Ron,
Just to confirm, I would be interested in a high-stability reference
oscillator for the Orion. (I have the original Orion, which hopefully
would use the same parts as the Orion II.)
I can see several possibilities:
1. Self-contained OCXO or high stability TCXO, fixed tuned or
mechanically tweakable. This would probably give the best phase noise
results. Provision for standby oven power would be helpful if it's an OCXO.
2. Voltage-controlled TCXO with a buffered output to the back panel,
along with a fine control input. The buffered output and control input
could be connected to an external (user-provided) synchronizer for
GPS-trained or other high-stability reference. Alternatively, the user
can supply a DC voltage to allow manual zero-beat with WWV or other
reference.
3. Complete TCXO/stabilizer system with back panel input of a 10 MHz
reference. (Or a GPS 1 pps input?)
My quick check shows that common voltage-controlled oscillators are
significantly worse phase noise than the fixed-tuned units. That might
be an issue for Orion, where spectral purity is a key requirement.
Of course, cost is an issue. Probably option 1 is least expensive.
Thanks for your effort on this project!
73, Martin AA6E
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