[TenTec] Omni VI mystery

[Toby Pennington]

The Omni 6 could be way off frequency.  I have owned a couple of them 
before and they were always off by some 30 to 50 hz or more on 20 
meters,  not so much on 75 meters.   I use a K3 at times and the DSP 
filters are so sharp that when I tighten up the BW to 50 hz,   I will 
not hear somone off frequency.  Then when I widen the passband I can 
hear someone at 100 hz up the band calling me.   Normally I would widen 
up the passband when calling CQ but sometimes forget.

If the Omni is putting out the power and you can get a power reading on 
a wattmeter,   and have it connected to an antenna,  you are 
transmitting somewhere.  Check to see if RIT and XIT are turned off.

Toby K4NH

On 4/27/2014 10:45 AM, Jim Allen wrote:
> The 706 on a dummy load and the Omni VI "hear" each other just fine as far
> as I can tell.  I have tuned to WWV with the Omni VI and it appeared to be
> on frequency.  I'll check again, of course.
>
> The QSOs with the radio have not raised to any issues, although for the
> most part those are contest style quickies.
>
> It was very noticeable yesterday on 20M, to hear a station with a good
> solid signal here, no other callers, give a call and not be heard running
> 100 watts when I had been calling others with 5 watts no problem, same
> antenna, same day, etc.
>
> Thanks!
>
> 73 de W6OGC  Jim Allen
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 9:33 AM, Phil Sussman <psussman at pactor.com> wrote:
>
>> Jim,
>>
>> I'd check zero beat with WWV. Sound like you're off QRG a bit.
>>
>> Let us know !
>>
>> 73 de Phil - N8PS
>>
>> PS. Can you check against another rig?
>>
>>
>> ----
>>
>>
>> Quoting Jim Allen <jim.allen at longhornband.net>:
>>
>>   I have an Omni VI with Opt 3 installed, purchased from an SK estate about
>>> a
>>> year ago.  After our move to Texas, I got an antenna up and got on the
>>> air.  The meter and a couple of other functions were inop so off it went
>>> to
>>> TenTec.  They fixed all this, gave it a good checkout and got it back to
>>> me
>>> very promptly.
>>>
>>> I have the output going to a wattmeter, thence on to the AH-4 remote tuner
>>> which feeds the 130' dipole with twin lead.  On CW, the transmitter loads
>>> to 100 watts output, good SWRs etc.
>>>
>>> I have noticed an inability to get replies on CW.  I spent an hour the
>>> other night calling W1AW/5 in Missouri, another hour or so each this week
>>> calling W1AW/1 and /2, and various other stations.  Some of this I
>>> attribute to being a 100 watt station with a wire antenna in a pile up.
>>> There have been other instances where I have called and called only to
>>> have
>>> the other station start up a CQ again.
>>>
>>> Yesterday I decided to fire up my Icom 706 at QRP levels and work the
>>> Florida QSO Party on 20M.  To my astonishment, I had no trouble making
>>> contacts with every station I heard, running 5 watts, other than being
>>> treated as a weak signal (AGN?) which I'm sure was true.  While doing
>>> this,
>>> I heard HB9CA in the Helvetia contest, gave him a call and after going
>>> QRO,
>>> made contact.  I also worked W1AW/1 with 5 watts in 1 or 2 calls.  I made
>>> 25 or so contacts in Florida with the 706, all QRP.
>>>
>>> This started to puzzle me, so I shut down the 706 and fired up the Omni
>>> VI.  Once again, I had trouble getting responses.  I tried fiddling with
>>> the sidetone, thinking maybe I was not tuning to be inside the other
>>> station's passband, but did not improve things.  The "split" switch was
>>> off!
>>>
>>> I am stumped to imagine why I can make contacts at 5 watts with the 706
>>> but
>>> not on the Omni VI at 100 watts, same antenna.  The radio appears to be
>>> operating normally in every respect.  Is there something I am overlooking
>>> in the set up of the Omni VI?  Any other possibilities?
>>>
>>> TIA
>>>
>>> 73 de W6OGC  Jim Allen
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> TenTec mailing list
>>> TenTec at contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>>>
>>>
>>
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