TEN TEC Scout 555 - Retro Revival

[@mhtent]

I've had a 555 Scout for about 15 years. I've had hundreds of SSB QSOs out of my car with ham stick antennas. Just worked Italy on 15m the other day with 50 watts from my car in Ohio. 73, Mark.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

It's a great radio! 73, Walt

[@hughpatterson1480]

OMG. My HQ rig is a 41 year old Ten Tec Corsair I, which I restored. I love Ten Tec gear. It solid and everything still works decades later. Of course, I use my Xeigu G90, after watching your recommendation. I love that little radio and you're right, 20 Watts will get you where you need to go (as long as you have a working antenna. While I love my Corsair, it is no where as clean sounding and actually does better at 20 Watts (versus 100 Watts with the Corsair). Great video, once again! 73

[@WECB640]

Walt, this is awesome in several ways. First, I am so proud of you that you did the deep dive and researched this rig. Your analysis of the finals being OK after the 5w output was spot on and this led you to the ALC adjustment and the total repair. OUTSTANDING! There is so much excellent information on the internet at our disposal to diagnose and repair our equipment today. All we need to do is search for it. You also found a great repair guy in the process and if you have a rig that is over your head, you can contact him. Congratulations on all of this! Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing it all with the "ham fam". 73 OM

[@brianveitenheimer4492]

I got my 555 gifted to me because it wouldn’t transmit. I did a real good cleaning of every plug in and socket and it came back to life. The culprit was the tiny coax connectors that join the boards and module socket. They were silver plated and tarnished. As soon as they were all shined up it worked awesome. It’s a great performer with stellar audio using the tiny stock electret mic. I have 5 modules including 17m my favorite. Enjoy the hell out of your little radio Walt.

[@paulkleinkramer5065]

Great video Walt! I bought a 555 Scout new from Ten Tec in (I think) 1997 along with a handful of different band modules. The Scout has done about a million miles worth of CW QSOs mounted in one vehicle after another for many years now and has always worked reliably. Even as rigs become more and more complicated and more and more sophisticated, it's hard to beat that good old Jones filter and QSK for smooth and pleasant cw copy!

[@richegan7381]

The same feeling I got as a Tech back in the mid-eighties when I threw up a Quarter-wave, 10-meter vertical with four elevated radials and clicked SSB with a station in Buenos Aries for my first DX contact. The radio…a TenTec Argo 525D. It also was a 50-watt rig with a fantastic receiver and every filter TenTec could plug inside. I sold it eventually and regretted it to this day. Your 555 is a keeper. I did manage to buy one of the last Argo 599 rigs before the company was sold. I still have it and have left instructions to be buried with it! …KA2VCW

[@carlosroig5315]

Well, to my ears it receives with less noise than the G90. Signals just pop out above noise. I had both, the 555 and the 556, simple to operate and great sounding radios. Nice video Walt!

[@dustinhasselbach6378]

Awesome fix! My scout will act up once in a while. I have to clean the contacts on a module, or clean the little connectors of the little coax cables in the chassis. It's been a great rig. The adjustable filter is great too.

[@martincampbell8655]

Hi Walt. I really lusted after a Scout 555 back in the day! Always look for the simplest things first!

[@GordonHudson]

When I went to university I stupidly sold all my gear. A few months later I realised my mistake, but I had no money. So I bought a Ten Tec Argosy from the junk stock at a radio dealer. It came in two bags full of boards. Took me two weeks to rebuild it and get it working, but it did great. I operated from a ground floor flat (apartment) with a dipole going out from the wall to the shared garden.

[@franciscolopez3229]

Thank you again Walt for your encouragement to do QRP. I just made a contact with Brazil which more than 18,000km from here in the Philippines with just 10 watts on the Freeband 11 meters and also did 5 watts to a guy from France April 29, 2024. If you won't mind me saying so, I am what you may call a poor ham using only an Anytone AT5555N that is why I can only work 10 and 11 meters. I don't really mind at all sir, it is the fun that I get out from it especially QRP. '73, DW1QEW / 79AC035....

[@paulkleinkramer5065]

I'd bet that someone at some point turned it down to 5 Watts for QRP operation. Awesome job bringing it back to life!

[@d3w4yn3]

Just goes to show that if you have a goal, and you refuse to give up, and you are willing to just keep working for it, success is possible!!!

[@BiggBake]

Great Job Walt!

[@emoisit]

I have a 555 also. Have all but 160m and 30m. Had to replace the meter as the original one was stuck and nothing would make it work. So mine has a little different color backing. Got the meter from Ten-Tec. Went through the setup and it works fine now. Great radio. I loaned mine out for about a year to another ham. They had fun with it also. They made a contact down to South Africa somewhere that amazed them. They were a new ham at the time. Great radio. I have no plans of ever getting rid of it. Thanks for the video. 73 de N1PCE

[@johnnorth9355]

Validation when it comes , even late, is a wonderful thing and the joy it gave you is a real blast. That simple form of transceiver is sadly lacking with modern radios having all kinds of complex menues and buttons and dials. When going QRP none of it is really neccesary for quick QSO's . I hope attention is paid by the manufacturers - certainly that circuit board should be a breeze to make these days to bring the entry price floor right down. 73 M7BLC

[@cWatts-zv3oo]

I have an omni "d" which was my dad's. Of all the junk I have, the receiving audio is the best I've ever heard. Those old tentecs are amazing radios. My century also has just a pleasant receive. But I still put the g90 as the best little box in town😊.

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Fantastic story here. Vintage hardware is so cool. I do it more with computers than with radio equipment but I really can share your excitement, Walt. Thanks for sharing this story with us. I wish I had kept the CB transceivers of my youth, especially this Sommerkamp TS340DX I made my first SSB DXes with. And what an amazing DX you worked here. New Zealand, nothing less. Wow. 👏

[@northwoodsyankee3528]

haha...that's just one of those, "I forgot to turn up the volume" moments as you wonder why nobody talks to you. Very cool to get an old tank going.

[@larrybrewer7949]

Another GREAT video, Walt! Your vids are some of the BEST of the ham vids on YT! I like the mix of making wire antennas, DXing, and your observations of the hobby. Thanx for all you do! 73 de W1LEB

[@MyHamRadioJourney]

Sometimes the smallest detail can fix a lot of things. I am glad you found the transmit power setting on that radio. It is nice to see retro gear come back to life. So many people toss out the old for the new stuff. These older radios still can have a lot of air time. All the best, and I hope to catch you on the air someday. 73s.

[@stephenplatt5048]

Amazing how something jumps out and says "CHECK ME OUT!" and turns out that it's the solution. Congratulations!

[@KE2BXZ]

Walt, Thank you for the great content! Its simply magic to see the vintage gear working and the icing on the cake being the DX to New Zealand. Awesome moment for sure !! 73

[@sk8crk]

right on! I have always wanted one the old TenTec

[@daveengstrom9250]

Its always fun to fix up electronic things. I used to fix AM radios and B&W television sets back in the 70s.

[@jimp.7286]

Yup. Had the hard-to-believe easy fix myself once and it feels like finding gold. It almost makes up for all the others that stayed broke. Cool little radio. I too remember wanting one of those. You just drove the used prices up all by yourself, lol. Good one here. 👍 Cheers.

[@mobiltec]

VERY cool Walt. I am a collector of old electronics. Sometimes it's something very easy and I love it when that happens. Good job on the trouble shooting.

[@kuyakano8976]

What a great story! Congratulations on the 'repair', and may she serve you well for many years to come.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍ZL contact - nice! Glad you got the Scout working. Manufacturered at Dolly Parton Avenue, TN. I remember when the Scout came out. The TenTec gear was never massively popular in the UK. However, I do like it and still have a Corsair II that gets regular use on CW.

[@KeystoneInvestigations]

Gee Walt, you sound like a kid on Christmas morning! Nice going! Like you always say, Don't over-complicate things! I purchased a new Scout in 95 and it still works perfectly!

[@GoAmateurRadio]

I hope this encourages someone to research old artistic diagrams like this draftsman’s and get into the engineering field, or ham radio.

[@bat-fq6nl]

Awesome! I will look for this radio at hamvention!

[@georgebradshaw474]

Walt, goes to show that perseverance and a clear mind can restore the toys we love. Great video, thanks! AC3EA

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Yes it does! The clear mind prevailed on this one. 73, Walt

[@paulsengupta971]

When it comes to repairing radios, my mind is too clear. Some would say blank.

[@kevinpoff8285]

Walt. This is awesome. My first HF rig is the Kenwood TS-130S I purchased locally and I having used it much since I got my FT-891. But it m going to set it up and keep it connected just to make sure I remember that this is a fun hobby. Keep these videos coming and I may need some advice for our trip to Hilton Head coming up in May. I’m taking my 891 and a couple of home brew antennas and hope to be as productive as you are. 73 KQ4FIP

[@franciscolopez3229]

It may not have the bells and whistles, but man, does it work. That's the kind of rig that I would love to have, very simple to operate and it communicates. Happy for you sir and can't wait to see future videos you out on the field with it. Congratulations.

[@hamradioqrp-k0klb]

nice job fixing.. it’s is such a rush when a radio is broke and we troubleshoot and find the fix to make it work again.. Excitement abounds !! thx for sharing.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks! It’s also amazing how less stressful and easier it is when you give up and come back 2 years later with low expectations hahaha

[@hamradioqrp-k0klb]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES roger that.. printed circuit scematics and a multimeter are a lifesaver for troubleshooting.. I had to pull out my tech training memories (which wasn’t much) from 40 years ago to troubleshoot that Ozark Patrol Regen Shortwave radio I built a few weeks ago.. I love that SW radio and is my favorite to play with now.

[@MichaelJBisbano]

I had a TenTec Scout with all of the cartridges and the noise blanket installed. I sold it a couple of years ago and have regretted it to this day.

[@jamesemery1]

glad you got it fixed, that makes you 50/50 on ebay purchases working vs not working. But you knew the one with all the band modules was a dud so it makes it working 66/33 not working lol, 73s

[@phildurall7466]

Walt ... Love it when a plan comes together! SWEET! 73 - KF6IF

[@Swamp-Fox]

Glad you were able to troubleshoot your Scout and get it working! I love the 555 and would like to have one. 73, Patrick KF4LMZ

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

Congrats, Walt! I've had a couple of those "oopsie dope slap events" too and I'm supposted to be good at this stuff! After this time, since you have the manual and a known good, working radio, I'd check and if see if it needs an alignment.

[@agoraphobicadam1171]

I wonder if they dropped it to 5 watts to run a small amp. I'm so glad you got it running. The New Zealand contact is great. I can't wait to see you run this radio portable. KO4HPC 73

[@markviers998]

Sweet! Congrats on getting the TenTec back on the air, got to love the simple fixes :) Also, got to love being on the up side of the solar cycle. To bad TenTec isn't still doing ham radio, I've never heard one that didn't sound good.

[@GSWEAR66]

Great video and really cool radio Walt! I have a couple 7300's and a G90 and never really had an interest in older radios but now I kind want a 555!! LOL Hope to get you in the log again soon! KF0LZX

[@truckinguy92]

It sounds way better than the G90! Congratulations on getting it going!

[@geirha75]

Great quick-fix Walt! :-) 50W only NZ... amazing.

[@robertabbott7770]

It lives !!!!!!!👍

[@wildbill1]

That’s awesome walt! Cool radio indeed!

[@finderskeepers5343]

Wow! I've never seen a set up like that where they use modules.

[@kevinmccool3719]

Ebay has an 11 meter module with lsb.

[@chuckrann9784]

Awesome Walt. Have fun.

[@GoAmateurRadio]

That radio sounds so good.

[@chipweather]

That radio is beautiful. Can't wait too see more more videos on it.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

It really is a cool little radio. I wish someone made something like it today.

[@aj2isotadxing]

The RGo one is the closest thing. And you can get it fitted with built in tuner

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Yes I have really been looking at getting one

[@chipweather]

@@aj2isotadxing i saw that

[@LB7VJ]

Wow, that was awsome! Good job! -73 bud!

[@dandypoint]

That’s wonderful! I had my RF power turned to 5 watts most of the time. I worked both the ARRL CW and Phone Sweepstakes contest one year QRP. Worked 44 sections on CW and 55 on SSB. I love the bandwidth control. That control was ahead of its time, much like my K3. I also used it with an amplifier. When I ordered it I had them put in a jack on the back to control a linear amplifier. I wonder if yours has that? I also would like to know if yours works on the LiFePO4 batteries. I think the book says it needs 13.5 volts not 12 volts to work right. As long as the truck was running the rig transmitted but at only 12 volts the phase lock loop came unlocked. I discussed that with Ten-Tec and could not understand why they would build a portable/ mobile rig that would not work on 12 volts. They said it was normal for it not to work on just 12 volts it had to be higher. They said 13.5 volts. Check your manual and see if it says that. I suspect they are all the same. I wish I had mine back because I think it would work on my new batteries because I don’t know what the exact cut off voltage is, only that it’s somewhere between 12 and 13.8 volts. 73, N4DJ

[@joekrepps]

I’ve become a fan but not yet a Ten-Tec owner. I do have a FT-817ND. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on the 555 Vs. the 817ND. I know we’re talking 5w vs. 50w and swapping band cartridges…but if the 555 does CW better, I could really, really be tempted! Heck, a 555 might replace my FT-891! 😳 73!! Joe/WB3CFN

[@hamradioonthego]

Great video! Still have and use mine. Was my original HF radio once licensed. Now I use it for Portable Ops at 10W. Any idea for a good replacement mic? 73.

[@ScatManAust]

Bonza Mate just Bonza

[@tatarhead]

Great content as usual. Maybe someone turned the power down to run it as a QRP rig.

[@paulsengupta971]

Nice! So are you going to try to get the second one working? For me, having a working one makes it easier to troubleshoot a broken one as you can measure voltages and such like.

[@k2cjbradio]

Nice!!

[@KF0NNQ]

Great QSO. 73, KF0NNQ.

[@dancosminmarza2974]

GReat story old stuf usualy is made tuff and resistent but stiil it needs a rekap every 50 ears

[@Superacerc]

I wonder if maybe they let kids use it for receiving or wanted to stop it from transmitting on purpose for some reason and turned it down as a safety.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Maybe that was it!

[@Don008Ramon]

I don’t know about affordable at $550 at those times

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

WALT ARE YOU BACK ON EBAY BUYING RADIOS 😂

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

This one is an old purchase lol

[@leonvanderlinde5580]

What about the second Scout 555?????

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Oh I’ll definitely get it fixed!

[@kevinmccool3719]

It still needs a proper alignment as your s meter is not working properly on rx or tx.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Roger that, I’m just happy I got the TX going