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| Reviews Summary for Ten-Tec Omni V |
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Reviews: 27
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $2245.00
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Description: 160-10M ham bands (9) transceiver. 26 Memories, & dual VFOs
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More info: http://www.tentec.com
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You can
write your own review of the Ten-Tec Omni V.
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AA8VE
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2008 09:31
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Main rig over 10 years
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Omni V was the second HF rig I ever owned, bought it back in '94 only one year after I became a ham so it's been with me for a while. I was the second owner and the rig was pretty much like new condition. Only thing worn was the rotary encoder for the main tuning dial which I replaced and has been fine since. I've had a couple other brands of HF rigs here to try out with the intent of upgrading at different times, in fact I even had a friends Omni VI but decided the Omni V was plenty good for me, I really couldn't hear much difference in the VI over the V, it has nice features but the basics rig performance wasn't enough of a difference to cause me to change. Other brands I've had next to the Omni V were simply not as good in their performance so a long time back I decided to just keep the Omni V and be happy with it for as long as it keeps running. I like the size of the rig and it's lay out makes it a joy to use, I use all the features too so it's not like many modern rigs where the operator never needs most of the fancy controls. With the Omni V everything is right there, no menus to scroll through to try and change something.
My Omni V is pretty much completely stock, I've done some mods and upgrades but they were from the factory and also when I sent the rig to T*T they replaced a few boards with newer versions to upgrade it for no charge I might add. I like the filters available from T*T and have the slots filled for CW performance. With 500 in the 9 Mhz IF Narrow slot and 500 and 250 in the 6.3 IF it's rx performance on CW is really top class. Add to that the great audio filtering with their BP/Fade control and I've not found or heard a rig that can do a better job for CW. There may be some out there but they are few. It's not just tight filtering but also the receiver doesn't get blocked by near by strong signals, I can hear a weak signal on a clear band just as well as on the crowded band once I have everything adjusted right like the PBT, audio filters RF gain Tone control and AF gain. It took me a while to learn what works best in different conditions but I can really pull out the weak signals with it like nothing else.
The BP/Fade is an interesting feature, can be used on CW and SSB to reduce QRM and near by signals. The Fade is an adjustble width filter and the BP is an adjustable tone peak filter, actually it's a Notch filter that works the opposite of a Notch and they used the same type IC chip for both of these features. It's like having a second PBT that also has a variable width filter and it's all in the audio stage. When used along with the IF PBT the results are simply amazing.
The Omni V has a perfect CW note and keying, it just doesn't get any better. On SSB I use their 705 desk mic and the audio is just great, it's accurate SSB communications grade audio that sounds very natural and well balanced. It has a processor that is adjustable and can be heard through the monitor, works just as it should when set to the proper meter level. I've never had a need for the processor. The Vox works smooth as silk, I did add a switch to disable the Aux relay so there's no clicking sound from the rig.
The receiver is very sensitive but there's very little IF hiss or internal noise. When I have headphones on and set the RF gain just right the rig becomes completely transparent, like I have a direct link from my ears to the RF signal, I can't hear anything from within the radio itself, none of the high hiss that so many 3 or 4 conversion rigs have. The AGC works just as it should, with no signal the gain level comes up so I hear all the atmospheric noise on the band but as soon as there's a signal the AGC smoothly pulls down the gain so all I hear is the signal I'm looking for. There is no AGC pumping or lag that sounds like a big wave of hiss and there's no pop if a strong signal hits the rig all at once. The AGC is just like everything else, smooth as silk and does what it's intended to do.
It is a ham bands only rig, okay by me because I'm a ham! T*T did a very interesting thing in the design of this rig. They wanted a high performance rig with crystals for the Local Oscillators while at the same time they wanted a control system that is digital, has memories, dual VFO, key entry band change and can be computer controlled. To get all this they did nearly a complete reverse of what the Japanese had been doing. The common general coverage receive Jap rig either uses a PLL for the LO and mechanical VFO or they use PLL's or some form of synthetic tuning for everything. In the Omni V they used a PLL only for the 5.000 to 5.500 VFO range and everything else, the LO's, BFO's and PBT is all done with crystal oscillators. This is why the noise floor is so low and they can have such a high sensitivity in the receiver. they can have better gain because there's less noise to try and control. Pretty much everything you hear out of the rig is radio signals from the antenna. Now this high performance isn't without a cost, there are a number of weak birdies through the bands, I've never had a problem from them but they are there. It also can take a while to become stable during warm up. This rig is the type that's best left on all the time. Also because there's a different crystal oscillator for each band and the digital read out is CPU based the running freq doesn't always match the display without a lot of time spent getting them aligned. It has no effect on performance and I always felt it's a good trade off. I can always be on freq to another station but my display may not match his.
To get my Omni V on freq I did a little mod to the cover of the PLL and LO osc boards. That was to remove the cover, measure and drill a row of small holes in the cover so I can use a trimmer screw driver and adjust each LO without a big change in temp of the LO's and PLL. I did this many years ago and I can get every band to be either dead on freq or within 3 to 4 cycles when the rig is at it's normal operating temp. So the freq accuracy is an issue but it also can be over come. For the performance of the rig I don't see these weaker areas to be any problem.
The Omni V doesn't have RIT but by running CW in Split mode I find it doesn't need RIT. The QSK is amazing, nothing like it, I use a Centurion amp with the Omni V and when the amp is in use and I'm using headphones to run CW I can't tell the amp is there. T*T nailed it on QSK they have the best system for that and always have. None of this using VOX for QSK either, they do it with switching transistors and a real RF carrier not an audio tone that's keyed to the VOX for their CW transmit. That's why the Omni V sounds so great on CW.
The cost of a clean Omni V had dropped to around $500 and that has to be one of the best buys going for an HF rig. If it has all the filters the filters alone would cost that much if bought today. Best part is it's still completely serviceable by the factory. The materials used to build the front panel are super tough, I've used mine for over 12 years and the front panel still looks like new. None of the lettering has worn not even from the keypad keys, it's so nice to have a rig that's made to be used and not wear down on the front panel. The main panel is a thick aluminum, it's over 1/16" thick at the thinnest part. This is a very tough radio, far better then the plastic fronts of most Jap rigs, if not all of them.
Most receivers today have plenty of sensitivity that's not an issue but selectivity and dynamic range will always be an area that can be improved on. In that area I find the Omni V to be a top rig. Not even by the numbers but I can copy weak stations through the worst of conditions where so many other rigs fail either because they can't filter out the noise or they become completely blocked and unable to hear the station between two strong ones. To do that is a sign of a high performance receiver and the Omni V does that. Never mind what it looks like or the lay out of the controls, this is one sweet performing rig and that's the bottom line!
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W9PT
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 28, 2007 12:39
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Great DX Machine
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The O-V was purchased three years ago used from Ten-Tec. I immediately added the N4PY control chip (a must have) and the following Inrad filters: The 2.4 Khz roofing filter, The 10-pole 2.4K filters for both IF's, and a 400Hz filter for CW. The rig goes great with my Centurion amp. The only other mod I installed was to rout the receive antenna jack thru the T/R relay like it should have been.
Readout not accurate? The only drift I noticed was on 40 and 17, and was less than a Khz, less than on the old tube rigs of years ago. The solution is to have the rig fully warmed up and invoke the crystal calibration feature of the N4PY chip. It is right on freq on all bands; even those two "drifters" after a half hour or so. Yes the O-VI has a PLL and optional TCXO plus other features to avoid that. It will probably be my next stop, but not for any lack of performance from the O-V. I have several nice Yaesu's here but the O-V is the one I go to for HF everyday.
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W9ZX
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Rating: 2/5
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Nov 21, 2007 21:05
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nice Rx with one big flaw
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I owned a Omni V and later an Omni VI+. My OmniV had one big annoying problem. The readout was seldom accurate. I contacted Tentec about the problem and was told they had used cheap crystals that would not stay on frequency. I liked the radio so much that I bought better crystals but still never cured the problem. The crystals were in an enclosed compartment and as the rig generated heat they changed frequency. That problem was cured on the Omni VI but the Omni V was a disappointment to me. I was told this was a common problem and I've been surprised no one else mentioned it.
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WA3OFR
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 11, 2007 16:50
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Superb Rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had an HW101 for many years and finally when finances were better,got the Omni V when it first came out (1992?)... This rig may not have all the DSP bells and whistles as current ones, but the receiver sensitivity , ease of use and solid engineering and construction are awesome. As an Elec. Engr. by profession, I tip my hat to the designers at TT. I have only performed one firmware upgrade in 15 years of reasonably hard use. No problems or failures. It has taken me to within 3 of top of the Honor Roll running barefoot - which is a credit to the receiver and QSK - not the operator (hi) - If you're considering the Omni V as a new rig and find a clean one, but it! Performance + TT support is second to none.
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WB2HMY
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 28, 2007 07:39
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NICE RADIO
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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PURCHASED RADIO FROM TEN-TEC USED ABOUT 1994,LIKED THE RADIO IMMEDIATELY,NICE JUMP FROM ALL THE EARLIER TEN-TECS I OWNED....FIRST THING THAT BUGGED ME WAS THE 10 CYCLE READOUT,BEING OFF BY 80 OR 90 CYCLES,TRYED MANY TIMES TO CORRECT THIS,BY ALIGNMENT--BUT PUTTING COVERS BACK ON, HEAT WOULD BUILD UP,OFF AGAIN...WHILE WRKING ON A MIDLAND RADIO,DISCOVERED A SNAP ON OVEN,WRKS ON 12 VOLTS DC,COST ABT $3.50 EACH,ITS CALLED A POSISTOR,HEATS 140 DEG F, DRAWS ONLY 50 MA WHEN REACHES TEMP...CALLED MIDLAND ORDER ABT 15 POSISTORS,SNAPS THEM ON ALL MIXERS CYSTALS AND MY UPPER AND LOWER SIDEBAND CYSTALS,REALIGNED RADIO CRACKED OPEN COVER ON INSIDE MIXER COMPARTMENT SO HEAT WOULD NOT BUILD UP,NOW FREQ WITHIN 20 CYCLES ON ALL BANDS,PLUS RADIO GETS ON FREQ WITHIN A FEW MINS..
ALSO BEING A SSB OPERATER I CHANGED THE FAST AND SLOW RX AVC TIME .... THAT FAST AVC IS GREAT FOR CW,ITS EXCELLENT,BUT NOT FOR ME,SO I REMOVED THE 1 UF CAP ON THE IF BOARD AND CHANGED IT TO 10 UF ALSO REMOVED THERE SLOW 4.7UF AND ADDED ANOTHER 10 UF CAP-- SO FAST HAS A 10 UF,AND SLOW ADDS ANOTHER 10UF FOR A TOTAL OF 20 UF FOR SLOW,ACTS LIKE THE 2B IN SLOW NOW....LATELY ADDED THE INRAD FLOORING FILTER,SAVE YOUR MONEY -- ITS MAKES NO IMPROVEMENT ON THE OMNI 5, IT MAY ON THE OMNI6 BUT NOT THE 5... HAVE THE ROOFING FILTER FROM INRAD FROM ITS RELEASE.732 DON
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KA1YUW
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 18, 2007 22:03
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Nice Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just got the Omni V and I like it so far. I put in the Inrad 2.1 filters and great selectivity. I work mostly ssb and some cw. Nice quiet reciever. I also have the Ten Tec 238 Tuner and the 6n2 transciever. I'm sold on TenTec. They make great equipment. I'll be saving up for the Orion II.
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W5IEI
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 4, 2007 05:15
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Old warhorse
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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What can I say that hasn't been said.Very quiet reciever,nice to look at,the recieve audio is wonderful.QSK of course is the best.
I've gotten many unsilicoted compliments on tx audio as well.
Most reports on PSK31 as IMD in the minus 30's.
Now Carl N4PY has a new V9.2 chip and it is on par with most modern rigs.
A definite keeper.
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N7WR
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 13, 2006 19:06
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Impressive
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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48 years as a ham and have owned Kenwood, Yaesu and Icom HF radios of many sorts. Just picked up my first Ten Tec for a couple of reasons. One, I've heard very good things about them and their factory service/support and, two, I have decided in my old age to "buy American" whenever I can.
Picked up a very clean Omni V loaded with filters. Supurb receiver and am getting great TX audio reports as well. On CW I can only say WOW!
Impressed enough that I have tracked down a 961 power supply/speaker and the 301 remote tuner and am looking forward to building a complete, primary staion out of this. My principal on the air time is spent DXing and contesting. I think I'm going to enjoy both more with this rig.
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KI4DTV
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 24, 2006 20:17
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Great rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned my omni v for about 3 years and I just can't find a rig that performs better or I would buy it.
I like to trade rigs every year or so. I trade other rigs but I always hang on to my omni v.
It has fantastic receive and transmit audio.
DSP ruins the receive fidelity for me on any rig.
In fact, it's well known that the omni v is the only rig that the addition of DSP couldn't make an improvement.
If you're a newer ham who doesn't know how great the rigs sounded before DSP you won't notice it.
I tried the omni VI but didn't like it as well as the omni v because of the DSP.
There's other ways to get rid of noise, etc. than using rig degrading DSP.
I had another thing happen recently that is interesting and has to do with Ten Tec.
I have a Kenwood rig and the processor went bad. They don't make that part anymore and the rig is only five years old!
It took me several weeks and lots of calls to find a replacement part. Kenwood was no help at all and it cost a lot of money to get it fixed. A lot of waiting and aggravation to.
I'm not picking on kenwood. Icom and yaesu are no better in that department.
This is another reason to buy Ten Tec. They still service their rigs that are over 20 years old.
For reference I've been a ham for over 46 years. I've had most of the popular rigs.
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K8BVJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 1, 2005 12:51
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Every bit as good as the newer rigs today.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I finally bought an Omni V fully filtered. It really performs excellent on CW when hunting for weak DX stations. QRM is almost never a problem with the excellent stages of filtering.
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