Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 — If you’ve been following what many people have called the demise of Ten-Tec, then you are aware of the company’s rather troubled history of changing ownership, locations, etc.
The once proud Tennessee manufacturer of ham and commercial radio products has passed through several owners and in the process, essentially gutted of some of its core manufacturing capabilities.
The subject of an eHam discussion still sticks in my mind — “Ten-Tec is circling the drain.”
I never had the opportunity to go on a factory tour or make it down to the Ten-Tec hamfest, which had grown into quite an event. But I have long admired Ten Tec for being a company that created quality RF products.
Ten-Tec has had to compete in an international market, and let’s face it — the U.S. ham population tends to be very tight-fisted with money. And you can probably count in your own local club the continuing loss of pre-no code hams who are now Silent Keys. In my opinion, due to the changes in how new hams enter Amateur Radio, HF operation by new hams is less of a destination than it once was back in the Novice-as-entry-point days.
And I’m not taking pot shots at no-code Extras, or anyone who has entered the hobby since the code requirement was dropped from the Technician license in 1997, and eliminated completely in 2007. The fact is that since the Tech ticket became the entry point into the hobby, new hams get little or no introduction to HF radio. As such, fewer Technician class licensees upgrade to get on HF, and few who do upgrade get active on HF.
I don’t mean to whine, I’m just recognizing the fact that the ham radio hobby of 2016 is very different than it was when I was licensed nearly 30 years ago.
As a new ham, the second radio I purchased — and it was the ONLY thing on my list after my first VHF handie-talkie — was an HF rig. The Novice ticket gave you an introduction that newcomers do not get today.
My point? Fewer licensed hams are interested in HF. The age of the average U.S. ham is still older than I am (thankfully), but with any luck, I’ll reach that age before I attain Silent Keyhood, hi. “And this affects Ten-Tec how?” you might ask.
My answer? Simple economics.
Ten-Tec’s ability to engineer and manufacture products was acquired and largely liquidated. The current Ten-Tec is nearly in the same shape as a start-up business, only they have a large challenge ahead — to re-enter an even more competitive market against overseas competitors with deeper pockets.
Ten-Tec has its fans and its fantatics. But for now the company has no amateur radio products, and plans to restart production of its commercial products, which should generate capital that can eventually go toward ham equipment production. I’m hopeful this all pans out, but one can only hope for the company’s sake that commercial product buyers aren’t concerned about the company’s long-term viability and its ability to service very expensive equipment two or three years down the road.
It doesn’t build confidence in the company’s future when an employee who will be part of the new company announces that Ten-Tec may create a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to buy parts and equipment for manufacturing.
While I know these sorts of campaigns have helped entrepreneurs raise capital, for a manufacturer with a long history to seek such a funding source screams — in my mind — desperation.
To the company’s credit, I doubt the mention of gofundme was a desperate act; more than likely it was underscore the new owner’s determination to bring Ten-Tec back. But if I were a venture capitalist, the gofundme thing would be a red flag.
Since the announcement going back to December, the one thought that keeps entering my mind is that the new owner should contact the CNBC show “The Profit” and get him onboard to help them move forward. I like the show better than Shark Tank, and Marcus is a superb businessman who does a great job of improving processes of the businesses in which he invests.
There’s one Ten-Tec I’ve wanted to buy since I was a new ham — the Ten-Tec Paragon (pictured above). It was a new rig when I was a new ham, and remember listening to the guys on 3898 using them on the air. I could spend a whole entry (and then some) on the Great 3898 Radio War of days gone by, but I’ll save that for another time.
73 es CUL de KY4Z SK …. dit dit