[TenTec] OMNI VI, 746PRO, etc.

[John Rippey]

To add more opinion, I own a T-T OMNI VI (Opt. 3), an Argonaut V, an ICOM 
746PRO, a Kenwood TS-870, and a Yaesu FT-920. Following all IMHO.

My chief interest is CW. However, on phone, the send/receive audio of the 
TS-870 is tops. The only other radio I've owned that compares with its 
audio is a JRC JST-245 that I reluctantly parted with some time ago. In 
fact, overall, Kenwood engineers did a remarkable job with this rig, the 
first with IF DSP filtering.

As for CW, each rig has its pluses and minuses. All have excellent 
sensitivity. Tops in selectivity is the 746PRO (no surprise there). 
Although a forthcoming INRAD front-end filter mod for the OMNI VI will make 
it hard to beat for all-around performance for BDR and IMD DR (at least in 
the lab), still the 746 PRO's wide choice of excellent DSP filters will be 
hard to surpass (I do not operate near any "big guns" so am not troubled by 
front-end overload with any of the transceivers during contests--except the 
FT-920). The 746PRO benefits from tweaking other controls--RF gain, manual 
notch filter, etc., which further add punch to its very good receiver 
performance in tough situations. I also happen to hold the heretical view 
that the full break-in capabilities of both the TS-870 and the 746PRO are 
as good as the OMNI's or the Argonaut's.

For all-around ease and simplicity-plus-performance on a day-to-day basis, 
the TS-870 gets my vote. It replaces the FT-920 in that category. The 
FT-920 has great ergonomics, but it cannot compete as a receiver with any 
of the other rigs--even the Argonaut V. (I owned an FT-1000D and two 
FT-1000MP Mark V's over time, but sold them. Excellent transceivers, no 
doubt, but I could not warm up to them.)

If you factor in costs, you can get a TS-870 used (it needs to be a later 
model) for about the same price as a new 746PRO. My used OMNI VI with # 961 
power supply ran close to 40% more. And of course the 746PRO offers 6 and 2 
meter coverage out of the box. All in all, this is an exceptional group of 
mid-price transceivers from which to choose.

Conclusion: I've got too many radios and several will have to go. The 
TS-870, which ironically is the last transceiver I've tried, is a keeper. 
Which others stay/get sold--beyond the FT-920--is not yet clear. I'm going 
to await the CW contests later this year to help make a final cut.

73,
John, W3ULS