Dear Ten Tec,

I recently purchased an Omni-6.  I am a very active contester and CW
enthusiast - FOC.  

The Omni-6 is an excellent cw rag-chewers radio.  I find the receiver and
QSK to be the best I have ever used, though I have not used it in a contest
yet.  I can see why so many of my cw friends are using this radio.

As a serious contest radio it falls a bit short.  I don't believe you need
to have 50 knobs on the front of the radio for it to be a serious contest
radio.  The receiver is by far the most important feature.  The Omni-6 has
an excellent receiver as your ad's state.  However, there are a few minor
points that keep this rig from being mainstream with the contest crowd.
Most of which can be changed or added for little or no cost to Ten Tec
(ahhh... still make a profit).  

1. No CW/Monitor level control on the front panel.  This should be a knob
that disappears in the radio when you don't need to use it.  (See Icom 765).
2. No VOX delay control on the front panel.  Same disappearing knob here.
3. The microprocessor should not die when the radio is transmitting.  As a
guy that uses 2 radios during an entire contest weekend, I don't want to
think about whether my rig is transmitting or not when I hit the RIT Clear
button.
4. The RIT should clear faster when pushed and held.
5. The RIT adjust tunes to quickly.
6. I personally find no need for a sub-receiver, but I'm sure a DXer would
find this feature a must.  This feature, I'm sure, would bring the cost of
the radio up.  At $2395.00, the rig hits a nice price point based on
competitive radios.

That's a pretty short list!  I would also like to suggest that your
designers not worry about making this radio too big.  Nobody is going to use
this rig in their car.  Everyone I know likes big knobs.  When you have been
awake for 36 hours, even the VFO knob seems small.  

I would also suggest that you enlist a panel of active, knowledgable
contesters to beta test or to give input on your next design.  I would make
sure these guys were not only excellent contesters, but also successfull
business owners.  It's one thing to make a great radio, it's another to make
a great radio and make money doing it!  It's obvious that you have been
getting feedback from the CW crowd...  You should also do this with the
contest crowd.  W6QHS and K1EA would be my first two choices.

In summary, I would say you have an excellent product in the Omni-6.  I will
be keeping mine.  Mainly because it is so nice for chewing the rag on CW.  I
will probably use it for my multiplier radio in the contests.  You are very
close to having a product that will sell like hot-cakes.

73

Bill Fisher, KM9P