Down the Rabbit Hole
It’s been about a year since my last post on the Mac, FT8 and the Ten Tec Omni 6 Plus. Since then I’ve learned a few things, made some refinements in my setup and developed a better idea of how I want to use my station. It’s time to talk about integrating MacLogger DX with WSJat-x and GridTracker. Plus, there’s an FLDigi Bonus!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I owned a Ten Tec Triton IV (model 544) in the late 70’s and always loved it. I traded the radio a few years later for an ICOM 720a (also a great radio), but always regretted losing the Triton. Fast forward about 40 years, and the gift of an old Triton II reminded of that first love. The Triton II is similar, but the IV had several refinements that made it really great at the time, and I decided to get one again.
eBay has provided a lot of entertainment (and used equipment!) over the last few months, and after the purchase and restoration of a Ten Tec Century 21, I started looking for a Triton IV. This was the first radio I purchased new in 1978. I really enjoyed it and wanted to own one again. It didn’t take long. I ended up having two in the shop at almost the same time — one for my shack, and one for a fellow ham.
The Ten Tec Triton I/II transceivers were released in the mid-1970’s and marked a milestone in High Frequency (HF) radios. With coverage for the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10-meter amateur radio bands, 50 to 100 watt output on SSB and CW, they may have been the first affordable, fully solid-state models.
I’ve been a Ham for over 45 years, but have never really gotten comfortable with Morse Code. Sure, I was able to pass the code requirement when I first got my Technician and later Advanced License, but my CW chops were always shaky at best. I had been more interested in building and modifying equipment anyway, so it didn’t seem like a major deficit.
It’s been nearly two years since a pair of classic old shortwave receivers followed me home from California, and they have been staring at me each time I enter the shop ever since. Neither are functional, and both are daunting restoration projects. I wanted to revive some of my old vacuum tube chops and collect some vintage test equipment before diving into these beauties.
I’ve lived here at Roy Creek Ranch for 22 years, with varying interest in Amateur Radio. Career was a big part of that, with little spare time each weekend before work each Monday morning. Add a 2-3 hour daily commute and ham radio just didn’t fit in.
Marilyn and I enjoy the odd flea market ramble, and a trip to Bussey’s in Schertz, Texas was fun. It was our first time to this meet, and we didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but old tools, radios or cast iron always get my attention.
About 40 years ago, Bob (a high-school buddy) and I started a surplus electronics business. We were hoping to make a little extra money and feed our Amateur Radio habit. We started with a purchase of 18,000 pounds of stuff.