QRZ! Ham Radio 6/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 6.iso/pc/files/q_review/tentecsc.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-27 | 20.1 KB

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 22:14:26 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Doug Hendricks)
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Scout Review

As some of you might know, I am the editor of QRPp, the Journal of the
Northern California QRP Club.  Mike Siegel, KI6PR, one of our members submitted
this review for publication.  I have not seen anything on it yet, and imagine
several of you are interested.  Here it is, a pre-publication preview.  Contact
Mike if you are interested in reprinting.


              Product Review: Ten-Tec Model 555 Scout HF Transceiver

     In the Amateur Radio sales market, there has been an increasing trend
towards more features in basic rigs. These additional "whips and bells" have
also brought much higher prices for most manufacturers' bottom-of-the-line
"basic" radios. As we have all discovered in the QRP game, "more ain't
better". Ten-Tec proves this with the introduction of their Model 555, which
they have named the Scout.
     The night before Dayton was to open, I had a telephone conversation with
a ham about aspects of mobile operation; this ham reported rumors about a
new mobile rig from Ten-Tec, that was to be unveiled the next day at Dayton.
I was so fascinated by the reports and rumors, that the very next morning, I
called Ten-Tec to place my order. The rig arrived August 2, packed in the
usual generic boxes that Ten-Tec uses for shipping - no resale value on THEIR
cardboard!
     The Scout is a very unique rig, not only in it's simplicity, but in the
design itself, and even moreso, in the way it targets it's sales market. The
simplicity of design sticks to Ten-Tec's "less is more" approach to keeping
controls and features simple, but effective. No fancy bells and whistles here
-- just some basic controls that do exactly what they're labelled for.
     The design itself is unique, as well. Rather than cluttering up the
front panel with band switches, or crowding the interior with other boards,
the Scout uses interchangeable plug-in modules, one for each band, 160 though
10 meters (the lower half of 10, 28.0-29.0 MHz). More on this later.
     Even the market that Ten-Tec is targetting is unique. The rig offers
features and specifications that appeal to the experienced mobile operator,
such as large-digit display and built-in keyer. But it also offers something
for the Novice operator on a budget as well - a low entry-level price. For
$495, the Scout comes with one band module (your choice of band), and allows
for the addition of other bands at $25 each, as the operator can afford to
add them. This rig even allows for those of us that only operate on one or
two bands, in that you only purchase the bands you're interested in. To top
it off, the Scout is actually SMALLER than Kenwood's TS-50 (see specifica-
tions below). Quite a unique package, in all.
                           FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
     The front panel of the Scout is simple in layout: two concentric knob
controls, three miniature bat switches, and a large vfo knob. The digits
are a HUGE .56" tall, and accurate to 100 Hz; the MHz digit is actually
painted on the front of the band module, and at first glance, appears to be
integral to the rig. The bat switches are multi-function. The first switch
is simply for power on/off. The second switch activates the RIT, or sets the
speed of the built-in keyer. The third switch either activates the optional
noise blanker, or activates the TUNE mode.
     The concentric knobs offer precise controls for volume, mic gain, RIT,
and filter bandwidth. A word about the filter: Ten-Tec has included in the
Scout their patented Jones filter, a variable-bandwidth 9-pole crystal filter
that offers filtering from 2.5 to 0.5 kHz. More on these functions later. The
Scout also sports a small meter, indicating signal strength, relative power
output, and an SWR function (controlled from the rear panel).
                               REAR PANEL
     The rear panel offers just as simple a layout: aside from the expected
ground lug and SO-239 connectors, there are connectors for DC input, an
auxillary 13.8V DC output, TWO 1/8" key plugs -- one for a straight key, one
for a set of iambic paddles, and a mini-bat switch for calibrating the SWR
function on the front-panel meter. More than half of the rear panel is made
up of heat sink, with the remaining connectors and controls all located
towards one end of the rear panel.
                                OPERATION
     For as simple a rig as the Scout appears, it also operates the same way
-- simple. The band modules slide in smoothly, yet have a snug fit. To
remove a band module, each module has a small lever on the front to "pop"
it loose from it's socket. Each module covers a 500-kHz segment, plus 50 kHz
overshoot at each end of the band. To cover the entire 1-MHz portion of 10
meters, the 10-meter module has a small sliding switch that toggles between
the 28.0-28.5 and the 28.5-29.0 segments.
     Once powered up, the rig demonstrates some audio hiss; in certain other
rigs, I have associated this hiss with excessive RF gain. In this case,
however, the hiss is audible only when the Jones filter is wide open. The
audio that one hears is definitely affected by the Jones filter - when the
filter is wide open, one tends to hear more highs in the audio, and as the
filter is tightened, the audio becomes a very pleasant, mellow, almost
broadcast-quality. In the CW mode, the filter can be cranked all the way
down to 500 Hz, with no detectable ringing or attenuation of target signals.
Needless to say, I am VERY impressed with this new filtering system.
     The mic gain is still something of a minor mystery to me; I can't seem
to deliberately over-drive the audio. Like most other Ten-Tecs, the Scout
uses an LED indicator for proper ALC adjustment - the LED lights up on audio
peaks. I deliberately adjusted the mic gain so that the LED was constantly
lit, and was told by other stations that the audio was not at all objection-
able. With the mic gain properly adjusted, however, and using the optional
700C hand mic, I received glowing reports of truly high-fidelity audio; one
station even remarked that the audio reminded him of the best audio from the
days of AM! The 700C hand mic, by the way, while appearing clunky and cheap,
is actually very light and solid, and demonstrates no pop or creak in the
audio.
     Rather than a conventional VFO, the Scout uses a PTO (permeable-tuned-
oscillator), using a large variable inductor. While I would not call the
tuning knob stiff, it does require a small effort to turn it. I would con-
sider this something of an advantage to a mobile rig, since it forces you
to make deliberate tuning adjustments. The tuning is relatively slow and
positive, both also mobile advantages. The knob turns smoothly, with no
discernable backlash.
     The RIT gives a solid 3-kHz spread, 1.5 kHz on either side of the VFO
frequency, and the variances are reflected in the large LED display. The
display is also used to indicate the iambic keyer speed, when the mini-bat
switch is activated. The keyer operates from 5-50 wpm, but will automatically
default to 25 wpm, each time the rig is turned on. Keyer speed is actually
controlled from the iambic paddles; while in the speed-display mode, if the
dit paddle is struck, the speed increases, and in turn, decreases each time
the dah paddle is hit.
     The optional noise blanker is of a standard type, focused primarily
on ignition and pulse-type noise. Unlike many other factory noise blankers,
however, the Scout's NB does not appear to be prone to incurring buckshotting
of received signals, as is common in some other rigs.
     On the air, there is no mode-switching; simply hit the paddles if you
want CW, or key the mic if you want SSB. The sideband selection is also
automatic, dependant on the band you're operating; unfortunately, this does
not allow for running the opposite sideband, but one can't have everything.
     In the CW mode, Ten-Tec's famous full (REAL) QSK is flawless and fast.
No chirps or other anomolies can be heard while operating (sorry, I only
took it to 42 wpm), and the keying and shaping are quite comparable to the
Omni-V - smooth on both make and break, and steady in between.
     All in all, the rig has received nothing but compliments on the air,
even though I went out of my way to deliberately elicit any negative comments
from my transmitted signals. The most interesting part is that nobody even
realized that I was running only 50 watts! As the rig comes out of the box,
it is factory pre-set at 50 watts, but is externally accessble for adjustment
down to the 5-watt area. There is a trick to this, however; when Ten-Tec was
field-testing the Scout, they found that the tune mode could cause fuses to
blow. So before shipping, they re-configured the rig so that the output in
the tune mode was limited. In making this change, however, they restricted
the amount of adjustment possible for operating power output. Ten-Tec has
promised to put out a mods sheet for moving a jumper to defeat this restric-
tion.
                          MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS
     The fit and finish of the rig is on a par with virtually all the other
manufacturers, providing clean lines and a tight fit. Ten-Tec is still using
the heavy glass-epoxy boards in their construction; most of the rig is built
on a single, large board, with several smaller sub-assemblies (NB, etc.)
mounted in areas set aside especially for such mounting. The interior of the
rig still has lots of room in it, presumably to allow for owner servicing or
modification, both of which Ten-Tec still highly encourages.
     The manual is very complete, including operating instructions, service
instructions, and even schematic diagrams of the plug-in band modules. There
is even a list of connectors, giving the Radio Shack stock numbers! Ten-Tec
has always had an outstanding reputation for customer service and support,
and this is also borne out by inclusion of fax and modem phone numbers in the
owners' manual.
     Ten-Tec also offers a line of optional accessories, including a mobile
mounting bracket, a 200-watt antenna tuner, and a weighted iambic paddle.
                                 SUMMARY
     While this report is somewhat UN-technical, I personally don't feel
that bench tests mean a whole lot. I prefer instead to see just what the rig
does and sounds like on the air. And quite frankly I'm impressed with the
Scout. I expected a bare-bones rig, and instead, got a radio that I'm going
to have a lot of fun with for a long, long time.
     Would I change anything on this rig? Maybe. I think I would actually
prefer a separate RF gain control, independant of the other controls and
functions; I find this feature useful in even the most sophisticated radios.
And I would prefer to see the Scout use 1/4" CW jacks, just to facilitate
some standardization and swapping around of keys and paddles. But for the
price, I can't honestly think of another single thing I would change.
     While this review has been centered solely on the 50-watt version of
the Scout, Ten-Tec says that they will be producing QRP version, rated from
5 watts down. I look forward to hearing this rig on the air. I really think
Ten-Tec is going to get a LOT of attention in the next year. And for all
the right reasons.

                         GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL: 555 Scout
PRICE: $495, plus shipping
FREQUENCY RANGE: All ham bands, 160-10 (28.0-29.0) meters
DISPLAY: 4-digit, 100 Hz resolution, .56" LED
FREQUENCY CONTROL: Permaeability-Tuned-Oscillator (PTO), mixed with a
                   crystal oscillator for each band.
POWER REQUIRED: 12-14 VDC,600 mA receive, 10 A transmit @ 50 watts out;
                4.5 A @ 5 watts out
DIMENSTIONS: HWD: 2.5" x 7.25" x 9.75"
WEIGHT: 5 lbs., 3 oz.
RF OUTPUT: 50 watts, factory set, ALC controlled; 15 watts nominal in TUNE
T/R SWITCHING: PTT on SSB; QSK on CW
IAMBIC KEYER: 1-50 wpm; Curtis type B, 15% fixed weighting
CARRIER SUPPRESION: -45 dB typical
UNWANTED SIDEBAND: -45 dB typical @ 1.5 kHz tone
THIRD ORDER INTERMOD: 30 dB below two tone @ 50 watts PEP
SENSITIVITY: .35 uV typical for 10 dB @ 2.5 kHz bandwidth
SELECTIVITY: "Jones" 9-pole xtal filter, front panel adjustable,
              500 Hz to 2.5 kHz
DYBNAMIC RANGE: 85 dB @ 2.5 kHz bandwidth, at 20-kHz spacing
THIRD-ORDER INTERCEPT: +1 dbm
NOISE FLOOR: -126 dbm typical
I-F FREQUENCY: 6.144 MHz
AUDIO: 1 watt @ 4 ohms with less than 2% distortion



    This arrived too late for the 2nd issue of QRPp, but will certainly be
printed in the 3rd issue.  My thanks to Mike for an outstanding job!  72,
Doug

======================================================================

Date:         Thu, 19 Aug 93 07:45:07 EDT
From: Greg Buhyoff <[e-mail]>
Subject:      Echo of review of Ten Tec Scout
To: [e-mail]

I would just like to echo exactly the review comments of the Ten Tec
Scout provided in the message from Doug Hendricks.  I have now used
mine intensively for almost three weeks and it is an outstanding
radio.  I cannot criticize anything but the minor items noted in the
review.  The receiver is excellent and it is a joy on CW.  It held it's
own in the contest last weekend as I hunted and pounced for kicks.  I used
it portable and used a 7 amp/hr gell cell with no problems of clicks or
chirps.  I also have received glowing audio reports on ssb.  I consider
the radio an absolute bargain for the money.  Am I pleased with it -- that
should be obvious -- Would I buy another? -- You bet.

73 Greg Buhyoff KN4FR   -- [e-mail]

======================================================================

From: "William (W.D.) Redfearn" <[e-mail]>
Sender: "William (W.D.) Redfearn" <[e-mail]>
Message-Id:  <"7530 Wed Oct  6 13:21:53 1993"@nt.com>
To: [e-mail]
Subject:  TEN-TEC Scout Review (long)

TEN-TEC 555 Scout review

Basic Description
    The Scout is single conversion SSB/CW transceiver. Power output is 50
Watts (adjustable). Plug in modules allow coverage of all the amateur bands from
160 - 10 meters. Only one band module is installed at a time. The band modules
are installed into a slot in the front of the radio and can be changed while the
radio is on.
    The Scout features: 4 digit frequency display, Power/SWR meter,
Permeability tuned oscillator (PTO), RIT, Jones crystal filter (variable from  5
Hz to 2.4 Khz), Full break keying on CW, 750 Hz CW sidetone, Curtis type B
iambic keyer, and a Frequency Lock System. The Scout is 2.5" X 7.25" X 9.75"
and weighs about 5 lbs. It requires 12-14 VDC; 600 ma receive, 10 A transmit @
50 watts out, 4.5 A transmit @ 5 watts out.
    Included with the Scout are: one band module (your choice),
Operator's manual, DC power cable with fuse, mike and paddle connectors, and
an Allen wrench. The Operator's manual lists these optional accessories for the
Scout: Band modules for 160 - 10 meters, Dummy load, 200 watt antenna tuner,
Mobile mount, Noise blanker, Key paddle, Handheld mike, Desk mike, AC power
Supply, Mike connector, DC adaptor, and DC connector.

Review
     I purchased my Scout with the following options: Noise blanker and
band modules for 80, 40 30, 20, and 17 meters. The 20 meter module was bad and
was sent back for a replacement. The tuning rate is about 20 KHz per turn. The
radio operates normal SSB and CW, no opposite sideband. There is no RF gain
or RF attenuator control. The RIT is switchable and covers about +/- 1 KHz. The
AGC time constant seems to favor the SSB signals. The Jones crystal filter seems
to work well. The front panel IF BW control allows continuous adjustment from
wide (2.4 KHz) to narrow (500 Hz). There is more than enough audio output. I run
the volume about 1/4 turn open (9 o'clock). There is no attenuation on the
headphone jack so the audio can get very loud, very quickly. The band modules
are easy to change, just pull out the old one and push in the new one.
    From the factory, the transmitter puts out 50 watts. There is a power
adjustment (accessible through the bottom cover) to set the ALC level. I set min
for 4.5 watts out. The QSK seems smooth. The keyer works well. It defaults to 25
wpm and is reset when the power is turned on. A front panel switch lets you
display the keyer speed and adjust it using the paddles, pressing the dit paddle
increases and pressing the dah paddle decreases the speed. The transmit
sidetone frequency is about 750 Hz and the sidetone level is adjustable
(accessible through the bottom cover). I have gotten good audio reports on SSB.
 The manual says the mike can be 200 - 500,000 ohms impedance and there is a
front panel mike gain control to set the level. The FWD/REV switch for the
SWR/power bridge is on the back and the levels are set for a 50 watt signal.
    The Scout requires a 12-14 Vdc 10 Amp power source. On my Scout
(@ 13.5 Vdc), RX current was 450 Ma, 4.5 watts TX @ 4.5 Amps, 50 watts TX @
about 10 Amps. This seems about normal for the newer rigs. The TEN-TEC Delta
II and Kenwood TS-50S require about the same current for the same power
output levels.

Problem areas

    The first 20 meter module had a problem in the TX bandpass filter and
was replaced.
    With the Jones filter in the narrow position, I had trouble tuning in
weaker signals (S3 - S5) at the 750 Hz offset. The transmit offset is 750 Hz and
sidetone oscillator is 750 Hz so I expected to be able to tune in a CW signal at
Hz. The Jones filter seems to be peaking low, from my best measurements the filt
seems to peak around 400 Hz and the -3db points are 76 Hz and 666 Hz. This gives
a filter bandwidth of 590 Hz and 750 Hz is way down on the skirt. I returned the
Scout for alignment, but after receiving it, TEN-TEC says that it meets their sp
for the filter even though it obviously will not pass a 750 Hz tone. When I got
Scout back, I found I could adjust the BFO frequency to get the 750 Hz tone
though but that messed up the frequency response for a SSB signal when the
filter was in the wide position. I re-set the BFO, padded the sidetone oscillato
600 HZ, and re-set the TX offset to 600 HZ. Now I can tune a CW signal at a 600
Hz tone, the TX offset is 600 Hz, and the sidetone is 600 Hz.
    There is no attenuation for the headphone jack. With phones on, the
volume adjustment is touchy, it is easy to get too much volume. If the sidetone
level is set for comfortable phone operation, it is too low for speaker use. If
sidetone is set for speaker use, it is much too loud on the headphones. An
attenuator pad could be built into the headphone plug but I use my headphones
on several different rigs. I installed a 120 ohm resistor on the rear of the
headphone jack, in series with the jack. That evened the audio out quite a bit,
now one sidetone setting works for both phones and speaker.
    The manual does not provide very detailed technical information. The
schematics are almost too small to read. There are pictures of the circuit board
but no parts layout pictorials. There are no overall pictures of the rig showing
circuit board mounting or front and rear panel layouts. There are no instruction
for dis-assembling the radio.

Conclusion

    The Scout seems to be a good basic SSB/CW HF rig. It is inexpensive
for a new rig but still has some nice features. 50 watts is enough power to make
lots of contacts and I've been having good success with mine set to 4.5 watts.
The receiver seems to hear everything that my Paragon can. Generally, the
Scout operates a lot like the Argosy 525D but at half the size. Even with the
glitches I found on mine, I would recommend the Scout to a new ham looking
for a starter rig or an experienced op looking for a second rig.

Disclaimer: I am not employed or compensated by TEN-TEC, I am just a customer.
73 - Dave, N4ELM.

====================================================================
Dave Redfearn, SR PC LAN Analyst   Northern Telecom  RTP, NC.
ph.[phone]  email: [e-mail]    qrl? de N4ELM/qrp

All opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of
my employer, co-workers or any other person, real or imaginary.