[TenTec] SOTA RADIO

Thu Mar 17 03:28:44 EDT 2016

BRING BACK THE 509!

With the dial lamps switched off, it drew only 160 mA on receive.
There was a slide switch on the back panel for switching the lamps on or
off.

I added a mod to my Omni (A - analog) that did this.
It drew only 350 mA on receive.
A 24 hour contest (CW) was just doable off of a motorcycle battery.
Always had to push-start the bike afterwards.

If you are doing long term battery operation, this makes a huge improvement
in battery life.
I ran my Omni off of batteries for 10 days while on a DX-pedition.
Ran it at 50w power with the dial lamps switched off.

Many of today's "cool" radios such as the ELAD FDM-DUO are real Current Hogs
and draw an amp or more on receive.  

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)

-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Carl
Moreschi
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 11:31 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO

The Argonaut VI draws 550 milliamps on receive.

Carl Moreschi N4PY
58 Hogwood Rd
Louisburg, NC 27549
www.n4py.com

On 3/16/2016 7:38 AM, Barry N1EU wrote:
> Besides its 3.6lb weight, what is the receive current consumption?
>
> Barry N1EU
>
> On Wed, Mar 16, 2016 at 7:31 AM, Carl Moreschi<n4py3 at earthlink.net>
wrote:
>
>> What's wrong with the Argo VI for SOTA.  It will run on as little as 
>> 8 volts.
>>
>> Carl Moreschi N4PY
>> 58 Hogwood Rd
>> Louisburg, NC 27549
>> www.n4py.com
>>
>>
>> On 3/16/2016 2:33 AM, rick at dj0ip.de wrote:
>>
>>> (changed the subject:  was Service, overhead   and the future A/K...)
>>>
>>> Barry,
>>>
>>> I did a lot of reading in the past day and I believe you are right.
>>> The KX3 is exactly the radio I described. PERFECT.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately it's beyond my budget.
>>>
>>> The basic KX3 costs $1500 here in DL.
>>> Add in a tuner and roofing filter and paddle and it's over $2K for a 
>>> 10w radio that I might use 5 or 6 times per year on a mountain top.  
>>> The ROI just isn't worth it.
>>>
>>> For home use, say as my 2nd radio, I would need an amplifier.
>>>
>>> Bottom Line:  It's a champagne dream on a Budweiser budget.
>>> For that money -(at this point in my life)-  I would get more bangs 
>>> for my buck out of playing with something else, such as a 7300 or an
Annan, etc.
>>>
>>> I need a Plan B for SOTA.  Maybe it's just "bite the bullet and 
>>> carry my Scout up the mountain."
>>>
>>> I don't mind spending $500 or so but I would sure like to know how 
>>> the radio is going to perform BEFORE I buy it.
>>>
>>> My primary bands for portable have always been 40 and 20.  15 will 
>>> be dying soon.  Do I really need 17m for SOTA?
>>>
>>> QUESTION FOR YOU ACTIVE SOTA Ops:  What bands do you mainly operate 
>>> when you are on a mountain top?
>>>
>>> I've only been on one SOTA outing together with a buddy and we 
>>> operated
>>> 40/20/17/15 making a lot of QSOs on each band.  Perhaps not quite as 
>>> many on 17.
>>>
>>> I think I will take a second look at the LNR offering.
>>> It is indeed an SDR with DDC - so not an NE-605 type of radio.
>>> Unfortunately they don't show much detail; just a block diagram.
>>> There is a box called SDR-RF BPF.
>>> This is a make or break component.
>>> Some SDR radios have ham band BPFs (good), others have an LPF, with 
>>> 0-12MHz (useless).
>>>
>>>
>>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>>> (Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
>>> Barry N1EU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 5:48 PM
>>> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
>>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Service, overhead, and the future. A/K/A/ I've 
>>> got my
>>> 2 cents!
>>>
>>> Rick, I'm not sure if you would be satisfied by the KX1 or the MTR
radios.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately I don't know the answer to something better but not 
>>> too expensive.
>>>
>>> I suggest you try to borrow an MTR-5B.  That's the only lesser 
>>> expensive radio that will do 40-15M inclusively.  And you'd have to 
>>> search around to find one for sale currently although LNR should be
bringing it out soon.
>>>
>>> Or, just stick with the FT-817.  I like the radio, although it 
>>> really needs an external speech processor to work well on SSB.
>>>
>>> 73, Barry N1EU
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 11:50 AM, rick at dj0ip.de<Rick at dj0ip.de>   wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Barry,
>>>>
>>>> I'd love to have a KX3 but it is much too heavy.
>>>> It's weight would place too big of a dent in my wallet!
>>>>
>>>> For SOTA I really only need 40/20/17/15m.
>>>> 10 is dying and by the time it comes back, I doubt that I will 
>>>> still be running up any mountains.
>>>>
>>>> My next scheduled SOTA operation is 1-April.  "Fool on a hill" - 
>>>> that's
>>>>
>>> me!
>>>
>>>> I don't know yet if I'll try carrying my Scout up the mountain or not.
>>>> I can borrow an FT-817.
>>>>
>>>> How good is the KX1?
>>>> We have some heavy challenges on our receivers here in EU.
>>>> A weak DR3 destroys 40m, especially at night, and a weak DR2 makes 
>>>> working 20m difficult - especially at night.  You guys in the 
>>>> states can't appreciate that.  You have to see/hear it to believe it.
>>>>
>>>> I once built a 20m QRP rig based on a design by Rick Littlefield.
>>>> Had some kind of IC mixer.
>>>> It was marginal.
>>>> I ran a QRP CW contest using a home-brew magnetic loop antenna.
>>>> Sitting in my living room with radio, mag loop, and battery, I 
>>>> worked
>>>>
>>> dozens of QSOs.
>>>
>>>> Thought it was great.  Then I put it on a big antenna and all hell 
>>>> broke loose at night.
>>>>
>>>> So I bought the MFJ 20m QRP CW rig.
>>>> It was no better than the one I built.
>>>> I sold both.
>>>>
>>>> I want something better than that - but not too expensive.
>>>> But I don't know the QRP radios at all, except for the Argonauts.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>>>> (Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
>>>> Barry N1EU
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 12:25 AM
>>>> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
>>>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Service, overhead, and the future. A/K/A/ 
>>>> I've got my
>>>> 2 cents!
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 9:40 PM, rick at dj0ip.de<Rick at dj0ip.de>   wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> My Scout is a bit too heavy and over-powered, but the FT-817 just 
>>>>> isn't enough radio for me.
>>>>> I'm looking for something in between.  I'd like to see a 10w or 
>>>>> 20w radio with a good RX.
>>>>> I want it to have both SSB and CW.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It's called a KX-3
>>>>
>>>> I've got one, but I usually carry a much lighter KX-1 or MTR-5B 
>>>> when I actually hike up a mountain.  (200 SOTA activations here)
>>>>
>>>> 73, Barry N1EU
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