In late August 2024, I came across what I considered a great deal on a fantastic radio, which I’m excited to share with you in the following field report.

Please note that this POTA (Parks On The Air) activation took place on September 5, 2024 (almost exactly two months ago)—three weeks before Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. This is one of a few field reports and activation videos I’ll be sharing that took place before Helene’s arrival.

I haven’t been back to the Vance State Historic Site since the storm, as it’s been closed. Located in the Reems Creek valley, the site likely experienced extensive flooding. I hope this park can recover and reopen soon.

I hope you enjoy this field report and activation video. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reliving it while preparing this for you.

Thank you!
Thomas (K4SWL)

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Reunited with the Model 539

In late August, I was browsing the QTH.com classifieds when I spotted a radio I hadn’t seen for sale in some time: the Ten-Tec Argonaut VI QRP transceiver. This radio had been on my mental watchlist for years.

The seller was asking $440, which I considered a great deal for a radio that, to my knowledge, hasn’t been in production since Ten-Tec closed its Sevierville, TN factory in 2016.

This radio and I have some history together. I was one of the original volunteer Beta testers for the Argonaut VI and, in 2012, wrote a full review of the production model.

Ten-Tec offered me a chance to purchase my Beta unit (updated to full production specs) with a modest discount. But at the time, I simply couldn’t afford it; we’d just built our house, and I couldn’t justify the purchase, especially since I’d also reviewed and bought my Elecraft KX3 that same year.

I always planned to get an Argonaut VI eventually—better late than never, right?

As I mention in my activation video, I plan to make a “Getting to Know You” video for the Argonaut VI soon, so I won’t dive deep into why I love this radio here.

The takeaway? I feel the Argonaut VI has some of the best overall receiver performance of any radio I’ve used. It’s quirky and certainly not perfect, but its excellent receiver, filtering, audio, and QSK make it a benchmark QRP transceiver.

Getting Reacquainted

While the Argo VI was en route to my QTH, I wanted to refresh my memory on its operation.

Since it had been twelve years since I last used the Argonaut VI, I had to revisit my own review to remember some of its nuances!

When it arrived, I quickly put it on the air and operated it from my shack until I had a chance to take it to the field on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

Vance Historic Birthplace (US-6856)

As I always do with smaller POTA sites like Vance, I called ahead to make sure the picnic shelter wouldn’t be reserved at my arrival time. The park ranger replied, “It’s all yours, Thomas!”

The weather was nearly perfect that Thursday, with a hint of fall in the air.

En route to the site, I thought about my antenna options. Since the Argo VI doesn’t have a built-in ATU, I opted to use a resonant antenna for simplicity. In the end, I chose my Chelegance MC-750 vertical, which I set up next to the picnic shelter.

The MC-750 is a quarter-wave antenna, so I extended the telescoping whip for a match on the 20-meter band.

I don’t yet have a field kit specifically built around the Argonaut VI, so I simply brought along various accessories in my Husky weathertight storage box.

I set up the radio, tuned to 20 meters, checked my settings, and was ready to take the Argo VI on its first POTA activation!

Gear

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• TEN-TEC Argonaut VI
• Chelegance MC-750 Vertical Antenna
• High Visibility Jacket ABR240-UF with PL-259s and 5 Ferrites (Use Coupon Code ABR10QRPER for 10% Discount!)
• SO-239 to BNC Adapter
• Key cable: Cable Matters 2-Pack Gold-Plated Retractable Aux Cable – 2.5 Feet
  
• BaMaKeY TP-III Ultra-Compact Twin Paddle
• BaMaKey TP-III CW Paddle Magnetic Protective Cover
• Jeweler’s Bench Block (Weighted Key Base)
• GraphGear 0.9mm 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil
• Rite In The Rain Top Spiral Notebook
• Camera: DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
• DJI Wireless Microphones

On The Air

I hopped on the air and, within eleven minutes, worked my first ten stations.

Amazingly, four of those initial stations were in Canada–Ontario and Québec. Thank you/Merci!

I continued calling CQ POTA and then hunting on 20 meters until I’d logged a total of 17 stations.

Next, I moved up to the 17-meter band and readjusted the MC-750 hoping for some DX—and I found it! I worked VE4FU in Manitoba, WU7H in Washington State, and OH3RM in Finland. Woo hoo!

I then called QRT with a total of 20 stations logged. It was time to pack up and head home!

QSO Map

Here’s what this QRP activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Click map to enlarge:

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation.  As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

A Keeper

This activation, along with my time using the Argonaut VI at home, has only reaffirmed that this radio is a keeper.

After spending so much time with it during Beta testing, it felt like bringing it back home. I’m grateful to the seller for offering it at a fair price and for selling me a pristine, fully functional model.

For anyone considering the Argonaut VI, keep in mind that discontinued radios may contain obsolete parts, so if they fail, replacements may be hard, if not impossible, to find. This is always a risk with discontinued radios, and I’m uncertain if Ten-Tec’s current owner has the necessary inventory.

Regardless, I believe that if you put the Argo VI on the air, you’ll understand why I’m such a fan. Its strengths lie in simplicity, silky-smooth QSK, and benchmark receiver performance.

Yep, it’s a keeper!

Thank you

Thank you for joining me during this activation!

I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them! As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it was a true joy for me to re-live this activation two months later!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have an amazing week ahead!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)