[TenTec] Eagle vs. TS-590S

Mon Jul 7 06:54:24 EDT 2014

Sorry James, NO CIGAR!

The Kenwood TS-590 definitely has better IMD rejection than the Ten-Tec
Eagle.

You are on the wrong page.
The link you referred to is Rob's chart on RECEIVER PERFORMANCE.
You were looking at 'RECEIVER' IMD.

We were referring to dirty transmitters and TX IMD came up as one of the
possibilities for being dirty.
However with respect to TX IMD, I would not say either of these two radios
in dirty; I'm just saying the 590 is better (because it is - hi!).

So now let's take a closer look at 'TRANSMITTER' IMD.
I put together a direct comparison of the two radios, here:
http://www.dj0ip.de/downloads/599-vs-590-tx-imd/ 

It is clear from these two screen shots that the IMD on the TS-590 is much
better than that of the Eagle.

The source, in case anyone is interested, is slides no. 30 and 31 from Rob's
2011 BARC presentation.
You will find the entire presentation AND accompanying audio files, here:
http://www.dj0ip.de/transceivers/sherwood-presentations/barc-new-in-2011/ 

Note:  the audio file was huge, so I broke it up into three sections.  
The audio accompanying the TX IMD slides is in the file for slides 24 thru
43.

SO LET'S NOT LET TEN-TEC OFF THE HOOK EITHER.
THE GENTLEMEN ARE KINDLY REQUESTED TO CLEAN UP THEIR (TX) ACT!

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt am Main)

-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of K8JHR
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 1:57 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle vs. TS-590S

I OWNED A 590 AND SOLD IT.  GOOD RADIO.  GOOD RECEIVER.  GOOD VALUE.

THE EAGLE SHOULD BE BETTER - in raw transmitter and receiver performance.

	You can't go wrong with either rig.  Period.

	So the decision comes down to how you operate.

Read each user manual and picture yourself operating it.  Maybe select 7
major features and compare how each one works to adjust and use each such
feature, and pick the one that suits the way you operate.

You won't get as many bells and whistles on the Eagle - for example, it has
but one antenna jack  (i.e., no second ANT jack and no receive-only jack as
on the 590)- and the 590 has both USB and Serial port connections - but if
you don't need all those goodies, the Eagle should outperform the 590 on the
air.

The 590 is a GOOD radio with really good NR and noise blanking - but the
Eagle does also.  Again, having owned a 590, and the Omni VII and Orion II -
I am confident you cannot go wrong with either rig.  And yet, I press for
the Eagle!

So, wait, there is more... the Eagle has a superior down conversion receiver
on all bands, down conversion all the time; whereas the 590 is down
conversion on only some bands and only under certain conditions.

Each rig has plenty of quirky controls, so you will have to learn how each
one works - ergonomics are a draw or a wash in my view.  As Rick says, you
will learn how each one works in time and be fine either way.

I think Rick is mistaken about the 590 having better third order intermod
figures... check the Sherwood chart and you may find the Eagle scores
better, really ... see here:

http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

I like the ergonomics of the TT products better (especially the Omni
VII) which is also a huge value and should be on your short list as well. I
sold the 590 and kept the Omni VII, which says it all for me.

Kenwood has improved the 590 by fixing the AGC power spike issue, which was
not a deal breaker in any case.  There are a few 590 owners who claim the
rig fails to produce a full 100 watts on SSB - which I think is bogus, and
based on a misunderstanding about how to measure peak output on SSB, and it
was certainly not an issue for me.  Still, the debate rages on after over a
year, so who knows, maybe a few early 
production 590s have a problem.   The Eagle has no such concerns at all.

I believe, early, on a few operators were disappointed with the Eagle's DSP
NR performance, but I believe that was sorted out out in more recent
firmware updates, and I have heard nothing further to this for over a year
or more.  I presume that is no longer an issue.  Of course, you will always
get a debate over DSP NR performance, but I believe both rigs perform well
on this aspect.

I believe the Eagle has superior audio.  I found the 590 a bit brassy, and
overly treble - even after messing with its multi band EQ settings. 
  You might decide otherwise.  But my take is the Eagle sounds better. 
It is NOT that the 590 sounds bad - just that I think the Eagle sounds
better.

The 590 does come with a slick and reliable computer control program that
works well.  I liked using it, even though I also like and use N4PY's fine
control programs.  But, that is a perk the Eagle does not provide.

The transmit audio claim is a non-issue in my estimation. Do diligence and
affirm or refute the point yourself before buying.

Mike's (W2AJI) review is golden.  I agree with nearly everything he says.
But the takeaway is that he prefers his Orion II receiver - and that is
essentially the same receiver in the Eagle - so if he likes the Orion II
better, you "should" also like the Eagle better.

Considering the current sale prices, I would also recommend the Omni VII.  I
sold my 590 and kept my Omni VII - so that is how I voted. 
Again both rigs are super fine and at this price, it should come down to
what specifications (especially receiver) you really want / need and how you
operate as to which rig fits best in your shack.

Happy trails.  Good luck on your decision.

-------------------- JHR -----------------------

On 7/6/2014 11:16 AM, G Reichow wrote:
> Hello all,
>        I am in the market for a new radio. Originally I was looking at 
> the FTDX-1200 and the TS-590S as both of those are within my budget.
> Now, with the mega-sale, the Eagle is within my budget as  well. I was 
> leaning toward the 590S due to its receiver. So I guess it comes down 
> to the 590 or Eagle. My primary interests are dx'ing and contests.
> Constructive input and thoughts are welcome.
>
> Tks - Gary (KN0V)
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec