[TenTec] Radio Complexity was Re: Dirty Transmitters - Flex and Yaesu

[Darrell Bellerive VE7IU]

I agree Jim, these issues are very personal and what one operator finds 
intuitive, another may not. That is why we have many choices when it 
comes to radios.

Personally I like the boat anchor ergonomics; Big widely spaced single 
function controls.

Let's take one example: mode selection.

The K3 uses a rocking pushbutton to toggle up or down through its basic 
modes. One also holds the down side of the mode button (ALT function) to 
select alternate modes. Once the basic mode of DATA is selected, yet 
another key is held down (AFX) to set the data mode (DATA MD) with the 
rotation of the VFO B knob.

Want synchronous AM mode? Push the mode button up or down until AM is 
displayed then press and hold the ALT button. One has to memorize this 
and/or have a manual or cheat sheet available.

This is what I consider complexity. The radio button labels do not 
indicate how to select synchronous AM mode. I either have to memorize it 
or look it up. In fact, if I never read the manual, I would not even 
know the K3(S) has a synchronous AM mode.

Boat anchor ergonomics would have a muti-position rotary switch with 
each mode clearly labelled. Rotate the switch to the desired mode and 
your done.

Now I know that the K3(S) can do more than any boat anchor could ever 
dream of, and that a rotary switch for modes on a modern radio is not 
practical, but all that capability comes at a price, complexity.

So with a K3(S) to use functions that are not labeled I have to either:
memorize,
consult the manual,
make a cheat sheet, or
decide I never want to use that function and just forget it exists.

Like all choices in purchasing it becomes a compromise. What is 
important to me, what can I live with, what can I not live without, etc.

The Eagle on my desk is no exception. I knew from day one I would not 
like its pushbutton system and I don't. I tolerate it because what I do 
like about that radio outweighs what I do not like. And I know me too - 
that one day I will have pushed that FNC button one too many times, and 
the Eagle will go up for sale.

And before someone calls me out. Yes, the Eagle has hidden functions 
too, just like the K3(S). Setting the noise reduction level is one 
example. You have to hold the NR button after it is selected.

Right now there are three radios I would own, the Eagle, the K3S, and 
the TS-590SG. My choice for the next while anyways is the Eagle. Down 
the road, quite likely the K3S even with its complexity. Unless of 
course Ten-Tec, Elecraft, or maybe Heathkit makes something I like even 
more.

73, Darrell VE7IU


On 15-12-10 10:24 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On Thu,12/10/2015 8:34 AM, Darrell Bellerive VE7IU wrote:
>> but I did not care for the audio, the complexity, or the ergonomics.
>
> These issues are very personal, and depend a lot on what we're used to 
> and what we've experienced.
>
> I'm retired from a career in pro audio, and am a Fellow of the Audio 
> Engineering Society. Except for casual monitoring while I'm doing 
> other stuff in the shack, I use headphones for 99.9% of my operation. 
> My headphones of choice are Sony MDR7506 and Yamaha CM500. Both 
> provide excellent communications quality RX audio. I don't use ham RX 
> to listen to broadcast audio -- I have other radios for that purpose.
>
> As to user interface -- Elecraft has done a great job of learning what 
> controls most hams need on a daily basis and which can be on menus. 
> Everything that I've ever needed to adjust while operating is either a 
> button or a knob on the front panel, or can be assigned to either of 
> two "soft" buttons on the front panel. In 8 years, I've found only one 
> function I wanted to assign -- toggling the speaker on and off with my 
> Yamaha CM500 plugged into the rear panel.
>
> Indeed, the "complexity" is nothing more than giving the user more 
> control of how the radio works than do most other radios. This control 
> is on menus, AND menus are only needed when you want to change how the 
> radio works. The K3 and K3S work just fine with no adjustments to any 
> of those menus to work SSB or CW with a mic and paddle plugged into 
> the front panel! Exception -- VOX Gain and Anti-VOX are on a top-level 
> menu. If you want to plug your CM500 (or other boom mic headset) into 
> the rear panel, you'll need to go to a menu to select rear panel mic 
> and hit a button (2 on the keypad) to turn on bias. Again, that's a 
> one-time setting.
>
> More complexity -- the K3 and K3S have TX modes optimized for digital 
> modes and for RTTY. You need to select the right method for the way 
> you want to TX these modes. These are, for most of us, one-time 
> settings. Less complexity -- both K3 and K3S have a Line Input to feed 
> digital (or SSB messages) from a computer, so you don't need adapters 
> to the mic input.
>
> But all the controls you need while operating are on the front panel 
> -- IF bandwidth and shift, Mic Gain, CW speed, Audio Compression, 
> Power out, RF gain, AF Gain, RIT/XIT, preamp on/off, Atten on/off, 
> Ant1/Ant2 toggle, Tune button, Ant Auto Tune, Mode, Band, Spot, Notch, 
> NB, NR, are all on the front panel. Want to go into Split Mode? Hit 
> A>B twice in succession to copy A VFO settings to B VFO, then push and 
> hold A>B to go into split, then tune the B VFO where you want to TX.
>
> Hope this helps to correct some misconceptions.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
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>
> -- 
> Darrell Bellerive
> VE7IU