[TenTec] Advice on my Omni VI

[Jim Brown]

On 4/12/2013 8:10 PM, Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:
> Look around for  a good used radio.  Or spend a few more $$$ and buy a 
> new or even a used Eagle or Omni VII.  You won't be disappointed as 
> you'll likely have a current product that will work reliably and 
> satisfactorily for 10 to 15 years.  Based on these numbers the new 
> radio will cost you between $150 to $250 per year.  A darn site less 
> expensive than repairing an old radio.  Of course, if one can't afford 
> it, then at any price, they can't afford it. 

Well said, Bob.  Many years ago when I was a young man not long our of 
college, I had jobs doing field service on installed audio and video 
systems, fixing things on a bench, and managing a service department. It 
didn't take me long to figure out that it can cost a lot to maintain 
older products, and two very important factors were the availability 
both of repair parts and the guys smart enough to fix stuff.

The only NEW stuff I've bought in the last 15 or so years are a pair of 
K3 radios, a Sony flat screen TV, and computers and test equipment for 
my business, and even a lot of that was used. Virtually everything else 
has been bought used -- ham gear, speakers, mics, laptops for the ham 
station, furniture, even a lot of clothing.  I've owned a K2, Omni V+, 
TS850, IC746,  FT1000MP, a bunch of Ten Tec 229s and 238s, Herc I, Herc 
II, and now three Titan 425s. I bought all of that stuff for between 30% 
and 50% of new prices. All of it worked, and I got good use from it and 
sold it later for close to what I paid for it.

Indeed, the only reason I can still maintain those Ten Tec power amps is 
that they're all discrete transistors and other standard parts (except 
for the Herc I), most of them pretty generic. Heck -- those amps were 
designed in the late 70s and early 80s. That's 30+ years, and I can 
still keep them running.  And all of those power amps together cost me 
less than ONE fancy new Alpha or Acom.

Used stuff is great if you buy wisely -- do the research to learn what's 
good, what holds up well, what's repairable, and know who you're buying 
from.

More advice.  If, like Bob and me, you find yourself being less capable 
than you were when you were younger, or that you lack certain technical 
or physical skills, a really good move is to seek out and join a good, 
dynamic ham club in your area. It it's the "right" kind of club, there 
will be a good mix of older and younger hams, and hams with  a wide 
variety of backgrounds and capabilities. As older hams, we have things 
to offer younger ones, and they have much to offer us -- their physical 
abilities, their newer technical education, their younger ideas.  it CAN 
be a win-win for everyone. I was a  member of a club like that in 
Chicago, and I'm a member of a really great one here in the Bay Area.

I do presentations at club meetings sharing what I know, and guys come 
here and help me with antennas.  We recently built some excellent 
bandpass filter kits that needed SMT soldering, and one of the younger 
guys helped me with that. I was able to help him with alignment, which I 
had learned 50 years ago at RL Drake. When I joined that Chicago ham 
club in 2003, I had been off the air for 20 years and didn't know the 
gear. They pointed me to the good used stuff. And I had an Omni A in the 
basement that I gave to a kid with a new ticket. Back in 1955 when I was 
a Novice, one of the guys in my club in WV gave me a Command set. We 
help each other, we share, we pass it on. That's what ham radio (and 
life) is all about.

Some specific equipment advice. If I were buying a NEW moderate priced 
transceiver today it would be an Elecraft KX3, and I'd add their 
dedicated 100W amp to it (I expect to see it shown at Dayton).  
Absolutely the best bang for the buck, and nothing else is close. It 
really is a single radio that does almost everything, and with great 
specs. And as a company, Elecraft today is what Ten Tec was 30 years ago.

73, Jim K9YC