the "first ten-tec" thread homogeneous.
> > 
> > I helped launch Ten-Tec here in Germany in 2004.
> > Scott came over and gave a presentation in
> Friedrichshafen.
> > In that process, I did some research and put together a
> list of
> > Ten-Tec's "Firsts":
> > 
> >   . First all solid state 5-band SSB/CW
> transceiver (Argonaut, 1971)
> > 
> >   . First 100 watt solid state HF
> transceiver (Triton, 1975)
> > 
> >   . First legal limit solid state HF amp
> (Hercules, 1980)
> > 
> >   . Pioneered tunable crystal filters
> (Delta II, 1990)
> > 
> >   . First HF transceiver with built-in
> DSP (Omni-VI 1992)
> > 
> >   . First software defined HF receiver
> (RX-320, 1998)
> > 
> >   . First Flash-ROM upgradeable HF
> transceiver (Pegasus 1999)
> > 
> >   . First selectable I-F roofing filter
> transceiver (Orion 2003) 
> > 
> > 
> > SO WITH ALLTHOSE FIRSTS, it's even more astonishing
> that TEN-TEC never
> > had more success than they had.
> >
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> > 73
> > Rick, DJ0IP
> >
> 

> 
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