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You can
write your own review of the Ten-Tec Omni V.
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KI6NQT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 27, 2011 18:40
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My best alt. rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Nice quiet, pleasing audio. Very nice processor and no fuss transmitter. After about 10-15 minutes the VFO is very stable. If I get tired of turning knobs I always go to the T^T. Not much to the menu's and the dual VFO's are easy to program.
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KC6RCM
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 28, 2011 22:11
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Fantastic receiver performance.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased my Omni V new in 1990. Other than replacing the battery for the clock/date, the rig has not required any service. It has a large, easy-to-read fluorescent display for my aging eyes. Being a ham band only transceiver, I also use a Ten Tec RX-340 general coverage receiver for shortwave, utility and NDB DXing. From my experience, the Omni V has a slight edge on the RX-340 for overall receiver sensitivity in the ham bands.
This rig, when placed along side other similarly styled Ten Tec equipment, will make an impressive lineup on any desk.
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KC6RCM
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 28, 2011 22:05
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Fantastic receiver performance.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased my Omni V new in 1990. Other than replacing the battery for the clock/date, the rig has not required any service. It has a large, easy-to-read fluorescent display for my aging eyes. Being a ham band only transceiver, I also use a Ten Tec RX-340 general coverage receiver for shortwave, utility and NDB DXing. From my experience, the Omni V has a slight edge on the RX-340 for overall receiver sensitivity in the ham bands.
This rig, when placed along side other similar styled Ten Tec equipment, will make an impressive lineup on any desk.
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WB0FDJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 30, 2010 16:34
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Built like a tank. Effective.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Final update 12/31/10: Radio is returned from factory and needed only a complete alignment (the 30 and 40 meters had aged out of alignment). My frequency counter says I'm within 4 Hz on each band. It's now working as great as the day I bought it new in 1992. Using a SignaLink USB I'm running digital, making a bunch of contacts mostly with JT65 & PSK. I am awed by the quality of this radio. Recent review follows:
Well I've had a hard earned week off. Goofing around with the radios a lot. It's been a while since I'd been down on CW so I take the brand new rig (5 months old) and start digging around on the CW portion of the band, where it's not really spent any time and notice that it really lacks something. I listen on my 703+ and it actually does a little better "hearing" CW in A/B testing. Hmmmm....lets get out the ole OMNI V and see how thats doing.
I tune to 20 CW and signals jump out of the air. Clear signals. Unaffected by nearby stations. Stuff down in the dirt is easily copyable. I compare this to the new rig and there is no comparison. Theres a certain clarity listening to CW on the V that can only be appreciated when you hear it. So I go to 40 meters, recently made useless by continuous S8-9 noise (likely power line stuff). The new rig with DSP and a zillion filters can't hear anything. Nada. Zip. The OMNI, with the use of the PBT, fade/BP control and filters actually does BETTER! I discover that one can run PSK with the OMNI V. Hmmm again. I read the manual. It says if you want to run 100% duty cycle at full power then it can survive 20 minutes but keeping it at 10 minutes on, 10 off is recommended. These are nuclear proof finals here!
My OMNI V was benched because it needed some service and over time it just sat on the shelf, ignored, collecting dust. Last time I used it very much at all was probably 2003 and 7 years later it just turns on and works very very well. No DSP. No menus. No coffee maker or band scopes or arm rests.... And yes, a few warts. But for digging out weak CW in the wee hours of the morning its a definite keeper. So today I sent it off to Ten Tec's legendary service dept for a 100,000 mile oil change and some repairs. Then back to the main operating bench to be THE rig. Best money I have ever spent on a radio. What follows is my original review of January 2001...
I second what the other op's have said. This has the hottest receiver that I've ever listened to. And with additional filters, you can suck signals out of the ether with the best of them.
I run 99% CW: this is a CW mans rig. But the SSB on this rig is excellent. Very good.
Even used, this is an excellent rig. Only had mine in the factory shop once (it had been a demo and got dusted up). They brought it up to factory specs, replaced some knobs, recal'd etc. About $80! Wow!!! R
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WB0FDJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 3, 2010 16:48
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One of a kind....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Well I've had a hard earned week off. Goofing around with the radios a lot. It's been a while since I'd been down on CW so I take the brand new rig (5 months old) and start digging around on the CW portion of the band, where it's not really spent any time and notice that it really lacks something. I listen on my 703+ and it actually does a little better "hearing" CW in A/B testing. Hmmmm....lets get out the ole OMNI V and see how thats doing.
I tune to 20 CW and signals jump out of the air. Clear signals. Unaffected by nearby stations. Stuff down in the dirt is easily copyable. I compare this to the new rig and there is no comparison. Theres a certain clarity listening to CW on the V that can only be appreciated when you hear it. So I go to 40 meters, recently made useless by continuous S8-9 noise (likely power line stuff). The new rig with DSP and a zillion filters can't hear anything. Nada. Zip. The OMNI, with the use of the PBT, fade/BP control and filters actually does BETTER! I discover that one can run PSK with the OMNI V. Hmmm again. I read the manual. It says if you want to run 100% duty cycle at full power then it can survive 20 minutes but keeping it at 10 minutes on, 10 off is recommended. These are nuclear proof finals here!
My OMNI V was benched because it needed some service and over time it just sat on the shelf, ignored, collecting dust. Last time I used it very much at all was probably 2003 and 7 years later it just turns on and works very very well. No DSP. No menus. No coffee maker or band scopes or arm rests.... And yes, a few warts. But for digging out weak CW in the wee hours of the morning its a definite keeper. So today I sent it off to Ten Tec's legendary service dept for a 100,000 mile oil change and some repairs. Then back to the main operating bench to be THE rig. Best money I have ever spent on a radio. What follows is my original review of January 2001...
I second what the other op's have said. This has the hottest receiver that I've ever listened to. And with additional filters, you can suck signals out of the ether with the best of them.
I run 99% CW: this is a CW mans rig. But the SSB on this rig is excellent. Very good.
Even used, this is an excellent rig. Only had mine in the factory shop once (it had been a demo and got dusted up). They brought it up to factory specs, replaced some knobs, recal'd etc. About $80! Wow!!!
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KA1YUW
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 10, 2010 19:22
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Great rig and American made!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this rig for 4 years now and works as good if not better than my icom ic-765. The receiver is as quiet as any of these new dsp rigs. I'm all through with the Japinese rigs. I got my eye on the new Eagle. I'll wait till Arrl tests it out and w8ji tests it. I'm also interested in the orions. Ten Tec gives the best service on all their rigs they have made. Can't say that about the rest of the Japenese companies! I also have the Ten Tec 6&2 meter rig which also has a very quiet receiver. And best of all it's American made!
73's
John
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AE6ZW
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 2, 2010 10:00
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Easy Maintenance
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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all of the connector on this radio are marked with numbers, as well as matching numbers on PC board. so when you unplug the connector, it is easy to plug back in.
all of the sub units PCB are removable.
circuit is all easy to understand, does not require special jig to tune up.
bigger through hole mount parts, and spaced out layout in large case with plenty of room.
manual on TEN TEC web site include, schematic, PCB layout, tune up procedure. and they claim they still sell repair parts for this radio.
I gave 5 for reason above.
I got this radio, because I enjoy working on the radio, only do CW in HF.
for those who want to do digital such as PSK31, the frequency stability is probably not good enough for that use.
for SSB voice, todays DSP IF radio might remove noise and QRM, beat sound better.
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AA8KY
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 5, 2010 19:42
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Great Rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Best CW rig for my use. Works well on FM and sideband too. I will keep this rig forever.
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K4IDD
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 26, 2009 20:03
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Still a great receiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Omni V is an excellent transceiver and, for its current sales prices, a steal - especially with either of N4PY's V.9 or V.9 v.2 chips (better memory management, bandstacking registers, simple and quick split operation, etc). I bought mine used from Ten-Tec and never regretted it. For cw operators, the filters, PBT, and ability to peak the audio provide the capability to work stations who are not moving the S meter. The Omni hears everything my TS-850 does, sometimes better than the 850 with weak cw. The received audio is great - cw has a bell-like sound like I remember from the better tube receivers of many years ago. It is less tiring to listen to than my TS-850, and the QRN (while still annoying) is more tolerable. Tastes vary of course, but I rarely use the 250 hz PBT filter, However, the 500 hz filter (narrow) in the 9 mhz i.f. is magical for weak signals as much as for interference. Although mine is mostly used for cw, my Heil Proset mic drives the rig easily, and the received ssb audio is also very good. Although the V.9 v.2 chip was the best change I made, the new Ten-Tec soft trim ring on the tuning knob added a lot to the "feel" of the rig. Since Ten-Tec still services these rigs, I would recommend them to anyone looking for an economical rig with great receiver.
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HAMDUDE
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 18, 2009 10:58
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best receiver i ever had
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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update from july: we all know band condition's are in the toilet. 6 week's after filling up all the filter slot's and np4y chip, i can hear and work station's i could not on ANY radio from the big 3, yaesu, icom and kenwood and many other's along the way. if i want to look at a screen, i watch tv or turn on my computer. dual watch, for what?, so i can sit on 75 meter's for 50 year;'s and be a snitch and gossiper? radio's are for communicating and making contact's, that's all there is. get a life...
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