Tom......I had one of the Ten Tec R4020/YouKit radios. For the price, they are great little radios. I used Nickel Zinc batteries internal to the radio in mine. What I liked about the Nickel Zinc batteries is they charge up to 1.5 volts so the radio will put out its full rated 5 watts. With Nickel metal hydride batteries, you only get about 2.5 to 3 watts out. I liked mine so much I sold it and purchased the YouKits 4 band version (15, 20, 30 and 40 meters). Great video as usual. Barry, KU3X
I owned a version of that radio that I remembering also having 30 meters, but I've slept since then. However, I do remember vividly that the CW filtering was very good! Thank you for a fun video.
Love it! I have an old YouKits HB1B Mk2 with 80/40/30/20 I bought a few years ago on QTH and have always been impressed by the receiver. Need to get it out more and enjoy the simplicity...Thanks and 73.
Sad that Ten-Tec didn't stick around. When I was first getting into ham radio (2004) an elmer and friend who is now SK had the Ten-Tec Orion HF transceiver which was just a Cadillac ride for ham radio. Amazing.
TenTec made some amazing rigs! My first HF rig was an old Argosy, and that thing was incredible. When I eventually upgraded it became my field radio. I handed it down to a new General class ham locally who couldn’t afford much, and to the best of my knowledge he’s still using ten or so years after the fact. I don’t regret doing a kindness for a friend, but I can’t lie: I still miss that rig.
I also have the R4020 (and also the HB1B with 80,40,30 and 20 meters). The R4020 is the only Ten-Tec radio I own, got it new for Christmas sometime back in the 2010's. Both are good radios. I'm looking to eventually get some tube stuff, perhaps a working HW-16 with VFO and companion receiver...Possibly for a swap with an Icom - 718...
I purchased the 40/30 model new (Ten-Tec was out of the 40/20) years ago. It, too, has never been on the air, but you have given me some incentive to do so. I’m a straight key, slow speed OP, so 40-meter CW is on my calendar. Thanks for the demo. You’re a good CW OP and this video is a great lesson for all telegraphers! - Rich, KA2VCW
I have the R4030 and I like it. Had lots of fun with it. I also have a Small Wonder Labs DSW 40 that I built in 1999 or 2000. It’s much smaller with a morse freq read out. I wonder if Steve Webber will ever do a mountain topper with a built in ATU like the KX1 Elecraft?
I love the Packtenna simply because it's so compact and has a winder like the Chameleon does, glad I could make the logs on the Ten-Tec, seems like a nice rig. 72/73 de AI5DD
Nice radio! I have got it as well as a Youkits HB-1B brand. The Youkits has an extra knob, a IF filter knob which I use a lot to filter out a station on busy bands. It seems you can still buy it new here in Europe. 72/73 de PD1RDY
As of December 2, 2022, the online Ten-Tec store is closed with the message "Effective June 18, 2022, the online store is closed until we finish moving inventory to Ohio. .... We should be open again at the end of summer." I hope they come back eventually in some form.
Promises, promises from Mr. Dishop. When they reopen I'll believe it. Not until then. Dishtronix owner Steven M. “Mike” Dishop, N8WFF, told ARRL that, while TEN-TEC has had different owners over the years, he is in it for the long haul.Jan 6, 2016 He better hurry up he's not getting any younger. 😵💫
@@randyab9go188 It seems to me he could have shut down repairs on the really old equipment and kept production going in Sevierville. I mean they had designs and tooling already. Maybe just introduce one new radio and keep the best. I really hate to see it. I always meant to go to their hamfest at the factory but never made it. I sent them a Scout before the shutdown. You couldn’t ask for better service. I mean who would keep 30+ yr equipment running?
I use an arborist throw line: qrper.com/2022/08/arborist-throw-lines-ideal-lengths-and-weights-for-field-radio/ Makes the process of antenna deployment quick and smooth! I've shown antenna deployment in quite a few videos including this recent one: th-cam.com/video/cKXtvplWSr8/w-d-xo.html
Yep ur right today was the day for everyone to have key woes, I was on 2m cw earlier working a daily ocntact and sure enough my dits got lost?! so right in the middle of my return I had to grab a posted note and clean the contact and finish the qso. but made it with hardly any lost time. Anyway tha tten tec is a nice little rig. And once again I like the fact you do not edit your videos so we can see the mistakes etc. it helps newbies and Olbbies like me to know we are not required to be flawless. And that evreyone of us makes mistakes. thanks for sharing and hopefully soon I will CUDTL. de Ellis WA1RKS
Tom......I had one of the Ten Tec R4020/YouKit radios. For the price, they are great little radios. I used Nickel Zinc batteries internal to the radio in mine. What I liked about the Nickel Zinc batteries is they charge up to 1.5 volts so the radio will put out its full rated 5 watts. With Nickel metal hydride batteries, you only get about 2.5 to 3 watts out.
I liked mine so much I sold it and purchased the YouKits 4 band version (15, 20, 30 and 40 meters).
Great video as usual.
Barry, KU3X
Hi Barry, it's claimed these units can RX shortwave 5 to 16 Mhz. But they seem to only have CW LSB USB, any idea on how to enable AM mode? Thx
I have a standard 4 bander but would really like a Mk4 with 17m and 15m.
I owned a version of that radio that I remembering also having 30 meters, but I've slept since then. However, I do remember vividly that the CW filtering was very good! Thank you for a fun video.
I have always loved TenTec Radios. Utilitarian Wonderfulness.
Love it! I have an old YouKits HB1B Mk2 with 80/40/30/20 I bought a few years ago on QTH and have always been impressed by the receiver. Need to get it out more and enjoy the simplicity...Thanks and 73.
Sad that Ten-Tec didn't stick around. When I was first getting into ham radio (2004) an elmer and friend who is now SK had the Ten-Tec Orion HF transceiver which was just a Cadillac ride for ham radio. Amazing.
TenTec made some amazing rigs! My first HF rig was an old Argosy, and that thing was incredible. When I eventually upgraded it became my field radio.
I handed it down to a new General class ham locally who couldn’t afford much, and to the best of my knowledge he’s still using ten or so years after the fact.
I don’t regret doing a kindness for a friend, but I can’t lie: I still miss that rig.
That explains why it looks exactly like my youkits HB-1B! I like it, got mine new.
Thanks for posting your activation!!
I also have the R4020 (and also the HB1B with 80,40,30 and 20 meters). The R4020 is the only Ten-Tec radio I own, got it new for Christmas sometime back in the 2010's. Both are good radios. I'm looking to eventually get some tube stuff, perhaps a working HW-16 with VFO and companion receiver...Possibly for a swap with an Icom - 718...
I purchased the 40/30 model new (Ten-Tec was out of the 40/20) years ago. It, too, has never been on the air, but you have given me some incentive to do so. I’m a straight key, slow speed OP, so 40-meter CW is on my calendar. Thanks for the demo. You’re a good CW OP and this video is a great lesson for all telegraphers! - Rich, KA2VCW
Yes! Take it outdoors and perhaps we can P2P with two R4020s! :)
I have the R4030 and I like it. Had lots of fun with it. I also have a Small Wonder Labs DSW 40 that I built in 1999 or 2000. It’s much smaller with a morse freq read out. I wonder if Steve Webber will ever do a mountain topper with a built in ATU like the KX1 Elecraft?
He did make that PRF-3B that had a built in manual ATU. I would love to see a Mountain Topper with built-in ATU!
Enjoyed, Thanks for sharing.
I love the Packtenna simply because it's so compact and has a winder like the Chameleon does, glad I could make the logs on the Ten-Tec, seems like a nice rig. 72/73 de AI5DD
Seems like a few of these rigs have wonky keyers. Charlie has been fighting with the 5105’s keyer. It makes me glad I’m a straight key guy!
Nice radio! I have got it as well as a Youkits HB-1B brand. The Youkits has an extra knob, a IF filter knob which I use a lot to filter out a station on busy bands. It seems you can still buy it new here in Europe. 72/73 de PD1RDY
As of December 2, 2022, the online Ten-Tec store is closed with the message "Effective June 18, 2022, the online store is closed until we finish moving inventory to Ohio. .... We should be open again at the end of summer." I hope they come back eventually in some form.
Promises, promises from Mr. Dishop. When they reopen I'll believe it. Not until then.
Dishtronix owner Steven M. “Mike” Dishop, N8WFF, told ARRL that, while TEN-TEC has had different owners over the years, he is in it for the long haul.Jan 6, 2016
He better hurry up he's not getting any younger. 😵💫
@@randyab9go188 It seems to me he could have shut down repairs on the really old equipment and kept production going in Sevierville. I mean they had designs and tooling already. Maybe just introduce one new radio and keep the best. I really hate to see it. I always meant to go to their hamfest at the factory but never made it. I sent them a Scout before the shutdown. You couldn’t ask for better service. I mean who would keep 30+ yr equipment running?
How do you manage to record this stuff without the camera blocking you?
I am a new ham. How did you hang / throw one end of your packtenna onto the tree branch?
I use an arborist throw line: qrper.com/2022/08/arborist-throw-lines-ideal-lengths-and-weights-for-field-radio/
Makes the process of antenna deployment quick and smooth!
I've shown antenna deployment in quite a few videos including this recent one: th-cam.com/video/cKXtvplWSr8/w-d-xo.html
@@ThomasK4SWL Thank you for your reply!
Good video and I will keep an eye out for one of these radios at local Ham Coms. 73 KV5P
This radio looks very similar to Venus SW-3B...
Looks similar to youkits radio
Yes, they were made by YouKits.
Yep ur right today was the day for everyone to have key woes, I was on 2m cw earlier working a daily ocntact and sure enough my dits got lost?! so right in the middle of my return I had to grab a posted note and clean the contact and finish the qso. but made it with hardly any lost time. Anyway tha tten tec is a nice little rig. And once again I like the fact you do not edit your videos so we can see the mistakes etc. it helps newbies and Olbbies like me to know we are not required to be flawless. And that evreyone of us makes mistakes. thanks for sharing and hopefully soon I will CUDTL. de Ellis WA1RKS