I wondered if I could ask an AI to design such a circuit. So I prompted ChatGPT: “Simple one transistor circuit to amplify a 20 MHz signal generator.” The resulting answer was quick and amazing.
Ten Tec documentation is minimal at best and there aren’t any professionals at Ten Tec to consult any more. We’re on our own. I’m sharing a minimal alignment process I used to get a radio back within spec.
The Symptoms We recently traveled to Omaha to visit a high-school friend and fellow ham. He had purchased a Ten Tec Omni VI Plus on…
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!
I was recently asked about the power switch on the Ten Tec Triton IV transceiver. Was it capable of switching the 12-volt line used to power the radio? The short answer is no. Co-located on the volume control, it was intended to switch an external power supply like the Model 252 or 262. Switching the 15 or so amps of 12-volt power needed for the 100 watt transmitter would destroy the switch.
Over the last year and a half, I’ve been restoring a Ten Tec “Closet Kilowatt” from the late 80’s for a solar powered station. It consists of a model 253 Automatic Antenna Coupler, model 420 Hercules II amp and model 564 Omni VI Plus.
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.
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.
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.