[TenTec] New Radios in the Future

[Steve Berg]

I don't have any particular interest in a computer operated radio. But, 
I am not a top notch DXer or contester, either.

To my mind, the best compact radio format was that of the Argonaut 
II/Delta II.  It had most of the same capabilities as the Omni V, but 
not the same level of performance.  I managed to get a really good 
Argonaut II, and it has served me well for several decades, but it is 
getting tired.  I bought a Ten Tec 6&2 meter rig, but found that it was 
not as versatile as the Argonaut II was with transverters.  The one 
shortfall for the Argo II showed up when we had a wild 6 meter opening 
to Spain and Portugal, and the selectivity of the Jones filter was 
simply insufficient to sort out the closely packed CW signals.  The 
keypad frequency entering is a really nice feature.  And, the noise 
blanker on the old clunker is the best I have ever found.  It also had a 
pot to set the delay for keying the transverter and my ancient Mirage 
brick amplifier.  The new rig could not do that it was set for fast QSK, 
and that was it. My brick could not keep up with the keying.  So, I sold 
the radio.

In terms of performance, I have very few problems with my older Corsair 
II.  It has served me very well, but it is of the same vintage as the 
Argo II.   So, I bought an Argonaut VI, to see how well a modern radio 
can work.  It is very good, and I had a lot of fun working the W1AW 
portable stations with 10 watts.  It did a lot better than I expected, 
even on SSB, helped a lot with the RF speech processor accessory.  I 
will be using the Argo VI on 2 meters with a transverter and brick.

Once I decided that the sale was a fine incentive, I purchased an Omni 
VII with the optional 300 HZ filter, remembering that it helps to have a 
really narrow receiver, even on 6 meters.  I will be keeping the older 
Argonaut and Corsair II in reserve.  I expect that it will become 
increasingly difficult to find parts for the older rigs, but I am not so 
sure that we will continue to see increased designed obsolescence in our 
ham rigs.  As ham radio is a hobby, and also that most people's incomes 
are not rising much these days, it will behoove manufacturers to follow 
Ten Tec's lead and provide much better service for their older radios.  
Many of us will not be able to afford frequent radio replacement.

Your mileage may vary.

Steve WA9JML