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[TenTec] Orion Audio Whine

To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Orion Audio Whine
From: k6se@juno.com (k6se@juno.com)
Date: Thu May 22 02:57:11 2003
Regarding the audio tone I reported from my Orion's front panel phone
jack, two respondees suggested that it was coming from my computer and
getting into the radio via the AUX I/O DIN jack.  Well, nothing is
connected to the AUX I/O.  I have the AUX Input Gain on the SSB menu set
to zero because I don't use it.

To see if it was caused by either of my computers, I removed the RS-232
cable between the Orion and my laptop logging computer and I turned that
computer off as well as the other big computer.  Everything in the shack
was turned off except the Orion and its power supply.  The audio whine
(~1500 Hz) was still there.  (BTW, the power supply is *not* a switching
supply.)

This audio whine is most easily heard if you squelch the receiver via the
RX menu to eliminate any normal receiver noise.  If you squelch both
receivers, you'll see that it is in both audios by turning one audio gain
control up and then down, then turning the other audio gain control up
and down.  The level of the audio whine is fairly constant from an audio
gain setting of fully off to about 3/4 max volume, above which it
noticeably increases on either the main or the sub receiver audio gain
control.

I then played with every adjustment in every menu while listening to the
whine.  Nothing affected the whine in any manner.  Ditto for every front
panel control (except for the audio gain controls).

I used the audio menu to turn off the main receiver headphone audio to
both ears, and the whine was still there.  Ditto for the sub receiver. 
Obviously the whine is getting into only the audio amplifier circuitry. 
Also, it is obviously a hardware problem and not a software problem.

At least two other Orion users have reported this problem, so it appears
to be inherent with the radio.

It's most noticeable on CW because when a narrow BW is selected the
receiver noise level is much less, so I sure hope that Ten-Tec can
correct this anomaly because it might cause problems with hearing weak DX
signals on CW.

73, de Earl, K6SE
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