[TenTec] Jupiter opinions

[Don Jones]

Paul -

I have had my Jupiter for just about a month and I am extremely happy
with it.  Following are the remarks of an operator, not a technician - I
don't sit around with lab equipment, endlessly worrying about the rise
and fall time on my keying. I am a CW ragchewer and low key DXer and
contester, and an occasional user of PSK31 and RTYY.  Within the price
range that I could afford, I choose the Jupiter over its competitors
because of the superior keying, operator opinions and the TenTec
reputation for quality and excellent support.

The QSK is incredibly smooth. I am assured, by people who I trust, that
the on the air keying and note are definitely TenTec quality. I find it
to be very much "as advertised". The filters are great. It is not an
Omni 6 - not by rigid peformance measurements, and most definitely not
in price. If you are heavily into contesting, you may find front end
overload to be a problem in some situations, but not to the extent of
remarks that I have seen on the other Reflector. If you have been using
a older rig, as I have for the past 15 years, you might initially find
the front panel controls (menu driven options, buttons with alternate
assignments, and a multi-use control knob) to be a bit awkward, but that
passes in a few days.

That is about all that I can offer after one month of operating it like
a kid with a new toy. Listening to it on the air will tell you more
about it than I can say.  I would be happy to make a sked. Just e-mail
me.

- Don Jones N4TN
n4tn@chartertn.net