Actually John, I think the whole discussion of the screen color and knob
esthetics and size of the logo are indicative of a major change in thinking
on commercially built equipment.
Should we be concerned with how well the rig performs, or how well it looks?
I am not neccesarily refering to the ergonomics of how easy a rig is to use;
obviously a rig that has great technical specs but whose features are
difficult to use (be it too many menus or placement of key knobs and
switches in the wrong place... like the Yaesu HF mobile rig built about 15
years ago that included a fantastic SWR bridge but put all the controls
under to SO-239 on the back so that the only way to reach them during
transmit was to reach around the coax -- if you could even get to it!). And
if all else is pretty much equal between two comparable radios (not just
features but price), esthetics can make a difference over which one you
purchase.
But based on comments and inferences that have been made about the Orion
since it was first announced, then shown at Charlotte and now at Dayton, it
appears that there are many amateurs who are not concerned with how well the
rig will perform on the air but how well it will look on their desk in the
shack (the monochrome display being the factor cited the most). And the
implication is that for that reason and that reason alone, they are not
considering the rig for a future purchase (in many cases, sight & specs
unseen!).
That's sad.
Now factor in that the Orion will have remote computer control capability,
just like the Pegasus and Jupiter (the Argonaut V will have it too -- I
asked). You'd think that one of the first software enhancements would be to
give the PC display the full color treatment that everyone kvetching wants
the Orion to have. And if that is so, then what's the real problem here?
Bottom line is that TenTec is in a tough spot here. They needed to design a
high-end radio that would be competitive with (if not directly compete with)
the high-end radios built overseas. They have done so. And they appear to
have concentrated on the fundamentals of how the rig works and operates, not
on how pretty it will look (dual independant receivers, true diversity
reception capability, programmable AGC settings that can be saved, crystal &
DSP filtering, almost 600 independantly selectable adjustable bandwith
filters for each receiver, 100 W out even into a 3:1 SWR, dual noise
blankers, voice and CW memory keyers...).
Orion is an impressive looking beast -- it may well be the biggest HF
transceiver they've ever built. Having actually seen it, I'm not sure why
the fuss over the ergonomics. Nor am I certain why a color display will make
a real difference for a spectrum display outside of a way for someone to
choose their favorite color combination (which I would expect on the remote
computer display anyway).
But I'll tell you this. If I had the spare change available to buy one
right now, I would. If I were to walk into the nearest ham store and had
the same chance to buy one the nearest equivalent top of the line rigs from
the Big 3... I wouldn't. (Frankly, all else being equal, I'd buy two
Jupiters first.) Why? Well, I've played with many of those
top-of-the-line radios or their nearest ancestors at friends shacks, and I
don't think they're worth the extra change you pay for in order to get bells
& whistles disguised as "features." The Orion appears to have more real
features than "bells & whistles" and a real potential, disregarding price,
to be a break-out, have-to-have radio.
But I guess we'll see in a few months.
Meantime, now we need to convince TenTec to design a nice mobile HF rig.
(Hey Scott! How's 'bout you give the Argonaut V 100 W finals with a decent
heat sink, a remote-control head via the computer interface, and call it the
Argosy III? Just a thought...)
73, ron wn3vaw
"You are a fluke of the Universe
You have no right to be here
And whether you can hear it or not,
The Universe is laughing behind your back"
-- National Lampoon's Deteriorata
----- Original Message -----
From: no body <ku3g@yahoo.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2002 8:41 AM
Subject: [TenTec] screen
gentleman, i don't quite understand what's all the clamor over the display,
personally
i think the monochrome display looks more like a radio and the color reminds
me
of a cartoon in the sunday paper
73's john ku3g
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