[TenTec] Post to the Amps Reflector from Dishtronix

[Al Gulseth]

Slightly OT but there is also a motorsports-oriented company owned and 
operated by the same folks as DXE. Same "above and beyond" customer service 
from them also. (If you're curious who it is look at a DXE catalog and you'll 
find items like gloves with their logo.)

73, Al

On Thu September 22 2016 1:20:07 pm Joe Papworth via TenTec wrote:
> I don't have a dog in the fight but I have to tell you guys this
> unbelievable story. I wrote it for our club's newsletter. I hope the
> formatting doesn't get discombobulated too badly.
>
>
> Words To Shop By:
>
> Going Above and Beyond the Call of Business…
>
> Some tales are so strange, they just couldn't be made up, like the one I'm
> about to tell you:
>
> Some of you may remember that I bought ERD-Bob’s Pixel mag-loop receiving
> antenna not too long ago. Within a few days I had it installed and
> operational.
>
> Apparently my expectations were too high. I thought the loop would hear
> things I couldn't hear before and be able to eliminate all kinds of
> man-made electrical noise. You know, work miracles.
>
> When it didn't, I posed questions to the guys who had posted reviews on
> eHam about the antenna. The guys came back with some good suggestions but
> none of them turned up anything. It was looking like “this is as good as
> it’s gonna  get.” A call to Pixel netted nothing except to find out they
> were no longer  carrying the product.
>
> Then I received an email from Mr. Mark Ludwick at DX Engineering. He had
> seen my post on eHam. He explained that DXE now all owns all the rights to
> the  antenna. Mark offered to fully test the antenna and make any repairs
> needed, FOR  FREE !!!! All I had to do was ship him the antenna.
>
> I thanked him for such a generous offer but told him the antenna was
> purchased used and was now two years old. In fact, it wasn't even purchased
> from DX Engineering.
> Mark said "I stand by my offer!"
>
> Well, who was I to stand in the way of a deal like that? And it just so
> happened that Linda and I would be in the Akron area within a few days, so
> I told Mark I'd just drop it off.
>
> It gets even better...
> When we arrived at the store, they told me that  instead of testing the
> antenna, they were just going to give me a brand,  spankin' new one.
> Remember, this was an out-of-warranty item, bought from a  different
> company, and I wasn't the original buyer. Have you ever heard of such  a
> thing? I'm sure those guys will hate me for telling this story because 
> everyone is going to want that same deal.
>
> By the way, this wasn't my first amazing experience with those guys. Some
> years ago I bought a mobile mount from them. It was a big two-inch ball
> mount,  perfect for my Hustler HF antenna. When I installed it, I was
> dismayed to find  how cheaply it was made. “This will never hold up”, I
> said to myself. And it  didn't.
>
> I called the manufacturer and told them it was junk and that I wanted my
> money back. “Oh, we can't do that, but we'll be glad to send you a new
> replacement.”
> “Why in the world would I want the same piece of junk?” I  asked. I told
> them “No thanks”, and hung up. On a whim, I called DXE and they  took it
> back, no questions asked. I was amazed.
>
> Here’s a better one: I bought four 811A’s from them a while back. I put
> them in my amp and ran them hard in a weekend contest. They did fine, for
> that  one weekend! The following Monday they started arcing internally. The
> plates had  warped. To make things worse, I broke one of them removing it
> from the  amp.
>
> I remembered my good experience with the mobile mount and called DXE to
> plead for mercy. They said to just send ‘em back for a full refund. My
> reply was  that I could only return three because I had broken one. The guy
> said it was no  big deal and they took that one back too!!!!
>
> By the way, the new loop behaved just like the used one. It really was “as
> good as it gets.”
>
> And finally, if I hear of anyone buying anything from anyone other than DX
> Engineering, you will get a visit from my pals Guido and Knuckles.
>
> Like DXE, they will make you an offer you can't refuse.
>
> Joe, K8MP
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 9/22/2016 1:56:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> wn3vaw at verizon.net writes:
>
> Thanks  Steve.
>
> Without going into the gritty details (to, paraphrasing Dragnet,  protect
> the guilty)... quite a few years ago, I heard a tale of woe regarding  a TT
> amplifier on a DX related reflector. As the story seemed incredible, and
> unlike the TT service I knew of, I contacted Scott W4PA (obviously this
> happened long before he bought Vibroplex). Suffice to say that the other
> side  of the story was quite a bit different, and it all boiled down to
> someone wanting something he wasn't entitled to, on someone else's dime.
>
>
> I  even found an individual who was willing to look at the amp and see what
> he  could do, at no charge save for parts. But that wasn't good enough for
> the ham  in question. And then I got a few less than friendly emails from
> the  perpetrator, implying I hadn't done enough.
>
>
> Here I thought, prior  to this incident, that I'd see the heights, or
> depths, that someone's chutzpah  could go to. I was wrong.
>
>
> 73, ron w3wn
>
>
> On 09/22/16,  steve jobes via TenTec wrote:
>
> Well said Ron, I  agree!
>
> 73,
> Steve W1DXH
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original  Message-----
> From: Ron Notarius W3WN <wn3vaw at verizon.net>
> To:  tentec <tentec at contesting.com>; k9yc <k9yc at arrl.net>
> Sent: Wed,  Sep 21, 2016 1:40 pm
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Post to the Amps Reflector from  Dishtronix
>
> Ralph,
>
>
> The reality is that there are people in  this world today who expect or
> demand things that they are not entitled to.
>
>
> One of those things being warranty support for items out of  warranty, or
> 'free' repairs from someone who is not legally liable to provide  them. ( I
> could tell you more than a few stories from the time between IT jobs  that
> I worked at several big box hardware stores, but I'd be digressing  )
>
>
> That these are a small percentage of the population (and by  extension, a
> small percentage of the Amateur Radio licensees) does not make  them any
> less annoying. To put it bluntly.
>
>
> Sadly, yes, there are  people upset with Mike over things that he had
> nothing to do with. Including  but not limited to warranty or even
> non-warranty repair issues for items  bought under previous owners of Ten
> Tec and/or Alpha. They don't care the  minutiae of what he bought (or
> didn't buy) or when. To them, he is Ten Tec  and/or Alpha, therefore, it's
> his problem.
>
>
> Yes, some people have a  lot of chutzpah.
>
>
> To his credit, Mike appears to have a good handle  on the issue. (My
> response to that person would have been shorter, blunter,  and probably
> more than a touch profane.)
>
>
> I think the companies are  in good hands right now. And I'm looking forward
> to the (re)introduction of  new gear, hopefully in the very near future
> (and I hope it is October as has  been previously indicated, but better
> that it be done right than done too  soon)
>
>
> 73, ron w3wn
>
>
> On 09/21/16, Ralph Arnold  wrote:
>
> Hi Jim this is KD8BTQ-Ralph I have been a TenTec fan for years  being a red
> neck Electronics Tech retired USN anyway I too do not approve  of jumping
> on Mike like that. I see Mike Dishop as a good guy trying to  fill some
> really big shoes. I'm an old school ET Navy trained to component  level
> repair. To repair that amp that you didn't make with defective 3rd  world
> parts is a bit much to ask for and then complain when you come  through and
> fix it. Some people have more nerve that common horse sense. Oh  well I've
> already said to much But I just had to say something 73  KD8BTQ
>
> On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 3:46 PM, Jim Brown  <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com>
>
> wrote:
> > Members of this  reflector will almost certainly appreciate this post to
> > the Amps  reflector from Dishtronix, the company that bought RKR. The
>
> third
>
> >  paragraph is particularly interesting. The complaint is about service on
>
>  an
>
> > Alpha 9500.
> >
> > 73, Jim K9YC
> >
> > = = = = =  =
> >
> > Hello Jim,
> >
> > In reading this it appears rather  negative to me, which I don't quite
> > understand. Regardless of the 95  days, you do realize that was RKR who
>
> you
>
> > had the problem with? I have  more people working there than RKR had!
> >
> > The long and the short  of it was this - you called me with your problem
> > and in less than a  calander week you got your amp back. I didn't sell
> > you the amp, and I  am not liable for any of RF Concepts or RKR warranty
> > work
>
> by
>
> > the terms  of the sale, yet I gave you two free hours of work - AFTER you
> > were so  mean on the telephone to Carol that you made her cry!
> >
> > You are  right - the new Alpha is not the Alpha you knew. The Alpha you
> > knew  was bought by a corporate raider who didn't pay his suppliers and
> >  alienated the entire supply chain for Alpha and Ten Tec, who built 
> > every possible unit he could build and sold for a cut rate price, 
> > reducing
>
> prices
>
> > constantly until everything was gone, liquidated every  piece of
> > equipment he could, and then moved on to do something else  leaving
> > everyone holding the bag.
> >
> > The new management  is putting capitol into the business, paying
>
> suppliers,
>
> > paying  employees and attempting to regenerate the brand. We bought the
> >  business with the express intention of finishing the tuner. When the
>
> tuner
>
> > is finished it will be even better that it would have been  because I
> > personally am supervising the engineering and I'm not known  for
> > compromising or ever saying "That is good enough", because good is  not
>
> good
>
> > enough when you intend to be great.
> >
> > I'm not  responsible for what others did. I'm responsible for what I  do.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > -----Original  Message-----
> > From: Arthur Movius [mailto:ajmovius at gmail.com]
> >  Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2016 11:24 AM
> > To:amps at contesting.com;  Dave Movius<dave.movius at gmail.com>; Alpha
>
> Service<
>
> >  alphaamps1 at gmail.com>; Steven M.  Dishop<Steven.Dishop at Dishtronix.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Amps] FW:  alpha 9500
> >
> > Hello Steve,
> >
> > For what it may be  worth, here's a brief summary of my recent
> > experience. Your inquiry is  timely.
> >
> > Yesterday, Sept. 16, 2016 I received an email from  Alpha RF Systems, LLC
> > that my 9500 delivered to Longmont, CO on June  10 for warranty repair
> > (RA 11050) of a failed band pot, plus any  upgrades, was completed. I
> > called owner Mike Dishop of Dishtronix  Tuesday Sept. 13, explained that
> > my amp
>
> had
>
> > been at Alpha for 95 days,  and had a nice 20 minute conversation with
>
> him.
>
> > He said that he has  been involved with Alpha a short time and that he
>
> would
>
> > follow  up.
> >
> > The bill shows 2 hours warranty time and 3 hours  non-warranty time at
> > $120.00 / hour for a total bill of $512.50  including $105.00 shipping
>
> cost
>
> > via Fed Ex Home Delivery back to MT.  The bill also shows a $35.00 charge
> > for a Hall Effect sensor to  replace the failed band pot--the reason for
>
> the
>
> > warranty  repair.
> >
> > Other work: re-calibration of band positions,  installation of a fuse
> > in the cathode 40v circuit, update of all  firmware (5 microprocessors),
> > tested amp on all bands, checked tuning  and output. The amp and tube
> > condition were reported as  good.
> >
> > Conclusion: at the present time Alpha is "under  resourced" regarding
> > repairs. I had asked whether billed work gets  priority over warranty
> > work and was told by Carol who answers calls  that repairs are done in
> > the
>
> order
>
> > received. Glenn Pladsen their one  full time tech says he has only part
> > time help.
> >
> > There  are others who repair Alpha reputed to be competent, so you have
> > other  options to investigate besides the manufacturer.
> >
> > Bottom line,  which I will think about--no hasty decision--is that I will
> > pack up  the transformer and sell this amp when it returns without
> > opening the  factory carton. Good service after the sale is important and
> > strongly affects purchase decisions, and here, no criticism of Alpha
> > employees intended, Alpha disappoints--this is not the Alpha I knew when
> > the amp
>
> was
>
> > purchased in 2013. Also, my order for the Dream Tuner placed Feb.  2013
> > might soon be cancelled. There is reason to doubt whether this  good idea
> > will ever make it to market. As mentioned to Mike Dishop,  the Alpha
> > brand will suffer damage if he does not take corrective  action soon.
> > Reviews of the Prometheus solid state HF amp give  Dishtronix high praise
> > for a good product and good service after the  sale.
> >
> > GL Steve es 73,
> >
> >  _______________________________________________
> > TenTec mailing  list
> > TenTec at contesting.com
> >  http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
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