Full agreement here, John . . .
>From my own somewhat lengthy experience in the ham shack, I notice that I
spend probably 95% of the time looking at the radio front panel and display
and the other 5% looking at the output monitoring scope, etc. If that panel
and display are cheap-looking and/or just plain ugly, I am going to regret
that I ever bought the radio every time I use it.
And to put things in perspective, I believe that it is highly unlikely that
the Orion is going to be an order of magnitude better in performance that
the top-line radios we have today. It should be better, of course, or there
is no reason for its being in the marketplace. So, an upgrade yes for many
of us, and a dazzling new high in radio experience for many others, but the
world's best radio that will obsolete everything else in the ham market?
Not very likely . . .
So, we get back to the point where we have to consider the look and feel of
the radio in addition to its performance. A personal case in point is my
Kachina 505DSP with it full (and only) computer control. It is a pretty
good radio in terms of specs and it has some really neat features. It is
exceptionally good for SSB and usable for CW though far from what a good CW
radio should be. The point is that although the performance is adequate or
better, the God-awful GUI computer program that you have to stare at for
hour after hour drives me up the wall.
When the Icom 756 PRO came out I got one as much as anything for the panel
layout (real knobs and switches!) and for the elegant color display. After
a year and a half, I still enjoy just watching that radio while I use it -
and I lost that feeling with the Kachina after about the first month I used
it.
Face it, looks do count, especially in a situation when you have to stare
at the thing for hours on end. If you like its looks, and it performs well,
you have a personal winner. But, if it is the world's best radio and you
hate its looks, and find its operation awkward due to the control layout,
etc. then happiness is not likely to be the result.
73/72/oo, George W5YR - the Yellow Rose of Texas
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13qe
Amateur Radio W5YR, in the 56th year and it just keeps getting better!
QRP-L 1373 NETXQRP 6 SOC 262 COG 8 FPQRP 404 TEN-X 11771 I-LINK 11735
Icom IC-756PRO #02121 Kachina 505 DSP #91900556 Icom IC-765 #02437
All outgoing email virus-checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002
John Clifford wrote:
>
> Based upon the pictures, etc., I think the Orion is going to be a great rig
> (and I will probably buy one).
>
> However... I'd like to see some changes made before the rig is released.
> First and most important... HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER TO HELP YOU WITH THE LCD
> DISPLAY! This has to be the worst-looking and most amateurish (in the worst
> sense) display I have ever seen. Why is it that Icom can have a
> decent-looking display on their $1200 746 and Ten-Tec doesn't have one on
> their $3300 killer rig? This criticism isn't meant to beat up Ten-Tec...
> it's meant to ensure that Ten-Tec has a fighting chance to compete with the
> other high end rigs. Seriously... a crummy LCD display appearance will
> probably mean 25% to 50% less sales for this unit which will be devastating
> for Ten-Tec. You HAVE to make the display as visually compelling as the 756
> PRO or you are not going to get the sales!
>
> Re the gold trim... I agree with the other posters who mentioned satin
> rather than gloss. I'm sitting here glancing over at my Omni VI and
> thinking how nice this rig STILL looks more than a decade after the original
> design. The two-tone knobs use color for function as well as appearance.
> It looks like a rugged piece of communications gear (as does the
> Paragon/Omni V). The secret of a good visual design is that the radio will
> not look dated a few years down the road. Timeless -- Omni. Dated --
> Kenwood TS-2000. Now THAT is a rig whose styling will go the way of the
> tail fin on an automobile.
>
> Hey, looks are important! How many of us wanted to date the ugly girl even
> if she was smart and nice? How many of us want to drive the ugly car even
> if it was fast and handled well? How many of us buy the ugly clothing even
> if it is well-made and durable? How many hams will get rid of their 756
> Pros and MkVs for a Ten-Tec Orion if the display is ugly and the front panel
> is garish? SOME... but not nearly as many as if the display was killer and
> the front panel looked elegant in a high-tech way.
>
> I worked at Msft when Windows was being refined into the killer OS. (Say
> what you will about Windows... version 3.0 enabled Microsoft to "overturn
> the chess board" and replace Lotus, Wordperfect, and Ashton-Tate as the
> number 1 software applications company, and that is a FACT.) Windows 3.0
> ruled for one major technical reason, and one major aesthetic reason...
> memory was no longer an issue AND the 3D color interface looked better than
> anything else out there. But looks are what sold Windows, because no one
> would have wanted to try an ugly but powerful OS... they already had things
> like OS/2 and Unix to choose from.
>
> Scott et al... you've got one chance with this rig. One big splash in QST,
> CQ, and the other mags. Sure... you can refine things but the excitement
> will pass to the next offering from Yaecomwood. Pick an LCD that supports
> grey scale. Spend the money to have a great LCD UI and make the front panel
> of the Orion look as elegantly utilitarian as the RX-340 even if you do keep
> it in black.
>
> One ham's opinion...
>
> - jgc
>
> John Clifford KD7KGX
>
> Heathkit HW-9 WARC/HFT-9/HM-9
> Elecraft K2 #1678 /KSB2/KIO2/KBT2/KAT2/KNB2/KAF2
> ...waiting _eagerly_ for KPA2!
> Ten-Tec Omni VI/Opt1
>
> email: kd7kgx@arrl.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
--
73/72/oo, George W5YR - the Yellow Rose of Texas
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13qe
Amateur Radio W5YR, in the 56th year and it just keeps getting better!
QRP-L 1373 NETXQRP 6 SOC 262 COG 8 FPQRP 404 TEN-X 11771 I-LINK 11735
Icom IC-756PRO #02121 Kachina 505 DSP #91900556 Icom IC-765 #02437
All outgoing email virus-checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002
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