[TenTec] An Update from Ten Tec

[Steve Ellington]

One thing for sure...If a new rig ain't got a bandscope....forget it.
People are rapidly getting hooked.
Steve N4LQ

On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 10:23 AM, Barry N1EU <barry.n1eu at gmail.com> wrote:

> IMHO, you guys should come out with a $3000 1KW small form factor solid
> state linear amp.  You could sell boatloads.  Evidently Elecraft's $2300
> 500W KPA500 sells extremely well and the SPE Expert 1KW and 1.5KW amps have
> long backorder wait times.  Not much else out there in terms of solid state
> amps.
>
> 73, Barry N1EU
>
> On Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 1:27 PM, Barry N1EU <barry.n1eu at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the update Mike and I wish you every success!
> >
> > As far as the Eagle production, I believe it would be a tough sell at
> > $1699.  Every indication is that transceiver architecture is moving
> quickly
> > to direct digital sampling (e.g. IC-7300) and I'd suggest pointing your
> > design resources in that direction or risk missing the hf xcvr boat
> > entirely.  It is very possible Ten-Tec could leverage their previous
> > development in dsp firmware (Orion, Omni7, Eagle) to accelerate the
> design
> > cycle, which is apparently what Icom did with the IC-7300.
> >
> > 73, Barry N1EU
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 1:36 PM, Mike Dishop via TenTec <
> > tentec at contesting.com> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>  Greetings Friends and Fellow Ten Tec Enthusiasts,
> >>
> >> Iwanted to update you on what is happening in Sevierville.  The
> >> SmokeyMountains are literally fogged in with smoke in some places as
> >> Tennessee hasmany wild fires burning. I was there two weeks ago and have
> >> never experiencedanything like it. Driving down Jellico Mountain on I75
> it
> >> became literally IFRconditions with near zero visibility from the smoke.
> >> Assome of you know Ten Tec has been occupying office condominium space
> >> behind thesite of the former factory were now a Wal-Mart Express is
> >> sitting.  Thissite is not appropriate for our needs.  Starting last
> week,
> >> weare moving out of this location into a more industrial friendly
> >> space.Unfortunately this location is not zoned for commercial walk in
> >> traffic, so thedays of someone showing up at the factory door
> unfortunately
> >> have come toan end. After an entire year of searching for any possible
> >> opportunity tomove, this is all we have been able to come up
> >> with. Commercial realestate is completely out of control in
> >> Sevierville county because of thetourist industry, and unless we have
> about
> >> a half million dollars toinvest in the factory location you can just
> forget
> >> about it.  Ten Tec is"too small" to receive any incentive, tax breaks or
> >> help from the localso called "Economic Development" office. My opinion
> is
> >> thatthe State and local government of Tennessee is about as economically
> >> unfriendlyto a small business or start up business as is possible.  For
> >> example, inother counties in TN the standard is to create 10 new jobs to
> >> get anyincentive. Sevier County arbitrarily requires 25 jobs.  By
> >> mycalculations, 25 jobs would be around a million dollar pay roll if the
> >> jobsaveraged 15 dollars an hour to the employee with a 25% more
> overhead to
> >> theemployer.  Any business having that kind of payroll better have about
> >> 10million in gross receipts which would put it at DOUBLE the IRS
> definition
> >> of asmall business and QUADRUPLE the IRS definition of a microbusiness,
> so
> >> it isobvious that the economic development offices do not have any
> >> mandatewhatsoever to support or help ANY small business reason the
> scale of
> >> anindividual person's finances.   The fact that Ten Tec must
> >> havecontributed millions of tax dollars to the local economy over the
> last
> >> 50 yearsmeans nothing.  In many states, these economic development
> offices
> >> arepartially funded by the local Chamber of Commerce. It is my opinion
> >> theseoffices function as intelligence gathering units to forewarn their
> >> members ofany possible competitor entering their area. If small
> business is
> >> truly theeconomic growth engine of the United States it is apparent to
> me
> >> why we havegrowth problems if we depend on these organizations to help
> us
> >> as individuals.It seems ironic that the company named TEN TEC for
> Tennessee
> >> Technologies can'tget any assistance at all in Tennessee considering the
> >> state's advertising oftheir "Tennessee Technology Initiative".   If you
> are
> >> wondering why I wrote all thisabove it is to head off the endless
> string of
> >> expert recommendation that Icontact TVA and the local economic
> >> development. I’ve done it and nobody is going to help Ten Tec in the
> State
> >> of Tennessee.
> >> Toget back on track, I stated above we are moving the remainder of this
> >> month.You all know what that means. Service will be slow this month.
> >> Robertdecided not to have you send in radios this month so we wouldn't
> have
> >> to movethem.  There is no cause for alarm or speculation.  Service
> >> willcontinue just as soon as we are moved. I hear and read all kinds of
> >> gossip andcomplaints and this and that about our service, and none of it
> >> even close toaccurate. We have serviced hundreds of radios this year and
> >> have a bunch ofhappy customers.  You will see in the reflector some guy
> >> complaining orsaying he is worried and then five people saying
> everything
> >> was fine.  I'mso sick of it.  Really it is so frustrating, especially
> when
> >> some of youcall or write me up in Ohio about your twenty year old
> radio.  I
> >> can'thelp you. I'm not in Tennessee. The people there run things and do
> >> their jobessentially under Boyd's supervision. I don't want to sound
> >> condescending oraloof or unreasonable or unfriendly but please see this
> >> from my perspective.There are thousands of you and one of me.  I am
> >> responsible to run thiscompany and pay the people who work here whose
> >> families depend on me.  Iam an electrical engineer and my time needs to
> be
> >> spent getting the newproducts developed and out the door, not with a
> dial
> >> string for your old thingthat I neither sold you or received any
> benefit of
> >> selling to you.  Canyou directly call the president of Icom?  Does Eric
> >> answer the telephonewhen you call Elecraft?  It is just not possible
> for me
> >> to answer everyemail and every telephone call about service issues. If
> you
> >> call me atDishtronix and leave a message asking me to call you about
> your
> >> Ten Tec I'm notreturning your call.  If I answer I'm going to tell you
> we
> >> have put up theprocedure that you email service at tentec.com.  Yes, I
> have
> >> a telephone atTen Tec and no, you can’t have it.  We are short staffed
> >> because we do nothave sales volume at this time to support a large
> >> overhead.  This way,Robert can go through all of the email and respond
> at
> >> one time in the morning,then spend the rest of the day shipping radios
> and
> >> parts orders without beinginterrupted. He is there three days a week, so
> >> you don't get answers onMonday or Friday. Sure, I know some of you don't
> >> like it. There is no needto tell me about it. I don't like it either,
> but
> >> until we start having alot more cash flow that is the way it has going
> to
> >> have to be. For those thatcomplain about how long it is taking, please
> >> understand this is a milliondollar endeavor and money like that just
> >> doesn’t grow on trees, at least forme. Of course any of you wealthy
> >> gentlemen looking for a good cause to donatesome money too -  I would
> love
> >> to have the cash on hand to turn thingsaround tomorrow. Until then I’ll
> be
> >> working 16 hours a day seven days a weekwith no days off and scrimp and
> >> save and spend carefully and build up slowlyjust like every other hard
> >> working guy has to do.
> >> WhatI am going to try to do next is set up sort of an email hotline for
> >> critical caseswith Bob if he will do it. I just thought of this and
> have to
> >> talk to him aboutthis.
> >> OK,enough about that.  Let’s get on to some better stuff. Many of
> youknow
> >> that under RFC and RKR Ten Tec quit doing their PCB assembly inhouse.
> >> Those of you who have known me over the decades at Dishtronix knowmy
> shop
> >> suffered heating issues that made it tough for the machinery to run
> inthe
> >> end of January to February artic blasts.  Well, I have a new and
> verynice
> >> double insulated, heated and cooled free span metal building where
> >> I'vemoved my PCB assembly operation and this is something I'm very
> >> excitedabout.  The building has a metal skin totally covering the inside
> >> withgood overhead fluorescent lighting and conduit encased electrical
> >> outletsevery 12 feet around the perimeter.  I have retired the older
> >> ContactSystems placement machines in favor of newer MYDATA (Micronics
> >> Sweden)placement machines. I installed the first MY9 machine this last
> June
> >> and havebeen using it to build boards for the RX340 commercial orders we
> >> have beenfulfilling.  Ten Tec did have a MY9 when they were building
> boards
> >> inhouse. The MYDATA machines are the choice for high mix medium
> >> volumeproduction, especially when equipped with the Agilis quick change
> >> feedersystem. Feeders usually cost more than the machines in this
> business,
> >> and I'vebeen growing my collection all year.  I am about a third of the
> way
> >> tohaving the collection of feeders I would like to have. Earlier this
> month
> >> I gotlucky and was able to purchase the bar code software which will
> allow
> >> me toload and unload components from the machine by just scanning with
> the
> >> barcodereader, and it is done offline.  It will help with inventory
> control
> >> andcomponent management which is a real nightmare considering Ten Tec
> has
> >> over7000 different line items.
> >> TheMY9 machine has a capability to hold up to 96 different components
> and
> >> has asingle mounting head. As I write this, an air ride big rig is
> getting
> >> closerand closer to Ohio hauling a MY19 machine in from San Francisco
> which
> >> can hold anadditional 160 different components (total 256 8 mm tapes)
> and
> >> has 8 mountingheads!  Hopefully this machine will be brought online
> >> successfully and notbe damaged or in bad shape as I've bought it sight
> >> unseen.  I've alsomoved the 8 zone, lead free capable, pin chain
> conveyor
> >> equipped ElectrovertBravo 8105 oven to the new building last weekend.
> This
> >> gives us thecapability to process double sided surface mount and the
> >> ability to reliablyprocess BGA chips.  I've also purchased this summer
> but
> >> not yet installedan X ray machine to do 100% inspection of the BGA
> reflow
> >> solderingprocess.  With the existing equipment (stencil printers, board
> >> washers,etc.) this will give us what I believe is the most well equipped
> >> and modern PCBmanufacturing of any amateur radio manufacturer in North
> >> America.  Ibelieve the other guys outsource their board assembly.  It
> may
> >> be thesmart thing to do, but I personally prefer to buy and house my own
> >> componentsin house and to have total control over my assembly process.
> I
> >> find itrequires more time to outsource and get constant bids for things
> >> like this thanto just own the equipment and do it myself. I think you
> get a
> >> better product atless cost. Of course the best reason in my opinion for
> >> doing it all in house isI can do as small of a production run as I
> want, IF
> >> I am willing to spend thetime to set up and do it. Hence the decision
> for
> >> the quick change capability ofthe MYDATA system.  So, all in all what
> this
> >> means is the Phoenix isrising. I am rebuilding Ten Tec and preparing to
> do
> >> some serious manufacturing,which brings me to my next point.
> >> Mostof you know we have been bogged down and overwhelmed with the
> >> commercial sideof our business this last year since I officially assumed
> >> the helm in January.With trying to replenish the hard to get /  long
> lead
> >> time /  lasttime buy /  obsolete parts, rebuild the PCB assembly
> >> operations, moving,and so on we just haven't had the horsepower to build
> >> any amateurtransceivers.  Well, the good news is we have caught up on
> our
> >> commercialcontracts.  Be glad we did this. You know all the stuff I
> wrote
> >> aboutabove?  The commercial contracts paid for that. Without this TEN
> TEC
> >> wouldnot exist right now. We are at a very important cross roads right
> >> now. What do we do next?
> >>
> >> Someof you know we are developing new products.  Those are still off on
> >> thehorizon.  What I need to know is how many of you would purchase
> Eagles
> >> ifthey were available?  I'd like to do a run of 100 of them next. It is
> >> agreat radio.  I like mine every bit as well as my Orion II.  The
> >> DSPfunction is superb.
> >> Wehave to talk a little bit about price.  When the Eagle was launched it
> >> wasa $2100 radio with no accessories.  You all know the story of the
> blow
> >> outsales and the liquidation as the previous owners sold everything that
> >> wasn'tnailed down on their way out.  Some of you got fully loaded radios
> >> for$1299 or whatever.  You know they didn't even cover their assembly
> cost
> >> onthat, right? Some of you got real bargains.  Of course only the last
> >> 35radios or something were sold at that price but you get the point.
> >> Youwill never see a price like that again.  If I have to sell and Eagle
> >> atthat I will close and lock the doors and be done with it.  A strip
> >> modelneeds to sell at 1699 at least.  The more you are willing to pay
> for
> >> aradio the faster the new radios can come out.  We want to build radios
> >> andsell them so we can keep the production team in place so we can meet
> the
> >> demandwhen the new radios come out. Everything we do tomorrow depends on
> >> how much yousupport us today.
> >> I'mcertain some of you have heard that I and two partners acquired Alpha
> >> and thatI've been officially at the Helm since August.  It is a separate
> >> companyfrom Dishtronix / TEN TEC.  Of course I will be building the
> >> circuitboards for those products as well.  I'm after something business
> >> peoplecall economy of scale, essentially having enough product flow
> through
> >> the doorsto totally occupy the machines and infrastructure.  I'll be
> making
> >> apost on that reflector as well to update those customers also.
> >> Bythe way, we do have RX340s available to build on short notice now.
> >> Letme close by wishing you all a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving holiday,
> one
> >> of myfavorites and of course the reason I see my dentist in November
> for my
> >> prefeast tune up.  The Sevierville team and I appreciate your support
> for
> >> TenTec, where we believe we are once again Making America Great - One
> >> Radioat a Time.
> >> VY73 DE MIKE N8WFF
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> TenTec mailing list
> >> TenTec at contesting.com
> >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
> >>
> >
> >
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