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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
AA2LD Rating: 2011-01-15
OK not great compared to Elecraft Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I freely admit that my benchmark is the Elecraft KX1. That radio is very solid, very well made. Mine has the built in tuner and the 30 m option. I'm not a very experienced builder but made it through and then I sent it to Elecraft where they tweaked and calibrated it for a small charge.

Now, let's look at the Ten-tec. The fit and finish are average. The knobs wobble and the case isn't quite square. It lacks an option for 30 m (without buying a different radio) and you must have an external autotuner (like the excellent one by Elecraft).

Both radios are fun to use. Both will make contacts for you.

But. . . the Elecraft is the one I pack in special Pelikan 1060 case and admire every time I use it. Its controls are smooth and it has so many features. The Ten-tec feels like a mass produced Chinese radio.

Now, I know that the Ten-tec is less expensive, BUT by the time you add on an already built Elecraft 20 watt tuner, you're almost up to what a two band KX1 with int'l tuner would cost. True, you'd have to build it youself, but if I can do it, you can do it. Worse comes to worse, there are plenty of 'builders for hire' that are not expensive.

Bottom line: buy one of these Ten-Tec toys only if you have the Elecraft KX-1 first.
WD8CW Rating: 2010-12-29
Great QRP radio for the price. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can honestly say my first transmission from the R4020 radio was an unexpected experience. My QTH is Huntington, WV and my first contact was a station in Chelan, WA. I was only using a sloper dipole at 20 feet. The radio offers four selectable bandwidth for SSB and CW. The radio only transmits on 40 and 20 meters and receives from 5-16Mhz continous. It took awhile to get use to the buttons,for they have multiple functions. Have not had the radio long, but have already logged stations from out west. Price wise, this is a very good radio. It comes with a battery case inside,yet I have mine hooked up to my power supply.
N4KZ Rating: 2010-12-05
Fun radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have both the R4020 and R3020. Both work well and I use an external keyer with both. But as another poster noted, you must have your straight key/external keyer plugged in before you turn on the radios. When you do, they work fine. The instructions leave something to be desired.

In fact, the R3020 came without any instructions at all and I bought the rig while at the factory for theTten-Tec Hamfest. But I didn't open the box until I got home. Fortunately, the instructions are the same for both rigs and the R4020, which I purchased first via mail order, did come with instructions.

Performance-wise, for the price, I'm pleased. They are feature-rich for the price. I'm blessed to have good antennas at my QTH and running both rigs on my antennas have produced excellent results. A week after getting the R4020 and connecting it to my 3 element beam for 20 meters, I had worked 20 countries and a dozen and a half states. I just roamed up and down the band and pretty much worked most stations I heard at will. At that rate, no need to even sign QRP! The radios are stable from a cold start, have reasonable selectivity with the built-in filtering, are not overloaded even though mine are connected to good antennas which might overload some lesser QRP rigs. I am told often they sound great on the air. Many ops are not familiar with these rigs since Ten-Tec has done no outside advertising -- just on its own website. For the money, they are good values. Loads of fun. Someday I will take them out in the field with my Buddistick antenna.

I think my favorite feature of all are the LCD readouts which display the full frequency, as well as other info. Some other radios only display the last 2 digits of the frequency you're on. I don't like that at all. I know some lament the lack of a built-in ATU that doesn't doesn't bother me one bit.

73, Dave, N4KZ
K8RBW Rating: 2010-12-05
Fine Little radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Just plug in a straight key BEFORE you power up and the radio will recognize the key. No special cable is necessary. It would help if this were clearly stated in the instructions. All you really need to do is add an antenna tuner and the world is yours....

73 to all,

de Dick, K8RBW
WB0RHJ Rating: 2010-12-04
The R4020 and Straight Key Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been a TenTec Argonaut operator since the mid-1970s, and have had very good success with simple wire antennas and low power. I bought the R4020 several months ago with the notion of using it on my deck for causal chats. The big surprise for me was that I could not manage to use a straight key with the little rig - it would only operate with a paddle and the internal keyer. The operating instructions state that it automatically shifts to straight key use, but all I got with the key was a series of dits. I contacted TenTec and even asked them to make up a cable for me that would connect a key to the rig in the fashion described in the manual. They did sell me a cable supposedly made to those specifications, but it did not work: just more dits. I requested help from TenTec, but e-mails sent were never acknowledged. I tried five or six times to connect with the service department, but there was just no response. So, the rig works just fine, but it only works for me using a paddle, and that takes some of the fun out of it. Otherwise, the rig is very good, and I have made lots of contacts on it. I just have to get used to carrying around a paddle rather than a straight key. Maybe I just lack the technical skill to deal with this issue..
K6DBF Rating: 2010-12-03
Implementation of a Good Design Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When I look at the book, "Experimental Methods in RF Design," and study the schematic of the R4020 (and its pre TenTec predecessor) the design approach becomes apparent. Yimin, the designer (?), really did his homework. For a CW only op like me, this radio serves me better than the Yaesu 817 which I used to carry everywhere (I've since sold the Yaesu). First of all, it's smaller and lighter than anything I've seen with the same specs. Secondly, the receiver is really fantastic (I had a 300Hz crystal filter in the Yaesu; and when comparing the R4020 to it, the R4020 was as good if not better than the Yaesu). Moreover, the final on the R4020 transmit side can be replaced easily, quickly, and inexpensively by the user--try doing this on the 817. In addition, the battery life on the unit is acceptable--55mA on receive; and the display is easy to read in bright sun. For the record, I run the R4020 with an LDG Z-11ProII Antenna Tuner and Hustler mobile resonators--at home and in the car (the same configuration that I used with my Yaesu 817). For the price--the R4020 is one of the best CW transceivers out there--QRP or otherwise.
KO6Z Rating: 2010-09-29
Best Buy QRP radio available Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been building QRP radios for 40 years and my eyes are no longer up to the task. So here's a factory-built rig as good as or better than similar and very popular kit radios currently available - and at a bargain price! Thanks Ten Tec for continuing to support the QRP community.
KQ0C Rating: 2010-09-07
Wow! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received mine a few days after ordering. The receiver is as good as any I own, and so far I've made contacts just as easily as with my 100 watt radios... using my Buckmaster OCF wire antenna. The only thing you could wish for is an internal antenna tuner.

I'm using the wonderful Palm key and Paddle... both of which work nicely with teh 4020.
AB7KT Rating: 2010-07-01
I Really like it Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got my rig within a couple days of ordering. I agree that for the money, you can't beat the features offered in this radio.
I was a little worried that their wasn't enough audio, but so far it hasn't been a problem. You get used to being able to turn up the volume way past what anyone would need, and with this rig the highest volume is just about perfect for sitting in the house with the headphones on: it remains to be seen if this is enough for some place with a little bit of ambient noise.

I used mine the other night to work a ZL2 (I am in Southern Nevada USA). I have also spanned North America from Nevada to Virginia.
VE2ZMM Rating: 2010-06-18
... miraculous ... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the best QRP you can buy... It is not a kit, very good filter, small size, full frequency display with S meter and mod ...

The build-in batterie pack moves slack in the case, but I use external power.

If you're shipping to Canada dont use UPS, because UPS bills you 53.05+TX for BROKERAGE FEE. For better service, be a little more patient and use USPS postal service for your delivery.