[TenTec] On the Corsair II revival idea and receiver noise

[Bwana Bob]

Interesting parallel, Gary,

I got very active in CW traffic handling and bought a Corsair because it 
was full QSK (unlike my Heath HW-100).  I bought a Paragon for digital 
modes (AMTOR at the time) and for AF MARS. I got into MARS just around 
the time of Desert Shield when they were handling tons of traffic. My 
the time I finished the MARS training program, it was all over and the 
traffic volume dropped to zero, so I only hung on in MARS for a few months.

So, the Paragon is nice for the stability, memories, and general 
coverage, but the Corsair is my best radio and I wouldn't part with it. 
I still have the Paragon, a Scout for portable use, and a Century 22 
(bought used; really quiet receiver), and even the HW-100.  Also, 
compared to all of the aforementioned radios, the Paragon used cheap 
miniature potentiometers that always seem to be going scratchy.


73,

Bob WB2VUF


On 11/23/2016 11:13 PM, GARY HUBER wrote:
> Before I bought my Corsair-II and was looking at the Paragon and
> Corsair-II, I was asked by one of the TenTec staff manning their booth
> at Dayton, "What radio are you using now and what is your principal use,
> DXing, nets, rag chewing or something else?" When I responded that I was
> using a model 546-C and matching external VFO to chase DX from a quiet
> rural location, his response was, "you'll be a lot happier with a
> Corsair-II... you'll be able to hear weak stations with it that will be
> covered in noise in the Paragon!" I bought the Corsair-II and sold my
> OMNI-D to my best friend who had just become a General licensee and was
> looking for a radio.
>
> I still have that Corsair-II which was built in the last production run
> of model 561s. I did A-B tests with it and the Paragon (model 585) I
> bought several years later for MARS work for Operation Desert Shield and
> Operation Storm. In those tests which were done using a DOW Key Relay
> reversed so that only one radio was connected to an antenna or with a
> coaxial jumper between the two radios with one switch set for AUX ANT
> and the other to AUX RX and with the radio with the switch set to AUX RX
> having a good antenna connected to its SO-239, the Corsair-II was always
> slightly better. Its those signals below S-2 and into the RX/band noise
> where the Corsair-II comes out ahead.
>
> I also had a fully loaded OMNI-VI+ (model 564) and found it, through
> testing in the manner above, to be at least equal to the Corsair-II,
> mostly due to 1.8 kHz and 500 Hz filters in BOTH I.F.s, making it more
> selective and a bit quieter. The CAT serial port on the 564 is a huge
> advantage for those doing computer logging while DXing or Contesting.
> The lack of frequency / mode information from an un-modified Corsair-II
> like the one I own is its major drawback, in my opinion.
>
> I currently have an OMNI-VII (model 588) with a FLEX-1500 as its sub-RX
> (N4PY mod) as my primary radio and with the Corsair-II as the back
> radio. (see AB9M at QRZ.com for the station photo) While the OMNI-VII is
> a great radio for my needs, in my opinion (and experience) it needs to
> some careful adjustment of the RF gain to avoid digital artifacts which
> are created from strong signals in the passband when trying to work 2
> kHz to 10 kHz from the DX station with lots of callers.
>
> Regarding the cost of any Corsair-II replacement; I know there is the
> issue of price, but I believe its also a matter of value for an
> experience which cannot be matched by others. If you provide a pure
> analog receiver and transmitter chain like the model 561 with only DDS
> VFO and CAT serial ports then perhaps your market segment is in a
> different range than the IC-7300. Today absent any product from TenTec
> to replace my OMNI-VII and FLEX-1500, I'll keep my Corsair-II and buy a
> FLEX-3000. The Eagle may need a replacement, but one for the OMNI-VII
> and ORION is long overdue.
>


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