{"id":15975,"date":"2015-12-03T21:58:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-04T01:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=15975"},"modified":"2015-12-03T21:58:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T01:58:37","slug":"ten-tec-has-a-new-owner-with-long-term-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/ten-tec-has-a-new-owner-with-long-term-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten-Tec has a new owner with long-term vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TenTecLogo\"<\/a>Many thanks to several readers who sent a link to this discussion by software engineer, John Henry (KI4JPL) on the Ten-Tec email discussion group<\/a>:<\/p>\n

I wanted to bring people up to date on what is happening right now.<\/p>\n

I had a discussion with the new owner last night, and I wanted to relay\u00a0some information.<\/p>\n

He is now officially the new owner of TEN-TEC.<\/p>\n

He is planning the rigs and amplifiers and other accessory products to\u00a0engineer and to manufacture for the coming year to cover the purchase and\u00a0expenses for the year, working on the details of the various plans for\u00a0service, sales, and marketing, etc.<\/p>\n

Don’t underestimate the amount of time and planning and effort that this\u00a0business strategy planning maintaining overhead etc stuff takes.<\/p>\n

Learning lessons from the past to help the future of the company be more\u00a0viable.<\/p>\n

What will you see? and when?<\/p>\n

Planning on having the OMNI-VII back in production in 1st quarter 2016,\u00a0hoping to ship in 2nd quarter 2016.<\/p>\n

Dayton, He will be there, going to try to get the same TEN-TEC booth\/booths\u00a0as possible. Showcasing the existing products, and possibly something new\u00a0based on the existing products, time will tell.<\/p>\n

He did say that he will either bring back the Orion II or have an Orion\u00a0III. Time frame is tbd. could be as early as end of 2016 or Dayton 2017????<\/p>\n

There might be improvements\/changes to certain rigs, e.g. maybe there will\u00a0be an OMNI-VII+ maybe an OMNI-VIII in a year???<\/p>\n

The Eagle will go back into production some time after the 1st OMNI-VII run.<\/p>\n

Prices will return to the original pre liquidation sale prices when the new\u00a0website is up so that each will be at a point that will make enough profit\u00a0to make the company viable. Other features will get added where possible.<\/p>\n

TEN-TEC was actually shipping a $200 bill with every one of a specific\u00a0model that it sold this last year.<\/p>\n

There were so many ways that TEN-TEC has been hemorrhaging over the last\u00a0couple of years, and even back a bit further, that changes will have to be\u00a0made. Some the public won’t like, but then the alternative is that TEN-TEC\u00a0would close forever.<\/p>\n

Also remember, it was made public that the two owners of RKR were looking\u00a0for a new owner, and how many stood up to say “I’ll buy it\/fund it\/save\u00a0it”. This gentleman did and will do what he has to do to keep the brands\u00a0alive.<\/p>\n

There are plans to bring back some VERY good products, items that have been\u00a0big sellers for TEN-TEC just a few years ago, and were profitable and have\u00a0been requested for quite some time.<\/p>\n

Also, there are still commercial orders coming in that will be there for\u00a0maybe another year or two using the same RX331\/RX340 platforms that will\u00a0help him maintain a cash flow that will help realize amateur market\u00a0production runs. There might be a need in the future to try to raise some\u00a0more capital if certain plans come to fruition with commercial and fema\u00a0customers, if those work out, may need to raise some cash to buy the parts,\u00a0so there might be a gofundme funding campaign set up, where amateur\u00a0customers can help donate to purchase the parts, and then part of or all of\u00a0or x times the amount of the donation is taken off of their next order of a\u00a0TEN-TEC product > a certain dollar amount. No, don’t look for exchanging\u00a0your $100 donation to cover 1\/2 of a Rebel, that won’t happen, Talking a\u00a0major product, e.g. an OMNI-VII, or a high powered amp….. To do this\u00a0first class, we need a 200K capital infusion for a new factory building and\u00a0some new equipment to replace that was liquidated if anyone cares to step
\nup and accelerate our success. 400K would give us the facility, equipment\u00a0and capitol to put everything back in production to a stocking basis and\u00a0allow us to complete the Orion III. If 400 people will give us 1K each, we\u00a0will commit to the Orion III of your dreams in 18-24 months and give you 2K\u00a0off the target price of 5K as well as engrave your name and call on a\u00a0plaque on the new building that says you helped build it and save TEN TEC.<\/p>\n

Where do I fit in?<\/p>\n

No, I’m not the owner, but I am going to do whatever I can in the evenings\u00a0to ensure that TEN-TEC is a success. I want to see it be a success, and\u00a0maintain what can be maintained of the people, and improve it’s\u00a0image\/products\/etc back to where they were years ago. The owner is quite\u00a0insistent that I remain intimately involved with TEN-TEC even if it is on a\u00a0part time basis. It is my choice of how much or little I spend on TEN-TEC
\nand the door is assuredly left open for me to come and go as I please. He\u00a0wants me to be the VP of Engineering, but, well, time will tell how all of\u00a0this plays out.<\/p>\n

I am also working on digital modes for HRD, so, my evenings are quite\u00a0interesting.<\/p>\n

In the future, who knows?<\/p>\n

Where do you fit in?<\/p>\n

Be patient, this is a total reboot of a company, ripping away the excess\u00a0that bleeds it dry (e.g. high rent, using an MRP system that costs $$$$\u00a0monthly when something is already in place to take care of it, changing to\u00a0a cost effective internet\/phone system, so many “luxuries” will be removed\u00a0and put in their place the necessities to get business going profitably),\u00a0and building the business and products with the key employees to make it\u00a0strong again. You build the employees, the employees build the company. But\u00a0it will take time.<\/p>\n

The products are there, the technology is also there for the future (some\u00a0things that were in the works that no one in the public knows about) that\u00a0the new owner has a plan to finish soon.<\/p>\n

Actually, TEN-TEC does need to take the time it will take to make it a\u00a0success. Otherwise if he runs headlong into this as was done in the past,\u00a0he will fail. If people buy rigs and amps and tuners and other accessories\u00a0elsewhere in the meantime, well, that is their decision. The market\u00a0continually has new and continued customers. existing customers\u00a0periodically look for something new, enough of a continual market that\u00a0should sustain itself for years.<\/p>\n

The new products coming out that are planned include continuances of good\u00a0known technology, and of course some are a step ahead of what is in the\u00a0market today, and you will see those in 1-2-3 years.<\/p>\n

I will not divulge nor answer speculation on anything further than what I\u00a0have stated above as to what products, when, etc. I can also tell you is\u00a0that the owner has emphatically stated to me that this the last time Ten\u00a0Tec will change hands for the next 15-20 years or so as he is my age and\u00a0plans for us both to operate it until we are in our 70s or physically\u00a0unable to continue, so Ten Tech could not be in the hands of anyone more\u00a0SERIOUSLY long term goal oriented. He has wanted Ten Tech for a long time\u00a0for the excellent DSP AGC technology built in to our transceivers so I\u00a0think it is safe to say that there will be future generations of the Omni,\u00a0and Orion style units as finances permit. But again in order for this to\u00a0happen it is critical that YOU support TEN TEC by purchasing existing TEN\u00a0TEC products. Look for the Omni 7+ next year.<\/p>\n

So, whereas he still wants to remain anonymous until his formal\u00a0announcement in the first quarter, I myself am convinced that this will\u00a0work, enough so to help him wherever I can, and so are the key core\u00a0employees at TEN-TEC. If anything, our message at this time is please be\u00a0patient with the negativity. There are other things happening behind the\u00a0scenes which can not yet be publically discussed before they are finished.<\/p>\n

If this sounds like cheerleading, well, then so be it, I care about\u00a0TEN-TEC, the people, the legacy, and will do what I can to make it a\u00a0success, and, if this fails, well, we will give it a valiant effort.<\/p>\n

Please understand that I have other commitments from now until Monday next\u00a0week that I may not be able to respond\/answer questions until then. But do\u00a0realize, that I have disclosed about as much as I can for now.
\nThis statement came from a draft I created, and the new owner gave me\u00a0inputs on, which items he felt like disclosing now, etc. So, there may be\u00a0some he\/I\/our’s mixed up, but I hope the message from him is clear. TEN-TEC\u00a0is something he is passionate about, and is committed to making it a\u00a0success. Yes, there are trials and tribulations, but, he is convinced he\u00a0can do it, and I will do whatever I can to assist, and so will various core\u00a0TEN-TEC individuals.<\/p>\n

73, KI4JPL<\/p>\n

John Henry<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a most interesting development. As many of you know, I’ve always loved Ten-Tec equipment–I consider their amateur radio receivers to be some of the best on the market. It’s been a tough few years for them and I certainly hope the new owner can inject some energy and innovation behind the brand.\u00a0I will post updates as they become available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to several readers who sent a link to this discussion by software engineer, John Henry (KI4JPL) on the Ten-Tec email discussion group: I wanted to bring people up to date on what is happening right now. I had a discussion with the new owner last night, and I wanted to relay\u00a0some information. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,6,3],"tags":[152],"class_list":["post-15975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-manufacturers","category-news","tag-ten-tec"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-49F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16604,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/dishtronix-announced-as-new-owner-of-ten-tec\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":0},"title":"Dishtronix announced as new owner of TEN-TEC","author":"Thomas","date":"January 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm pleased to see that the new owner of TEN-TEC has now been made public; I'd been asked to keep this quiet until a formal announcement was made. Many thanks to several Post readers who shared the following announcement from the Ten-Tec message boards. From Mike Dishop of Dishtronix: \"As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"tentec-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/ztentec.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1125,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/ten-tec-rx-320-and-rx-320d-software-gets-updated-for-windows-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":1},"title":"Ten-Tec RX-320 and RX-320D software gets updated for Windows 7","author":"Thomas","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Fans of the RX-320D should note that Ten-Tec has just updated the GUI (Graphic User Interface) for this fine radio.\u00a0 According to Ten-Tec Engineer, John Henry, this mainly makes it work better with the 64 bit version of Windows 7 and Windows 7 comm ports. You can get the new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/rx320controller-300x218.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16690,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/ten-tecs-website-offers-an-update-on-servicesales\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":2},"title":"Ten-Tec’s website offers an update on service\/sales and message from new owner","author":"Thomas","date":"January 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike (K8RAT), who notes the Ten-Tec's website\u00a0has a one-page,\u00a0informative placeholder. [Update: their new website is now live--click here to view Ten-Tec.com.] I've pasted the full page of content below which includes updates on service and a personal message from the new President, Mike (N8WFF):\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Ten-Tec Eagle HF transceiver.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Ten-Tec-Eagle.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Ten-Tec-Eagle.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Ten-Tec-Eagle.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7259,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/the-ten-tec-rx-320d-and-model-1254-have-been-discontinued\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":3},"title":"The Ten-Tec RX-320D and Model 1254 have been discontinued","author":"Thomas","date":"September 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I just confirmed with Ten-Tec that the\u00a0RX-320D\u00a0PC controlled receiver and the Ten-Tec Superhet receiver kit, the Model 1254,\u00a0have both been discontinued. \u00a0A\u00a0Ten-Tec representative told me the\u00a0reason both of these models have been discontinued and removed from Ten-Tec's product line is because one of the parts used in production is now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tthe RX-320D black box receiver","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/rx-320dbackpanel-300x187.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50753,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/my-new-to-me-ten-tec-argonaut-v\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":4},"title":"My new-to-me TEN-TEC Argonaut V","author":"Thomas","date":"November 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"While browsing the\u00a0QTH.com classifieds last weekend, I found an ad for a Ten-Tec Argonaut V (Model 516). The Argo V was a general coverage HF transceiver produced by TEN-TEC starting around 2003 or so. When it was introduced to market, I wanted one because I thought not only would it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ten-Tec-Argonaut-V-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ten-Tec-Argonaut-V-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ten-Tec-Argonaut-V-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ten-Tec-Argonaut-V-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ten-Tec-Argonaut-V-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2822,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/upgrade-your-ten-tec-model-1254-shortwave-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":15975,"position":5},"title":"A simple upgrade for your Ten-Tec Model 1254 shortwave receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"February 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In the video below, Alan (W2AEW), shows us the installation and basic operation of an upgraded micro-controller for the Ten Tec Model 1254 Superhet Receiver Kit. As Alan points out in the video, this is one of two upgrades offered at\u00a0Cholakian.com.\u00a0Both upgrades\u00a0enhance the operation and\u00a0usability\u00a0of the Model 1254, giving it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Kits"","block_context":{"text":"Kits","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/kits\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15975\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}