In a message dated 3/10/2005 5:48:05 PM Eastern Standard Time, w4pa@yahoo.com
writes:
>>
>More like unfinished designs by Ten-Tec.
>Orion is blessed and cursed for the same reason.
There are days I come to work and pinch myself, because I have one of
the best jobs on the face of the earth.
Four years ago this week I had a draftsperson lay out a picture of what
I thought a new top of the line transceiver should look like, wrote up
a spec sheet, threw in a little marketing data and handed the package
over to the people that sign my paychecks.
Someone decided to call it Orion. A couple of years later, I sat in
front of it for 48 straight hours en route to winning CQ WW CW.
I don't think I can begin to explain how it feels.
"73's"
Scott Robbins W4PA
Amateur Radio Product Manager, Ten-Tec, Inc.
<<
Experiences of another contester John, K3MD on eHam.net - Orion reviews:
"I owned a Ten Tec Orion for 8 months. I was influenced by reviews in QST and
the ads, stating excellent dynamic range and good adjacent-channel rejection.
The boys at QST did not run this rig through a few whole contests, I am sure.
There WAS the dissenting voice of K3BU, however.
My radio "glitched" at 48 hours, would not reset. Sent it back. When it came
back, it did have the excellent dynamic range specified, etc., but it had a
persistent problem. Every 2 to 4 hours of contesting, it would mute on receive
or transmit, requiring reset. This problem consistently would happen when the
rate was 175/hr or when a rare multiplier was coming back.
E-mails to Ten Tec did not give an adequate solution. They suggested
grounding, putting ferrite filters on the leads, newest software, run low
power, run
both loops for the linear controls, do a RAM reset, and the like. They did not
suggest I send it back for repair. I have talked to 4 other contesters who had
the same or similar problems. I am very disgusted that Ten Tec is pushing
this radio in QST as a contest radio. Right now, it is not. I have an Icom now.
I might add that Ten Tec did finally admit this problem by asking me to
become a Beta tester, but by then, the rig was gone. I hope they can fix it. "
Mentioned, "dissenting, unauthorized" partial review (mainly ergonomics) by
K3BU at
http://www.k3bu.us/Orion.htm
I used Orion in CQ 160 CW, SSB and ARRL SSB as QRP rig, it keeps quitting
even with "no RF" QRP. Suggestion: if one has two radio setup, use Orion as
running rig, when you do not manipulate controls much, it will run longer
between
quits. If you are serious contester, you need either two Orions or another rig
to fill the Orion "sudden death silence" gaps, or you lose frequency or
multiplier.
I used modified Drakes, that are within couple of dB of Orion "superiority"
(see W8JI and Sherwood tests) and had over 20 World Records, cost me $500, made
me feel OK, did not get any paychecks for that tho' (I don't have a job :-).
YMMV
73, Yuri www.K3BU.us
also VE3BMV, VE1BY, VA1A, VC1A, C6AYB, ex.....
Tesla RC N2EE, NT1E
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