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Reviews For: Ten Tec R4020

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Ten Tec R4020
Reviews: 32MSRP: 249.00
Description:
Model R4020 2 Band QRP Transceiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.tentec.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00324.7
WA4JM Rating: 2011-10-20
Not Just Another QRP Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just took delivery of the TenTec 4020 QRP rig after reading the reviews here and in QST. When I took it out of the box I got the sense of excitement of a kid with a new toy.

I know it’s easy to run the power back on a larger rig, but sooner or later you go back to QRO. That’s not going to happen with the 4020. Running on the AA batteries I get about 3.5 watts. Running with a wall wart power supply I get close to 5 watts.

I tested the rig with both a straight key and with my trusty K8RA P2 paddles. The operation was flawless. And since I like to try things before reading the manual, I found operation of the rig intuitive though there were some hints I could have discovered in advance of powering the rig up.

I was very impressed with the receiver section and did an A-B comparison with my TenTec Argonaut V using a common antenna. Whatever the Argo heard the 4020 heard! Even signals that were in the mud were easily heard on the 4020.

I read a previous review from someone owning an Elecraft KX-1. There is no comparison in price for what you get. The 2 band KX-1 is $299 in kit form and the built in antenna tuner is another $119.

The 4020 comes assembled and if you use an add-on external tuner like the LDG 817 for $120 you’re still less that the Elecraft with no kit to build.

The writer went on to bash the construction quality, etc. But if you know anything about TenTec it’s that they market quality products and this is no exception.

I am very happy with my choice.
HB9OBZ Rating: 2011-08-09
GREAT LITTLE QRP TRANSCEIVER Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
MY NEW CALLSIGN IS HB9DTA. I HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS LITTLE JEWEL DIRECTLY FROM TEN TEC. I OWN ALREADY QUITE A LARGE RANGE OF QRP RIGS MOST OF THEM ARE HOMEBREW FROM KITS. THIS ONE CAPTURED MY ATTENTION AND I HAD TO BY IT. I GET 3 TO 4 WATTS OUTPUT A BIT LESS THAN THE STATED MAX. OUTPUT BUT IT WORKS VERY WELL WITH MY PALM RADIO PADDLES. COUPLED TO MY G5RV/2 MOUNTED AT 16 FEET ON THE GARDEN GROUND I HAVE MADE A NICE CONTACT WITH K2TQC (RST 539). OK, BILL HAS A FABULOUS ANTENNA FARM, BUT MY ANTENNA CONDITIONS ARE NOT THAT GOOD. I COULD HEAR HIM 599 ! BUT THIS "GUY" WILL HAVE MORE THAN A TRY PORTABLE SOON AND I WILL REVERT WITH AN UPDATED REPORT. NICE RIG OVERALL I CAN CERTAINLY SAY: BUY IT AND ENJOY IT !
W5BIB Rating: 2011-07-11
Just an amazing little xcvr. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Using a 40-20-10 windom (ocf dipole) at 25ft, 90% of the time, If I can hear 'em, I can work 'em. I use it with a straight key / bug hooked in tandem. It never ceases to amaze me with it's selectivity. Side tone could be a little louder (I'm almost deaf), but I solved the problem by using one of my R-390A's as a monitor !! Extremely happy "camper". Ya can't beat it for the money. Thanks Ten-Tec. P.S., If I need "more power" I turn on my Ten-Tec CENTURY-21 !!! 73 Steve / W5BIB ham for over 50 years.
GW6ITJ Rating: 2011-06-13
Excellent value - great rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had been toying with the idea of an Elecraft K1 or KX1 for some time but they are too expensive in my mind for NE602 mixer and detector and LM386 audio amp with some nice features.

So I decided to get the HB 1A (Ten Tec R4020)

The HB-1A is a very similar design to the K1 and KX1 but a lot cheaper! It uses a 2 line LCD display so more information can be displayed, from the comparisons I've seen the only valid concern is the build quality but I have to say the HB-1A is not bad at all, a few yen more and it would be excellent, but it is not something to be really concerned with don't think.

I had read a lot of reviews and new what to expect - or did I? Well this little rig surpasses my expectations in many ways, and after 2 days use these are my first impressions:

Pros:
Small (you need to hold it to appreciate it)
Excellent Receiver sensitivity
Excellent audio (such a change from other rigs using an LM386)
Good IF filtering (400, 700, 900 Hz - I have not had any adjacent signal problems)
USB/LSB receiver as well (AM is also very good using a single side band!)
Internal/external battery operation
Memory usage is so easy (20 memories)
Easy CW memory keyer setup and use
RIT, filters and mode easy to change/use
Auto-detect of paddle or straight key

Cons:
Little protection for the LCD display (Not an issue I'm sure but I will put a small perspex cut-out over the screen)
Cheap tuning and volume knobs (Not an issue but I will replace them just to make me feel better)
Overloads on strong signals (It uses NE602 mixers, the same as the K1 and KX1 so I expected it and couldn't get better for a lot more money)
RF Attenuator provides too much attenuation (a pain, at least 40dB to my untrained ear - 100 Ohm resistor across Q4 seems to be the accepted mod)
I would prefer the speed to be set with a morse announcement of the speed setting, just a preference

The pros certainly outweigh the cons and I look forward to many hours of good use with this little rig, noise floor at the home QTH is S7+ on 40m so it needs to be portable and I think it might have a permanent space in the car.

The cons should knock it to a 4/5 but if you consider the price (200 GBP delivered) then it has to be a 5 - it is better than 'Good', it is 'Great'!
VE3HG Rating: 2011-06-01
Amazing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought the rig at Dayton and was delivered June 1. Comparing it to a Drake R8 the R40/20 could hear everything the Drake could hear. Plugged in my Idiom Press memory keyer (using a mono adaptor to make the rig think I was using a straight key) and that worked. Getting my SCAF-1 audio filter working and wiring up the battery holders. Bought a PAR 40/20/10 end-fed antenna and ready for Field Day. Highly recommend it in general but especially good buy at its price.
N4KJK Rating: 2011-04-24
Fun, easy to use radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I stopped by the Ten-Tec factory/store on a family trip and picked one of these radios up. The folks at Ten-Tec were extremely pleasant to deal with.

Using this radio and a BuddiPole, I was soon sitting in a lawn chair making a contact.

For those having problems getting the radio to recognize a straight key, my solution was an 1/8" stereo jack to 1/8" mono plug adapter. This was easier than changing the cable on key to connect the ring and sleeve.

This adapter worked for me:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062469
W6ZKH Rating: 2011-03-20
Great little radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had mine for acouple of weeks, and using both at home with very low dipole and also in my Pedestrian Mobile backpack setup. Receiver better than my Yaesu FT847. Have had good results and reports both home and PedMobile. Built a "op table" for PM work so dont have to hand carry it. See my QRZ.com page for photos. I would recommend this radio to anyone wanting to get into QRP CW on a basic level.
NA1ME Rating: 2011-03-20
Good value for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you can afford an FT-817, get that. I use both the FT-817 and the R4020, so I can say that. But if money is tight, definitely don't hesitate to pick up an R4020. It provides good value for the price. For fun, I put my R4020 through its paces, 20m only, in the recent ARRL DX Contest. I worked 63 DXCC entities and had a ton of fun. I agree with other reviewers that a sharper filter, maybe down to 100 Hz BW, would help in crowded, strong signal contest conditions. In ordinary conditions I keep the filter set at 400 Hz, which seems fine. It would be nice too to have one or two real memories, for contest exchanges, rather than that one funky CQ PSE K memory. That said, it was fun using the rig in the DX Contest and I look forward especially to using it on 40 and 20 this June during FD. The rig works fine on internal batteries; best results were obtained from good old fashioned Duracell AA batteries, as opposed to more expensive batteries, for instance lithium. Save your money there. I ended up supergluing the two battery packs to the lid, rather than using doublesided tape as suggested. Do be careful not to pinch the battery wires when reassembling the case (I did). Otherwise, if you have low audio output when plugging in ear buds, try another pair. My first pair had an impedance the RX audio output didn't like, but the second pair provided more than adequate volume. Also, as others have noted, pay attention to the right kind of plug when using an external keyboard. I used a Radio Shack adapter plug, 3 conductor stereo to 2 conductor mono, and everything works fine. RIT works great; I've used it to snag DX working split. The programmable FQ memories are a nice touch. All in all, this is a very fun QRP rig to throw in a backpack or carry on, along with a wire antenna, and operate portable with. It's definitely a very good rig for casual operating, but even contesting too as I found out in the ARRL DX Contest. I'd buy another one if it were made for 160/80 or 15/10. The price is right given all the features that the R4020 has.
N9XAW Rating: 2011-02-01
problem Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The power switch is a simple slide switch. The internal battery pack makes the unit a great radio for back packing however, if the switch gets bumped and turned on in the back pack while you are hiking, you arrive at your destination to find weak batteries. Might as well carry a small external battery and plug it in to the unit when you arrive. Once it is out of warranty you could fabricate a protective shield over the switch.
WA5RR Rating: 2011-01-17
Solid Performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wow. I love it when someone compares apples to oranges by comparing this radio with a more expensive and capable one. You won't find that here.

This radio arrived a few days before Christmas and I hooked it up to a simple 40-meter dipole with my old Ten-Tec 247 tuner and Radio Shack SWR meter. I made one contact a few days later to verify everything was in order. After putting it through it's paces during the NAQP CW contest and Flying Pigs RFTB I've made some conclusions.

Pros:
The receiver is quite good and stable.
It hardly made a dent in my external 12-volt battery's charge.
Adding the internal battery pack is a great convenience. I installed rechargeable cells and also performed the "in-situ" charger mod for the HB1A.
The portability factor is great. I can fit the radio and a wire antenna inside a portable DVD case along with a key and battery-powered speaker.

Cons:
The IF bandwidth is not tight enough at 400-hz to be of much use with close-in signals.
I'm unable to zero-beat CW signals a majority of the time due to the VFO only having 10-hz resolution. The RIT has 1-hz resolution and it would make more sense for the VFO to have it instead.
The audio really is meant only to drive headphones. I solved it by using an amplified speaker.

The bottom line is that this radio is well-designed and works well given its capabilities. I had been off the air for almost a year and this radio gets me back on the band making contacts.

72,

Korey--W3TUA