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Reviews For: Ten Tec SP-325

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Ten Tec SP-325
Reviews: 4MSRP: 980
Description:
General coverage 'training' radio
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044
KB5AG Rating: 2020-05-27
I liked it, and Ten Tec, too Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've had experience with two of these sets; one I took in for repair, and one I bought for myself, also needing repair. In the first instance, the crystal oven was bad. I called Ten Tec, they were very nice and had the part, and I bought it. In the second instance it was the display IC. Again, I called Ten Tec, they were very nice, had the part and I bought it. I just don't understand why folks say they get mean when you mention the SP325 or the RX325.
Anyway, I kept my SP325 for quite some time, and really enjoyed it. Wasn't a stellar performer, but it was very stable, reasonably selective, fun to use and had great audio quality (with a good 600 ohm transformer). I sometimes miss it!

Update 5/27/2020.....I've had a couple of these radios since I wrote the above, and still like them. The last one I still have, a parts set that I really had no intention to bring back to life, but it was just sitting there so.....it took a lot of sleuthing, but most of the trouble was from a previous owner's butchering. I've got it going now, and it really is a pleasure to listen to. It's easy to bypass the 600 ohm audio output and bring the 8 ohm audio from the amp to the rear terminals; then you can hook up any old speaker to it. It is one radio that can be listened to for hours without fatigue. I need the cabinet for this one; if you have one, please let me know!
SWL377 Rating: 2004-02-05
nice HF scan radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had good experience with this often maligned radio. It can scan a number of set freqs and does so quite well, much better e.g. than a comparably priced Sony 2010. Utility listeners will like this feature. It is an easy to use nice looking very stable and sensitive SSB rcvr. Selectivity is decent, has xtal (not mech) IF filters. People panic about SP 325 parts unavailibilty, specifically the controller chip and display. Ten Tec considers this rcvr a bastard child and will not support it, they get mad if you even ask. Even with those risks, it is a good buy at $250 in my opinion. It was only a USN training radio (an odd concept, why not "train" on the real thing?) not a spook radio or ELINT set as eBay sellers often claim, but it is worth owning.
BANDM Rating: 2002-09-09
Nice radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got this from a friend who had gotten from a base closure sale....it still had USN property tags on it. He didnt know what it was. I have had only small shortwave radios with analog tuning. I put up a Radio Shack longwire antenna and got it hooked to the receiver. It certainly was/is the best SW I have ever used, and I continue to use it daily. Sorry I can't provide more in depth experience. It seems to work well for me, but bear in mind I have never had the opportunity to use one of the expensive Icom or Drake units.
N4UE Rating: 2002-08-28
Less than stellar Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this radio several years ago for several reasons:
1. the seller said it was a 'spook' (NSA, CIA etc) receiver.
2. I had heard about the 'good reputation' of Ten Tec
3. They were not too many made. Osterman lists them as "Scarce".....

To both the #1 and #2 above statements, all I can say is, BLAAAAH!
I would have given the radio a 1, but it does do some things OK. Besides, I hate it when someone gives a 1 or 0 rating. Depending upon the sample size, it can present a distorted view
- Appearance. This is actually quite nice. The radio uses a vacuum flors. display, which I really like. Mine came with the 19" rack handles. I resprayed the radio and the rack adapters and it looks brand new.
- Support. I'd like to go here before I discuss performance. TT has this killer reputation. I called then to inquire about something and they basically told me to get lost. OK, so they are not proud of the radio, I wouldn't be either, but they don't have to be rude. Maybe support for their other models is better, but I'll never even consider another TT. (my loss) I was able to find a very nice guy, who gave me a Service / Operation Manual. It's as big as an R-390 manual. That's good!
- Purpose. This is NOT a 'spook' radio! It was designed for the Navy to be a 'training radio' for receiver operators. God forbid if these guys had to operate an R-390 or a R-1051......
- Construction. Inside of this 8 lb radio, the circuit boards DO look to be well made. The LO xtal has an oven and it works well. However, the internecting cables are el-cheapo. The utilize 'insulation displacing connectors'. THE WORST. I know because I spent years as a PE for IBM, doing failure analysis. These are the pits.
- Performance. OK, the radio is stable. It is very selective. The audio is very nice. (several people have complained about terrible audio. The radio has 600 ohms output. A RS transformer and Drake MS-3 speaker provide almost TOO much volume) SSB is excellent. Sensitivity ? Too much! This radio has a built in attenuator. It needs it. My last location wasn't even close to radio or TV stations yet on the higher frequencies, blowby and bleed through from the HF bands was awful. I though there were broadcast stations on 24 Mhz, when all it was, was harmonics from lower frequencies. I did a comparison with the Collins 51J-3 (see other review) and the old radio heard none of this garbage. Yes, same antenna.
When I get it out of mothballs, I'll take another look at it. Now that I have the manual, perhaps it just needs a good alignment. Someone might have tweaked it.

Bottom line? If you're in the market for one of these, try it before you buy it. It may be just what you need.
enjoy,
ron
N4UE