[TenTec] OT: Looking for good starter HF transceiver

Geoffrey S. Mendelson geoffreymendelson at gmail.com
Wed Jul 18 01:45:34 PDT 2012


On 7/18/12 10:42 AM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:

>
> The radio is for Hans, (KF5HEI).  He is currently only a Technician but will
> take the General exam next week at the local Hamfest.  Being that Hans is a
> lot younger than me, I'm sure he is going to develop a lot more interest in
> digital modes than I ever had or will have.  I have absolutely zero
> experience there.  I also doubt that Hans will learn CW any time soon.

I think this is a big mistake. While I hate CW because I can't think on 
my feet as it were, and don't contest, and I don't think it is a good 
idea to test for Morse code copying in order to get a ham license, I 
think he is missing out on a large segment of ham radio by not at least 
having a passing ability to copy Morse code.

So my suggestion is that he take part of his money and buy a copy of the 
Code Quick course, a decent key and some sort of beeping device.

If he spends a half hour a day on it for a month, he will be sending and 
receiving close to 20wpm at the end of the month if he is an average 
person. If he is musically inclined it will take less time and if he is 
a total nonmusician (as I am), it will take him more time, but he will 
probably be on the air at 5 wpm, by the end of the month.

I'm an expert at learning code, I tried for 29 years to do it. I 
succeeded in the last few months with Code Quick.

I'm rusty now, due to lack of use, but at my peak, thanks to Code Quick 
and Jerry Ziliack's 35wpm takes, I was copying at around 30wpm. It was 
head copy only, I can't even write and copy at 12wpm.

In terms of "bang for his buck", it would IMHO be a much better investment.

To nudge it back to Ten Tec, Ten Tec rigs with their full QSK make great 
CW rigs. A Triton or Omni make good starter rigs, with both full QSK and 
good SSB sound. They are also easy to fix with their simple designs, 
wide open circuit boards and mostly off the shelf components.



>
> *** So SSB will be the starting mode, but how well can he evolve into
> digital modes with the rigs in this price range we're looking at?  Perhaps
> the answer is "he can't" and we'll have to accept that.  Again the price
> range is about $500 (or less).
>

What digital modes? For most of them, you need a radio capable of SSB 
transmission and a stable oscillator. PSK31 is clustered around a single 
frequency on each band, and the software handles signals not exactly on 
it, so you can get away with a crystal. :-)

RTTY is more complicated,  but it's not a "sexy" modern mode, so it may 
be not of much interest. I don't know.


> Here's what has been said:
> First and foremost, a rig of this age is best sourced from either a dealer
> who gives at least a small guarantee, or someone you know (and I place
> everyone on this list in that category).

I would not. The reason is because rigs sitting in a shack tend to stop 
working on their own, and many stop working when shipped. The Kenwood 
TS-440 and similar rigs stop working when exposed to moisture, so my 
R5000 worked fine in a basement kept bone dry with a dehumidifier, but 
sitting in a shipping crate and crossing the Atlantic and Mediterranean 
did it in.

There are always problems with old rigs, and we tend to forget about 
them, or ignore them and a new owner is perplexed by them.

> In this price range, most of the rigs suggested were about 30 years old.
> Clearly it is a safer bet to have a Ten-Tec than anything else in this age
> group.

Yes, see above.


> I am pretty familiar with all of the rigs we have found or been offered,
> except I have no idea how well (or ill) suited they are for digital modes.
>
> Here is a list of what we have found or been offered, no preference in
> order:
>
>    - Ten-Tec Delta 580
don't know.
>    - Ten-Tec Triton IV Analog w. PS (PTO is good).
great cw/ssb rig, make sure it works in both ssb and cw, and dial cord 
is ok too.


>    - Kenwood TS-120 (from a dealer)

I'd buy a TS-120V (as in victor) because it is a kick-a** QRP rig, but 
it depends upon the reputation of the dealer and how much it will cost 
to return it for a warranty repair.

>    - Yaesu FT-707 (from a dealer)

same as the TS-120 in terms of the dealer.


>    - Kenwood TS-440 with PS, Speaker, Desk Mic (long time owner, guarantees
> it in good condx)

AAACK, Unless it has had the main PLL rebuilt, it is a disaster waiting 
to happen. I'm trying to convince someone to part with his because I 
have a TS-430 that needs repairs and I can swap the filters. He is in 
the desert and so am I so it is unlikely that if it works now, it won't 
when it gets here (by car).

>    - Ten-Tec Paragon (not from our group), supposed to be in good working
> order

That was Ten-Tec's first synthesized rig. If it really is in GWO it 
should fit his needs for SSB, CW and digital nicely.

(I'm jealous).

>    - Kenwood TS-930 (agreed it is a great rig but a bit challenging for a
> newcomer).

Either he is a person who likes a simple radio and does not want to 
spend the time to understand what everything does, or he is a person who 
appreciates all of the adjustments he can make and that he has to master 
them before he can use the radio.

If he is a simple radio person, the Triton is his best chance, mabye the 
Delta (I don't know them), if he wants all those knobs and the 
ability/requirement  behind them, then the TS-930 is his best choice.

On the other hand I think this is too much too soon for him. Unless he 
lives in a place with no hams, the best thing he can do IMHO, besides 
buying Code Quick and learning it is to buy a $50 Chinese HT and get on 
the local repeaters.

Once he is there, he can find a local group or at least a single elmer 
who is willing to show him what is looking for and help him decide based 
on some actual operating experience instead of what some people are 
suggesting for him from afar.

Geoff.


-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson,  N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379




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