Down the Rabbit Hole
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.
I look at Ebay from time-to-time, and lately I’ve been having a little too much fun. A Ten Tec Century 21 CW Transceiver (model 570) attracted my attention recently. The “570” was a solid-state radio intended for Novice hams and covered five bands: 80, 40, 20 (and with accessory crystals) 15 and 10 meters.
I began to haunt flea markets and old book and record stores looking for vinyl treasures. I still had a decent turntable, and had recently upgraded the cartridge, but my phono preamp was at least 10 years old and not the best to begin with. It sounded ok, but the next logical upgrade was a more serious audiophile phono preamp.
A few months ago, I refurbished a Dynaco Stereo 120 audio amplifier for my studio, replacing a Stereo 80 amp that had been in service for years. There wasn’t anything wrong with the 80, but I wanted the increased power and the sound improvements that the 120 upgrades had provided in the studio.
I am listening to a classic solid-state amp from the 70’s. Just a couple of weeks ago, it arrived from an eBay auction in rough and partially-working condition.