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QRZ Visit to Ten-Tec

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by AA7BQ, Jun 27, 2014.

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  1. AA7BQ

    AA7BQ QRZ Founder QRZ HQ Staff QRZ Page

    After reading my previous article about my visit to RF Concepts, several of our users asked if I was going to also do a pictorial of the Ten- Tec factory. Well, as it happens, I visited Ten Tec last summer and can share these pictures with you.

    I was there for the 2013 Ten-Tec Hamfest. It was my second visit to the factory and my second factory tour. Here are some of my favorite shots.

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    Front of the Ten-Tec building. The tent at the right is setup just for presentations.

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    New equipment on display inside the Ten-Tec tent.


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    Ten-Tec's factory tower, used for testing and demos.

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    People about to take the guided Factory Tour


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    A bit of trivia about Ten-Tec is that they do a lot of non-amateur related business. They have a fully equipped machine shop and they make all sorts of things for other manufacturers. For example, they are known for making quality chassis enclosures for many different products.

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    A random collection of chassis parts

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    One of the machines that takes aluminum sheet and turns it into boxes, covers, and face plates.

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    Some examples of enclosures they've made for other (ham and non-ham) clients.

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    These chassis punches are used by the big machines to punch out perfect round, square, oval, or standard electrical component mounting holes.

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    This is the silk screening department where chassis panels get fancy paint and lettering.

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    This is the factory repair center.


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    Assembly workstations

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    More production line

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    Close up of one of the new designs. Note the daughter card mounted "DIMM" style. Lots of surface mount stuff, still a fair amount of tuned circuits. Look closely and you'll see a small controller chip in the center. This is a great example of the state of our hobby, i.e., a mix of analog and digital components which is in transition. Very soon, most of the analog stuff will be history.

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    As units come off the assembly line, they are calibrated and tested here.


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    This is one of their commercial HF products, many of which are for government buyers.


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    The complete test setup in the fully shielded "cage" room.


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    Our tour guide, Mike Webber, KE4VSQ


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    More assembly area


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    Stan Brock, WD0BGS, demonstrates the YouKits FG-01 Antenna Analyzer


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    Ok, so this wasn't at the Ten-Tec Hamfest. It was a nearby flea market in Sevierville, TN. This is a gasoline powered Maytag washing machine. Note the green kick starter pedal on the right side. The sellers actually fired this thing up for a demo at the flea market. I loved it.


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    Some ham needs to buy this truck. Sporting a logo of "Smoky Mountain Network", it appears to be from the 60's, but wow, it's got some gear. The satellite dish looks to be about 12 feet in diameter. Nothing else known about it. Found parked on a side street next to the knife factory.


    Hope you enjoyed the pictures,

    73, -fred
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 27, 2014
    AA7BQ, Jun 27, 2014
    #1
  2. AF6LJ

    AF6LJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thank You Fred that was a very nice tour. :)
     
    AF6LJ, Jun 27, 2014
    #2
  3. KW5JC

    KW5JC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for the great pictures Fred.
    Enjoyed the tour of TEN TEC!
     
    KW5JC, Jun 27, 2014
    #3
  4. W4KVW

    W4KVW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Went to Ten-Tec last October while on vacation & thought they were closed or out of business.Did not see 5 people in the entire place.Not an impressive operation.Also attempted to make a few contacts on the Orion II they had connected to the TH-7 & was unable to make even a single contact on any band so not sure what the issue was but nobody answered my replies to them in the USA or outside the USA though I had Great signals from them? Looked much like a dying business or already dead so maybe some new ownership will liven them up a bit.

    Clayton
    W4KVW
     
    W4KVW, Jun 27, 2014
    #4
  5. N4TCM

    N4TCM Ham Member QRZ Page

    W4KVW: Ten Tec is moving to a new location this fall. no location has been announced as far as I know, havn't looked on the website lately.
    The annual hamfest in September at the present location has been cancelled this year because of the move. Maybe they are going to a more modern facility, no one knows. The hamfest has been a popular pilgrimage the last 10 yrs in E Tn. 73, Tim Myers N4TCM ex KD4RNC
     
    N4TCM, Jun 27, 2014
    #5
  6. NO20CALLSIG

    NO20CALLSIG Guest

    tnx Fred that was I nice tour around the TenTec factory being a TenTec fan myself , I did enjoy it very much

    Peter DM2LI
     
    NO20CALLSIG, Jun 27, 2014
    #6
  7. W4SJT

    W4SJT XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Thanks Fred, enjoyed the photographs...Steve W4SJT
     
    W4SJT, Jun 27, 2014
    #7
  8. N5WX

    N5WX XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Keep em coming. I can't get to the hamfests so pix are most enjoyable.
     
    N5WX, Jun 27, 2014
    #8
  9. K8ERV

    K8ERV QRZ Member QRZ Page

    Gee Fred, how come you have all the fun?

    TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo
     
    K8ERV, Jun 27, 2014
    #9
  10. KK0DJ

    KK0DJ XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Fred... thank you for posting these. Apparently you had a great time as I did looking through the pics. One thing on my bucket list is to visit TenTec. This was a great preview!
    73
    Dennis
    KK0DJ
     
    KK0DJ, Jun 27, 2014
    #10
  11. AF7DK

    AF7DK Ham Member QRZ Page

    I like the very technical looking prop holding up the item under test in that "cage" room... I bet none of us Ham's have ever propped something up with a coke can or similar.. Hi Hi.
    Great article, and I'm also a fan of Ten-Tec stuff and built a few of their kits and had a ton of fun with them. Great to see pictures of where it came from.

    73, Cameron, AF7DK/GM7LQR
     
    AF7DK, Jun 27, 2014
    #11
  12. W4KVW

    W4KVW Ham Member QRZ Page

    I already knew this information but was giving information about how it was this past October 2013 & Ten Tec had already made the announcement that they were moving prior to being bought out by the new owners.

    Clayton
    W4KVW
     
    W4KVW, Jun 27, 2014
    #12
  13. VE2MRN

    VE2MRN Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for sharing.

    73 Marco
     
    VE2MRN, Jun 27, 2014
    #13
  14. AF7EC

    AF7EC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks Fred! I can't wait to see more articles like this. Maybe official QRZ equipment reviews could even be done? Keep up the grand work! :D
     
    AF7EC, Jun 27, 2014
    #14
  15. N3HOE

    N3HOE Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for this excellent report, Fred! I don't know what will happen to Ten-Tec now. The one press release I had read some weeks ago left me very confused as to [1] who owns (or is owned by) Ten-Tec, and [2] where their Amateur Radio products production will be located (Sevier County, or Colorado, or elsewhere???

    Drove by the factory on Dolly Parton Parkway one weekday about three years ago. Was hurriedly returning home to Florida from what had turned out to be a hectic family road trip. A family emergency back home prevented me from stopping. Opportunity missed (!) so thanks for the pix.

    73,
    Alan Dixon, N3HOE
    Melbourne, Florida
     
    N3HOE, Jun 28, 2014
    #15
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