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| Reviews Summary for Ten-Tec Century 21 |
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Reviews: 27
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Average rating: 4.4/5
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MSRP: $299
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Description: Morse only medium power rig of the 1970's.
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Product is in production.
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write your own review of the Ten-Tec Century 21.
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KA0AAM
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Rating: 4/5
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May 1, 2012 12:28
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Excellent Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Why it didn't get a 5. . . .
The finals. . .the finals on this rig are very poor. About once time a year, I would have to replace the finals. . .even when running a flat SWR. I tried lowering my output to 50 watts, but to no avail.
Now, with that said. This radio is the absolute BEST CW rig on the market. You can't have a better cw rig IMO. I worked many countries, states, and counties. It is easy to operate, you can tune BOTH sides of the CW signal, and the CW filter is fantastic. It was my main rig for many many years.
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K1YRW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 8, 2011 11:35
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Old Reliable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought my Century/21 new back in '80 and for a few years it was my main rig. Worked pretty near 100 countries using the rain gutter for an antenna. After a few years ran it mobile in my Jeep with a ham stick antenna. Eventually the rig quit and it sat on my basement floor for about 10 years until last summer when I decided to bring her back to life. All she needed was a 40m and the 80/20m xtals and an alignment. The whole repair including a good cleaning took about half an hour. Got the xtals from Ten Tec. Seems like they still support this rig. Surpriseingly enough the PTO was just fine. Now she looks and works like new and once again is sitting proudly in my main shack ready for the next 30 years of QSO's.
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K4RT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 7, 2011 06:01
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Simple, Reliable CW Transceiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My first rig as a new ham was the Ten Tec Model 570 "Century 21." I used it exclusively for two years until I upgraded and obtained voice privileges. It's a simple, stable, excellent solid state CW transceiver with Ten Tec's superb QSK. Very useful features include three receive filters, RIT, BFO, adjustable drive and overload protection. The CW sidetone volume is adjusted by turning a thumbwheel accessible through a hole in the bottom of the chassis.
If you are thinking of buying a Century 21 you should note that it does not feature an S-meter, although I don't know of any '21 owners who mind. You may need to rebuild the PTO to eliminate backlash in the tuning dial. I rebuilt the PTO in mine years ago using the kit from Ten Tec, which includes detailed instructions. The rebuild can be done in a few hours. If you are working inside the cabinet on something other than the PTO, care should be taken while soldering or desoldering wires connected to the original style round gray push-button switches for ZERO BEAT and SET DRIVE as the plastic housing is easily deformed or damaged by heat and it's my understanding that the original style switches are no longer available from Ten Tec. Prospective owners might contact Ten Tec to ask whether they still offer parts and service for the Century 21.
I recommend the Century 21 to any CW operator who appreciates a well designed, simple, nice looking CW transceiver with excellent QSK that's fun to use.
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WT8D
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 26, 2010 06:18
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Most fun rig ever!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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What can I say, the tears are making it hard to see the monitor! My first rig ever was a Century 21. Why I sold it I will never know. Owned every kind of radio since then but something always felt like it was missing. Saw a Century 21 for sale on Ebay and just for fun I got it. It's been sitting on my shelf for 10 years. Fired it up last week and I have been on the air nonstop since then. Everything still works perfect. Feels just like old times again!! hi
Now my fancy-schmancy rig will be gathering dust on the shelf.
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NC2F
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 4, 2009 06:39
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My favorite rig from the 70's still viable today.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Century 21 was my first
rig I bought new after having a used Heathkit HW-101. The Century 21 was so much
more a pleasure to operate and I immensely enjoyed the transistionto the Century 21. I can
imagine this is why the Century 21 remains a favorite for many today. It's so fun a rig to
operate, I'd buy another in a heartbeat if I found myself without one. I just treated my Century 21 to a new custom Vinyl dust cover as it has remained a centerpiece in my shack.
I've also noticed more people talking tech about these as the 570 seems to find new owners fast when used ones become available. So I decided to start a Model 570 Century 21 Group on Yahoo so fellow owners can discuss all the aspects of this fun transceiver. So if you have a Century 21 or looking to acquire one and want to join a group just for this gem of a rig, here's the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TTCentury21/
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NE4EB
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 7, 2008 06:42
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I Wore It Out
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My first novice rig. What a heck of a radio. This rig got me into traffic handling, DX, rag chewing and was a lot of fun. It was a great Direct Conversion receiver. Oh, and despite previous reviews, it CAN be run off of 12V. Lots of great memories with this rig.
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KE5DXV
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 12, 2008 04:42
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Best CW radio ever !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is the greatest CW radio I have ever owned, that includes my IC-745, and FT-7. I really like the simplicity, and the fact that you can still get support for it from Ten Tec. I rebuilt the PTO and it is like new again. No bells and whistles just a solid dependable radio, no external powersupply needed just turn it on and let it reach out and touch someone. I have had a lot of radios but I have sold or traded off most of them, but the Century 21 will always be in my shack, and favorites list. The only thing I don't like about it is the sidetone really sounds terrible, thru the onboard speaker, but using head phones solves that, so no problem I use them anyway. You can't beat this radio, for the fun or the value. If they were available brand new again I would not hesitate to buy one, this little radio just "Rocks".
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KA5KMS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 10, 2008 14:23
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Simplicity That Cannot be Equaled
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After several years of using the Century 21, I wonder how could I ever had been so blind about this rig. This is the greatest CW transceiver ever made for just plain simple fun. Without a doubt, one of the better ideas from Ten Tec that was ahead of it's time....and one that was built to continue on.
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NK5G
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 30, 2008 14:21
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Fun Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love this radio. I bought mine when I was a novice in 1986 and the radio still works great. I have never had to repalce a component.
Sure, it's not a contest radio, but fun to operate and make a few QSO's
Wish they still made it.
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NC2F
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 14, 2006 08:47
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A Reliable Classic that inspires to get on the air!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Classic can make something sound "old" or "dated", but I have to say this CW transceiver is more enjoyable to use for CW than the recent FT-2000 I recently had time to explore and use. It just works well and is built like the proverbial tank. The radio is not only a joy to operate, it's looks great in the shack as well. In this day of uninspiring gadget loaded plastic rigs, it's nice to know these rigs that to me define radio operating can still be had for a reasonable exchange.
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