K9FOH
11-02-2002, 01:29 AM
Another radio by a small, independent US manufacturer is the Patcomm PC-9000. #Although this model is no longer available, it does turn up on the swap pages and ebay occasionally. #It is difficult for a small US company to compete with the Big Three imports, note the demise of Index Lab and some of the smaller QRP companies. #But, Patcomm along with Ten Tec, Elecraft, and a few other companies due offer many amateur radio products that are made in the USA.
# # The PC-9000 is a solidly built HF transceiver covering 160 thru six-meters. #Power is 40-watts high and 5-watts for QRP. #As with the PC-16000A, it has a dual digital readout send and receive which comes in handy for split frequency and CW work. #The switched capacitor filter (SCAF) is a nice feature that varies the bandwidth from 350hz to 2.8khz. #Those familar with the Index Lab, which also used this method, will appreciate the SCAF on CW. #An impulse type noise blanker is also standard on the PC-9000. #CW can be operated with an external keyboard, paddle, or straight key. #
# # CW operation has a couple of quirks. #The built-in keyer defaults to 25-wpm when you turn the rig off. #The paddle plugs into a jack on the rear. #But, to use a straight key you need to wire a connector for the microphone plug on the front panel. #Since the rig is no longer being produced, these quirks are something you will need to get used to. #
# # A couple of other features that were originally going to be offered with the PC-9000 was to add Morse and RTTY decoding and RTTY sending with the keyboard interface. #And, a memory upgrade to increase the memories to 10-memories per band. #These features were never incorporated by Patcomm for the PC-9000. #These features are available on the PC-16000A, and to a lesser degree, on the PC-500 dual bander. #These options were probably dropped due to cost factors. #It is difficult for a small independent US company to compete with the Big Three importers, unless they are supported by the amateur users and buyers. #
#
# # I now use the PC-9000 primarily on six-meters FM. #When I first got the rig, I used it on HF QRP, but have since #added the PC-500 for QRP, which I will provide a user report on in a later posting. #However, if you can find a PC-9000 rig it will make a good entry-level HF rig and does reasonably well on six-meters. #Another plus is that Patcomm is very responsive to both email and telephone queries. #
Cheers, #Bob, #K9FOH
You may reach Patcomm at:
www.patcommradio.com #and email: #patcomm1@aol.com
Ex: #KR6FJ, Okinawa; #KA2BL, Japan; #KA1DX & KA1BL, Marcus Island; #KA1CQ, Iwo Jima; #G5EBA, England.
# # The PC-9000 is a solidly built HF transceiver covering 160 thru six-meters. #Power is 40-watts high and 5-watts for QRP. #As with the PC-16000A, it has a dual digital readout send and receive which comes in handy for split frequency and CW work. #The switched capacitor filter (SCAF) is a nice feature that varies the bandwidth from 350hz to 2.8khz. #Those familar with the Index Lab, which also used this method, will appreciate the SCAF on CW. #An impulse type noise blanker is also standard on the PC-9000. #CW can be operated with an external keyboard, paddle, or straight key. #
# # CW operation has a couple of quirks. #The built-in keyer defaults to 25-wpm when you turn the rig off. #The paddle plugs into a jack on the rear. #But, to use a straight key you need to wire a connector for the microphone plug on the front panel. #Since the rig is no longer being produced, these quirks are something you will need to get used to. #
# # A couple of other features that were originally going to be offered with the PC-9000 was to add Morse and RTTY decoding and RTTY sending with the keyboard interface. #And, a memory upgrade to increase the memories to 10-memories per band. #These features were never incorporated by Patcomm for the PC-9000. #These features are available on the PC-16000A, and to a lesser degree, on the PC-500 dual bander. #These options were probably dropped due to cost factors. #It is difficult for a small independent US company to compete with the Big Three importers, unless they are supported by the amateur users and buyers. #
#
# # I now use the PC-9000 primarily on six-meters FM. #When I first got the rig, I used it on HF QRP, but have since #added the PC-500 for QRP, which I will provide a user report on in a later posting. #However, if you can find a PC-9000 rig it will make a good entry-level HF rig and does reasonably well on six-meters. #Another plus is that Patcomm is very responsive to both email and telephone queries. #
Cheers, #Bob, #K9FOH
You may reach Patcomm at:
www.patcommradio.com #and email: #patcomm1@aol.com
Ex: #KR6FJ, Okinawa; #KA2BL, Japan; #KA1DX & KA1BL, Marcus Island; #KA1CQ, Iwo Jima; #G5EBA, England.