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Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!
From: kc9cdt@aol.com
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:54:35 -0400
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
I think a bunch of us should call Jack Burchfield at TT and ask him what's going on with his company.
This is at the least embarassing for them!

You need a real hotshot micro-code programmer to work on this stuff...I don't think TT has one anymore. If they do, he/she is not working on the Orion's, maybe with the Military projects?.

My OII works OK with what I have on it...so I will wait untill something better may come alng. The hardware is superb.

73,
Lee, KC9CDT




-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Castro <ronc@sonic.net>
To: Wes Attaway (N5WA) <wesattaway@bellsouth.net>; 'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment' <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Wed, Apr 14, 2010 1:58 pm
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!


They probably should have released this as a beta first. In fact, I wish TT would return to the days when they had volunteer beta testers in the field
to give them valuable feed-back.

           Ron  N6IE
      www.N6IE.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wes Attaway (N5WA)" <wesattaway@bellsouth.net>
To: "'Ron Castro'" <ronc@sonic.net>; "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'"
<tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:42 AM
Subject: RE: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!


It sounds like TenTec has someone "new" working with the software and
who
doesn't have a firm grasp of what is going on. It is definitely hard
to
understand why they released something with so many defects.

There is obviously a lot of interaction between many of the functions
so
whoever is doing the programming would need to have a real good
understanding of how the radio works. They would also need to be
able to
turn the radio on and use it. Based on user reports, it doesn't
sound
like
this is the case.

All-in-all, it is a baffling situation. It has to make everyone
wonder
about TenTec's commitment to the O and O-II.

If the code and appropriate notes were released into the public
domain
then
maybe some of the users could do a better job.


------------------ Wes Attaway (N5WA) ------------------
1138 Waters Edge Circle - Shreveport, LA 71106
   318-797-4972 (office) - 318-393-3289 (cell)
       Computer Consulting and Forensics
-------------- EnCase Certified Examiner ---------------


-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Ron Castro
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:50 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!

I'm glad we're only test piloting software and not airplanes, or I'd
be a
goner for sure!

           Ron Castro
 Chief Technical Officer
    Results Radio, LLC
               N6IE
      www.N6IE.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <Rsoifer@aol.com>
To: <ronc@sonic.net>; <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:34 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime Time!


Ron and others,

Many thanks for your fine work.  After playing with 2.042A overnight,
I've
re-installed 2.041XT and will await T-T's next try.

73 Ray W2RS


In a message dated 4/14/2010 2:45:00 A.M. GMT Standard Time,
ronc@sonic.net
writes:

I keep  hoping that it's something simple like a hiccup while I was
flashing
the new firmware, so I'm interested if anyone else finds the same
things
I'm
finding in the behavior.

Ron  N6IE
www.N6IE.com

-----  Original Message -----
From: "Gene Henderson"  <wb9hla@comcast.net>
To: "Ron Castro" <ronc@sonic.net>;  "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment"
<tentec@contesting.com>
Sent:  Tuesday, April 13, 2010 7:26 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A:  Not Ready for Prime Time!


Ron,
Looks like someone  forgot to install this on a radio and see if it
worked.
I agree with  you
not even close to Prime Time
Gene WB9HLA

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Castro"  <ronc@sonic.net>
To: "Ron Castro" <ronc@sonic.net>; "Discussion of Ten-Tec
Equipment"
 <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010  21:50
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime  Time!


Addendum to my post: on problem #1, I'm referring to the RX
audio.
TX
audio (other than more  drive needed and processor problem) still
sounds
broadcast  quality.

            Ron   N6IE
       www.N6IE.com

----- Original Message -----
 From: "Ron Castro" <ronc@sonic.net>
To:  <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 6:41  PM
Subject: [TenTec] Orion II v 2.042A: Not Ready for Prime  Time!


Here are a list of problems I found right off with the v.
2.042A,
even
after doing a battery reset and two master resets and memory
clear:
1.. Very noticeable distortion on all audio. Sounds like
overdrive
in
IF
or DSP section.
2.. AGC hang in AF AGC. S-meter goes up and never comes down!
At
same
time, RF gain goes down and does not come back up. If you
manually
turn
the RF Gain all the way to 0, then back  up to 100, the radio is
essentially muted. This will not happen if the "AGC Hang"
setting is
0,
but then distortion is  really bad.
3.. NR does not work in AF AGC mode. Does seem to work well in
RF
AGC
mode.
  4.. Much more audio drive needed on AUX input for SSB.  It looks
like
about 10 dB more.
 5.. AM carrier=  1.25 Watts max!  That's at 100% PWR setting.
 6.. FM  carrier= 6.4 Watts max.
7.. SSB Speech Processor gives only around 50 Watts max peak
output.
You
can  get it up to 100 Watts when you crank it to "way beyond
reasonable
distortion".
 8.. Could not  find any sort of S-Meter calibration
Here are the good points  so far:
 1.. Side tone is louder and spot level is  too.
 2.. Waterfall display is much  improved.
3.. Difference in frequency between Main and Sub improved, but
still
not
"phase locked". I detect about 0.1 Hz differential which should
make
it
fine for true diversity antenna work.
4.. In RF AGC mode, the NR really does seem improved, although
it's
hard
to tell with the audio distortion  mentioned above.
So that's the good, the bad and the ugly of it! I'm QSYing back
to
v.
2.039d, the last one that  worked right...

        Ron  N6IE
       www.N6IE.com
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