Down the Rabbit Hole
After getting the serial port sorted out on the Omni VI Plus (Omni VI), it was time to get FT8 running. In this post, I describe two methods. One uses a Tigertronics SignaLink USB sound card with a FTDI-based USB to serial adapter. The other is based on a MicroHam MicroKeyer and a Sabrent USB audio adapter.
Using several 20-foot 2 by 4’s that were left behind by the construction crew, and adding four 8-foot 4 by 4’s for mounting posts, there was enough lumber to build two 36-foot tilt-up masts. Spaced 150-feet apart, they supported a multi-band Zepp antenna center-fed with open-wire line.
The Ten Tec Omni VI+ and CAT Control In an earlier post, I described acquiring and repairing a Ten Tec Omni VI+ (model 564) transceiver.…
In late 2020, I bought a Ten Tec Omn VI+ transceiver (model 564). It was a big step for me since most Ten Tec equipment I had purchased before was older and pretty inexpensive. The Omni VI+ represented a step up both in performance and cost. Released in 1997 with an MRSP of $2850, It was Ten Tec’s flagship at the time.
Lest you think I’m completely old-school or only work on old Ten Tec gear, I decided it was finally time to get on top of a digital mode like WSJT-X. I’ve dabbled a few times over the last few years, and even had a pretty complete Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) installation working.
I was having a lot of fun with the restored Ten Tec Omni (series C), but like all of the older Ten Tec radios, the Permeability Tuned Oscillator (PTO), aka VFO, left a little to be desired. Back in the day, when I bought my first Ten Tec, these PTOs were considered very good — but time marches on and we’ve gotten used to smoother and more stable VFOs. An upgrade would be nice.
In part one of this restoration, we tackled the Ten Tec Omni C’s two most glaring problems: garbled signals on receive and blowing fuses when the radio was switched to the 30-Meter band. I could now receive and transmit signals in almost all the band switch positions, albeit with varying sensitivity and power output. It had been quite a chase so far, and the remaining repairs would prove equally challenging.
I purchased a Ten Tec Omni Series C transceiver about a year ago for my collection. At the time, I was in the middle of several other projects, and didn’t get to it until just recently. I had been using an Omni D, but it still needs work and I thought the “C” would be a nice upgrade.
I finished circuit repairs on a Ten Tec Triton IV transceiver and now it was time to address the grubby cosmetics of the radio. The radio had obviously been used as a mobile. Markings had been added to the front panel in Sharpie, and there was a yellowish film on the panel.
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.