Dayton was interesting for me as always but I spent
more time talking with other "shoppers" about the gear
in front of us than I usually do, I'm usually trying to find
that "rare oddity" that will make my trip "paid for".
I wanted to talk with the Ten Tec staff but there were so
many people there the times I got to the booth that I
decided to not ask questions but listen instead.
I thought the Orion looked quite functional and easy to
maneuver about. It wasn't crammed with small buttons
that are wont to accidentally bump nor was there a lot of
wasted space.
As to the size of the name "Orion", I personally thought
it was a tad larger than I would have placed on it. I find
the Corsair II logo about perfect on my rig. However, I
can't imagine anyone willing to spend that much money
on a rig being turned away just because of the name
size and placement.
If it's aesthetics one wants, the Ten-Tec line never has
been #1 in this regard. My suspicion is most of the
people on this list got into Ten-Tec for some
functionality either they discovered personally or were
led to TT by someone whose taste they respected long
ago & preferred the TT functionality.
I find it somewhat amusing to read the intensity some
people place on color of the screen, body & Logo. To
me, an ideal CW waveform, spectral purity, effective
noise reduction, smooth QSK, selectivity & sensitivity
are what really counts. The reason I stick with my
Corsair II is because it does what I want & when I want
it. Memories are fine but except for very rare occasions,
I don't need more than one memory & my VFO allows
me that latitude.
If the specs on the Orion prove to be as TT claims & I
suspect they will be, I believe TT will capture the most
demanding of hams looking for the top of the line
functionality including myself. I've been waiting for the
DSP that TT has finally gotten around to.
As to color in the display, that would be pretty and
probably a selling point for those on the edge of
purchase. Were I in charge of the design I might well
seriously consider putting in such a display and provide
a user swichable monochrome display of the user's
choice of colors. With a color display, that would be an
easy option & this way there could be no complaint.
I personally prefer a rig with some heft. I always liked
my old Signal one for this matter. Compact rigs are fine
but I have always found larger ones to be easier for me
to use.
FWIW, I believe TT is doing a tough job, providing an
unusually high functioning radio to the private market at
a price that is pennies on the dollar compared to what
commercial entities and the government must pay for
equivalent quality.
If someone insists on flashy appearance to make them
buy, the rice burners will certainly lead the pack as they
always have. If someone insists on substance of their
transmit and receive quality, Ten-Tec appears to
continue on being the leader.
There will always be some who buy the name for
whatever reason. Once a Mercedes owner, always a
Mercedes owner. Same with Ten-Tec, Kenwood, Icom
& Yaesu. There will be those who are tired of having 15
buttons on their rig they never use and want to try
something that is simpler with better specs/effective
functionality than their old rig. I suspect as our ranks
continue to grey, this will become more and more an
important choice in buying the "next" radio.
Cheers,
Gary
KA1J
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