Tentec vs Elecraft comparison

A bit of fun. I sat the TT Corsair 2 next to the Elecraft K2 and tried to determine which was the better rig. Yeah. Right.
I came away thinking the TT pipped the K2 to be honest but I doubt it's a contest many will really care about. So long as it's fun.

[@pa3byw]

I noticed you have the audio peak filter on at SSB. That gives the strange audio. At CW a great transceiver. I have one here and use it a lot on CW. 73 Durk PA3BYW

[@Kibwunga]

So much of why we like radios is subjective. How they sound and look for instance.
But in every imperical way, Elecraft outperforms ten tec. I had an Omni D series B and the original Orion. I think the only radio that comes close but no cigar to Elecraft is the Omni VI. Best receiver they made.
What were Ten secs good at?
Best QSK of their time
Some of the first solid state rigs
Great CW Rig
What were their deficits?
Noisy synthesizers
Stability issues
AGC pumping
Marginal final amp protection
Let's face it, what makes a great radio is a great receiver. Comparing internal speakers is useless. And the K3 is really a better comparison, but the K2 is a better receiver as well.
Elecraft has
Better blocking dynamic range from down conversion design
Every bit as good QSK with PIN diodes, designed, like ten tec, by CW enthusiasts
More stable
Quieter synth
Lower IMD on the audio amp
And the Yaesu DX10 and DX101D are even better than that. They will continue to receive a signal being blasted by a strong adjacent signal long after the Ten Tec RX melts. That's why Sherwood rates by BDR. It is a game changer to have a BDR radio.
I would like to own a Ten Tec again for nostalgia, but not for performance. They are just nice radios and very simple to operate.
Direct sampling is the future and is already passing superhet design in every measure.

[@EricWS4K]

I am still using my Corsair that I bought new I the early '80's. I had it tuned up and aligned by the Radiosmith in St. Petersburg FL. It is better than new with the exception of the 500 hz CW filter. I will replace that with an InRad. 73 de WS4K

[@gw4ljwamateurradio]

I often switch the K2 preamp off, as well as using the RF Gain. Another thing would be to hear both radios through the same loudspeaker. I think the best option is to have both radios!

[@KD9ZHF]

I don't think it's a fair comparison. 10 W QRP to 100 W QTH rig. The TT is twice the size, and it is not twice the rig IMO. Both are good radios though. Makes me happy I have one of them.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍Corsair 2 is still a formidable CW rig. Break in on CW still puts some modern rigs to shame. Sacrilege perhaps but I modified mine with a DDS VFO kit to make it more stable and provide dual VFOs for split. With no internal fans and rated at 100W/100% duty cycle, it can be more pleasant to operate than some modern rigs.

[@captlarry-3525]

Ten Tec was just better than the operators ...the gear is so incredible, it took decades for anything to duplicate it's performance. Today you can buy an FT-991 which is a decent rival of the Orion II, smaller almost as cheap to buy. But hey..it took 25 years.

[@propagating-radio]

This video reminded my why I love Ten-Tec radios on CW. Just fantastic. I’ll have to hook up my Omni D tomorrow now.
Thanks for the video!