[TenTec] Pan-Adaptor vs. Using BandMap with Ten-Tec Transceivers

[Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP]

James, you must know more than I do, because I haven't taken any decision
yet.

And I CLEARLY STATED that I see merit in the Pan-Adapter for other
applications and even other types of contests. 

I also said that spending as much as $1000 on adding it to my arsenal right
now is not what I want to do unless it will result in a tangible
(substantial) increase in my CQWW DX score.  I haven't heard anything that
would lead me to believe it will.

I'm impressed with the type of solution Jim spoke of, which requires
purchasing the Elecraft Pan-Adapter.  I would like to be able to analyze
some of the broad signals I hear on the band.  But that would cost me even
more money. It's not gonna boost my contest score but it is something I
would like to have for other purposes.

If I had a more powerful PC in the shack and my Eagle had a later version
motherboard where I only needed to connect a cable and run it out the back,
I would certainly be willing to add a Softrock or similar immediately.  But
it's not that simple or cheap under the current circumstances.

Currently my PC is at its limit.  Due to all of the interrupts from DX spots
and skimmer, it was sending such sloppy CW that people could not understand
it. In CQWW CW last year I sent all my reports manually, which really slowed
me down.  

That issue has been addressed by assigning different priorities to the
different processes.  However adding more load to this PC is out of the
question.  It will need a new computer before I can run more applications in
parallel.

ONE THING FOR SURE:  With CQWW CW just 3 weeks away, I'm not touching the
Eagle until after the contest.

In order to get my Eagle to work with the 712 Sound Card interface, so that
I could run PSK with it, I had to cut traces on the printed circuit board
and add wires and components.  This was a very difficult job for me because
I could hardly see what I was doing.  Bob had to do the same with his.  We
both have a very early circuit board in our radios.  

James, my desire to dive into the Eagle with a soldering iron is about the
same as your desire was to dive deep down inside of your Centurion
amplifier.  The difference is, a round-trip back to the factory will cost me
about $300 plus the repair bill.  

One week before CQWW DX SSB, I had to repair my SB-1000 linear amplifier.
Basically I replaced the noisy fan which is mounted in the middle of the amp
on an inside wall, and I installed thick rubber stand-offs under the
transformer.  I could have lived with it in a CW contest but in SSB, it was
transmitting over 100w of noise each time I keyed the mic.  That's fixed
now.

In order to do that, I had to remove the tube, remove the transformer,
remove the HV Diode board, remove the HV Capacitor board, remove the
step-start relay, and separate the back panel from the base and mid panel,
plus separate the mid panel from the base.  In other words the amp was torn
completely apart and spread all over the work bench.  It took 3 days of
work, but was back together, repaired, just in time for the contest.

If you had turned off the lights and made me wear sun glasses, I could not
have done it.
That's about as much as I see when I try to see stuff inside the Eagle.  My
eyes are just too shot.

Indeed, horses for courses.  I defined my course to be the CQWW DX contest
and asked for inputs on that specific task.  

Barry, Carl, Jim and Luther have all addressed this specific point and sent
me useful information, but some other people continue to try to sell me on
the benefits of the scope in other applications.  There was nothing new to
me in those messages.  

I seriously do plan to do something here, but connecting it to "my" Eagle
may not be the right plan.

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


-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of HamOperator
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2014 10:23 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Pan-Adaptor vs. Using BandMap with Ten-Tec
Transceivers

Rick...  you have already decided you don't want (or need) a panadapter.

No problem... because NO ONE NEEDS a panadapter.

Nevertheless, some operators consider it another tool in the contest
toolbox, and believe it provides useful information and it does not have to
cost $1000 to realize that functionality.

Remember... YOU say "horses for courses"  which I take to mean, "to each is
own..."  - and there is more than one way to skin the contest cat.

-------- K8JHR --------------------------------------------------------


On 11/5/2014 10:55 AM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
> Well Jim, you took this a bit off of the subject of the request.
> I'm only asking what it can do for me to improve my score in a hf 
> DX-contest.
>
> I'm trying to see if it is worth spending $1000 which I estimated it 
> would cost me to implement this.
> So far nobody has come even close to presenting me with a feature that 
> would make it worth that to me.
>
>
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