[CQ-Contest] Re: SO2R with Orion

[Bill Tippett <btippett@alum.mit.edu>]

5B4AGN wrote:
>Over to Ten Tec!

        Bob, you should certainly contact Scott W4PA at TT since he
recently reported the high-claimed USA SOABHP score in the CQ WW CW
using 2 Orions in SO2R at NT1Y.  I don't use SO2R, but I have not
noticed problems in quickly scanning doing S&P with Orion in 10 Hz /
Fast mode (this was SOSB10 in CQ WW CW).

My normal mode of contest operation with Orion is:

Running:  Set BW to about 500 Hz, and set Pitch to ~450 Hz.  This allows
me to hear callers that are +/- 200 Hz of the run frequency at a pitch
of 250-650 Hz WITHOUT TOUCHING the RX VFO dial.  In this mode, a 1 Hz /
Fast setting yields 250 Hz per turn which is fine for me...if tuning is
even needed.  As you can see, I am a believer in using a relatively
wide IF BW and using the DSP in my ears, which may be different
than the way other people operate.  BTW, if the band is not crowded, I
will even go to a 1 kHz BW and offset RX (up if in LCW, down if in UCW)
to catch those people who call +/- 500 Hz off frequency (it's amazing
how many there are when you have the luxury of an uncrowded band).

S&P:  I simply touch Main RX to enable the X10 tuning rate and tune at
10 Hz / Fast which is 2.5 kHz per turn.  I honestly do not recall in the
CQ WW CW this being a particular problem or feeling like I was missing
stations between the 10 Hz steps.  Perhaps I am turning the knob a bit 
slower than you are.

        Regarding the apparent delay when changing bands or frequencies,
that delay is mostly in the display.  If you listen carefully, the
actual audio changes much faster.  My display appears to update in
well under 1 second, so I have no idea why yours is taking 2 seconds.
I agree it would be nice if the display updated faster, but once I
realized it was only the display and not the radio itself, it didn't
bother me as much.

        Hopefully some of the true SO2R users like K3WW or WC1M will
comment in addition to W4PA.

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV



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