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You can
write your own review of the Ten-Tec 1300 series QRP kits.
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KC5MO
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 25, 2010 07:29
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Fun rig wih room for mods
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the 1330 ( 30 meter version ) and really enjoy it. The 1300 series are rugged and fun to operate. Another great feature about the 1300 series is that there's plenty of room for some mods. I added the Small Wonder Labs Freq-Mite and Hendricks QRP SWR indicator as well as change out the RCA jacks to a 2.1mm jack for power which I can share with my Rock Mites. Not being a fan of PL 259's or their mates I changed out the SO-239 to a BNC via a kit from Oak Hills Research. Upcomming mods will be changing to or adding a 1/8" headphone jack and changing the RCA jack for the key to a 1/8" headphone jack.
By the way, I made my first QRP contact with this rig.
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NG9D
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 11, 2010 18:46
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Years Later, Still Fun
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Time owned: months
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Well, it has been over four years since I built my first one, a T1340. I think that there is a fairly high FUN/COST ratio with these kits! And the numerator of that equation does not seem to decay with time. One recent FUN experiment with the [T1320/30/40/80] was hooking up an Oak Hills Research DD-1 Digital Dial.
By the way, that DD-1 is a super kit (see product reviews "ham radio kits"). If you want to see a Ten-Tec T1380 connected to a DD-1, for example take a look at
http://www.youtube.com/user/NG9D?feature=mhw5#p/u/6/K06yNSEXtDw
The hams at Ten-Tec were very helpful to me when I was learning about building their kits, and were always quick to reply to a question or supply a part if needed. In my opinion, building any kit and learning how it works contributes to the FUN factor as much as using the completed device! 73 de NG9D . .
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K1FPV
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 5, 2010 12:57
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Brings back the warm fuzzy feelings of Heathkit and Knight Kit!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It has been a couple years since I built my 1320 CW QRP rig. It gave me warm and fuzzy feelings much like I experienced when I built my first Knight Kit over 50 years ago. Yes some of the print in the instructions were not the greatest, but then that is why we have schematics to check things out. I think AG8K was a bit harsh on his comments and badmouthed the 1340 for problems that were his doing and not the kit.
I love using my little 1320 and often try to call DX stations. Occasionally, I manage to catch one and they are often surprised I'm on QRP with such a simple rig.
Unfortunately, my eyes aren't what they used to be either and the arthritis in my hands makes working on these small items a challenge as I don't have the dexterity I used to have, but none the less, I love building them.
My next project most likely will be a 1330. There is a fun band! Thanks Ten-Tec for keeping the 1300 series of transceivers around. Keep up the good work!
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AG8K
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Rating: 0/5
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Apr 4, 2010 16:39
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Buy one put together!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I ended up trashing the whole 1340 kit and putting it out with the trash! I got tired of soldering hundreds of resistor leads into a poorly market PC board. Was this supposed to be fun? I never got any signal from the VFO on 7 mHZ.
The Instruction Manual is poor. Many of the schematics are too small to easily read the pin numbers. The placement of the electrolytic caps is confusing. The +- on the schematic does not match the picture. A lot of the printed info (Parts # C-35, etc) are not readable on the board as the hole has bored through the information. I full agree with the review of KB3RMX - Michael.
Perhaps being 67 years old and not seeing as well as I used to had something to do with it. However I used an laminated magnifying glass to check all parts and part placements.
I would recommend buying the MFJ or the Chinese QRP rig that is fully build and tested. It is not worth trying to save a $100 to build the T-Kit.
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N9VO
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Rating: 5/5
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May 28, 2009 19:45
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Fun little rig!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First off I will admit cheating. I did not build my 1340. I found it at Dayton this year and decided to follow the idea to try qrp. I got the rig very reasonably priced. Especially considering that it had the Hamgadgets Picokeyer already installed. It was modded to allow using 1/8 inch jack from cw keyer so can easily use the Begali Simplex on the 1340. Funny combo! Also either builder or previous owner had modified to run power wires out thru the rca jacks and installed power poles. Works much smoother and safely for powering rig. Rig works great, has pretty wide coverage and puts out approx 2 watts on 12V. Havent tried yet on 13.8. Sensitve on receive and have made several contacts with it. A nice addition to the shack. I would like to try building a 1320 now.
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IW3FZQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 7, 2009 10:37
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Great QRP Kit
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I speak about the 1340 model (40 meter). It is one of the best QRP rig I have ever built! The manual is very easy to read with examples and it is impossible to make wrong actions. The rig has a very good sensitivity and selectivity. Its power output is about 3,2 Watts with 12 VDC and 4 Watts with 13,8 VDC. Good sidetone (adjustable) and sweet regulation of the RIT. As many 40 meter single conversion rigs, it is unusable for some hour a day due to BC overload. This happens with good performance dipole; if you have a random short piece of wire or a loaded whip it will work fine 24/24. However, we are speaking about a 99 bucks rig... what do you expect?
73 de Enrico, IW3FZQ
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HZ1SK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 17, 2009 08:05
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Very nice Rig !
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Its really fun to build this kit.I built the 20m version 1320, had some problems at the beginning with testing the second phase..but the support of TEN TEC is really fantastic.So remember when buying a kit to look for support as well.One of the IC's got broken (my mistake Hi Hi ) but TEN TEC send me a replacement at no charge.
Pros :
- Very nice little rig
- Excellent sensitivity
- Rugged, the case is built like a Tank
- Clean output
Cons :
- The manual could be better,I don't know why TEN TEC doesn't have a high resolution PDF file!!
- its a bit difficult to adjust the VFO toroid.
- The usage of RCA plug for 13.8V is not recommended in my point of view.
In general,I highly recommend to build this kit.My first QSO was with the US N8II about 10600 KM away from my QTH in Jeddah - Saudi Arabia ..a Great QRP project.
I wrote an article about the rig in LASELKI.net
http://www.laselki.net/vb/showthread.php?t=3046
Best 73,
Samir
OD5SK , HZ1SK , KC5RYL
www.od5sk.com
www.Laselki.net
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N6MUK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 6, 2009 09:40
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Great Kit, Great Rig!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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When I completed building and aligning my 1340 kit, I connected it to my stealth 40M attic dipole just to listen around the band and see if the receiver would work in the real world. Within 2 minutes I heard a VE7 calling CQ near 7040 kHz. Here in California, with a mere 3 Watts of RF at my command, Canada seems like rare DX so I returned his call. We had a great QSO. He was testing a new home brew Flea transmitter with only 900 mW output. So, not only did my TT 1340 work straight off the workbench, but it landed some QRP DX first the time out. Wow, I had a high for 2 days with that "first Novice QSO" feeling that I haven't had since QSO #1 in 1986! Oh I wish I had tried QRP sooner...
I received this kit from my wife as a Xmas gift. Construction is straight forward and the Ten Tec instructions, with the test as you go procedures, are just fine. I did not notice any discrepancies in the instruction diagrams about counting the turns of wire while winding the toroids like some others have mentioned; perhaps TT has updated the instructions to clarify this. I just followed the instruction book to the letter AND double and triple checked every move before I soldered each part in place. I caught myself with a part in the wrong place or a skipped step a few times!
I opted to build my 1340 without any of the modifications I've read about on the Internet. I figured I could add those changes later if necessary. Frankly, it seems pretty darn good as it is so I'm not too excited about tearing it apart to add mods at this point. I think Ten Tec knows what they are doing well enough.
Construction is not difficult but not trivial to be sure. This is not a first time builders kit. It is at least intermediate level, in my opinion. If you are a beginner, just do your best and budget some time and money to send your completed kit to Ten Tec to have it straightened out by their highly skilled technician. I know a newbie who did just this and he has a fine little rig. He also gained a wealth of electronic, radio and kit building knowledge in the process.
Regarding this Ten Tec kit, If something in the realm of Ham Radio can offer more fun for US$100, I would like someone to point it out to me please!
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MM0AMV
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 26, 2008 15:27
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Pretty Good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have just finished building a 1340 kit complete with all the recommended mods. Ten-tec's instructions and updates were spot on, and very easy to follow. Calibration took a while but was worth the effort. The radio worked first time, and is putting out around 5 watts. Audio quality is very good. Now I intend building a 1320 to keep it company.
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EA5BLP
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 2, 2008 15:42
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A very good qrp RIG
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Time owned: months
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I have just finished building the little 1330. After more than 10 years without touching the iron solder, i have enjoyed a lot with this kit. Is not complicated to build and alignement can be made only with another receiver and a normal tester. I have measured 4 watts on 30 m and compared with the receiver of TS 897, it has a great sensivity and a good selectivity. For the price, is a very good option. All the components are of a good quality. My only complain is the potentiometers, itīs easy to break one when assembling into the box. Be careful with it. Otherwise, a big fun for any QRPist!
73!
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