[CQ-Contest] Re: SO2R with Orion

Sun Jan 4 20:09:30 EST 2004

Bob I can add to your findings that:
1)  you better not be trying to adjust DSP bandwidth while sending CW from
the computer. Your CW gets distorted.
2) Orion has no PTT input on CW and can only work with QSK linears. This is
real problem in Mixed mode contests.
3) Orion cand ""hang"" just like computers do right in the middle of the
contest and you will have to switch it off and on and wait for reload Did it
6 times for the period of 8 hour contest this weekend.
4) Some of the controls suddenly stop working or behave strange - reload
again...
5) Self control on CW is of a very poor quality(clicks in one ear and  lf
noise in both)
Still the receiver (only the main one) is so much better then any other that
I am prepared to put up with many of the problems ORION has got. I just hope
that some of the items mentioned above could be rectified  in the firmware
due to ORION being designed as ""software defined radio""

73, Igor UA9CDC

P.S. this ORION I have been using belongs to UA9CLB and his impressions are
very similar as far as I know.

> Bob, 5B4AGN, P3F
>
>
>
> The Orion is an interesting rig.  I've only had it for 10 days though
> I've spent a lot of time with it, so it seems like longer.  There are a
> lot of things I like about it and a couple I'm less keen on.  Nothing I
> have seen makes me wish I hadn't bought it, though I'm not sure it's
> going to be any good for the purpose I actually bought it for!
>
> I should explain......
>
> My game plan was to buy an Orion with the intention of getting to know
> it and then to buy a second to upgrade from my two FT1kMPs in the SO2R
> station here.  The things that attracted me to this idea included:
>
> Better BDR
> IF/DSP with good xtal roofing filters in the first I/F
> Second receiver that wasn't third class, like the one in the FT1kMP
> Tailorable CW envelope (with the unmodded FT1kMP I got a fair number of
> click complaints and with the modded MP I get no click complaints but
> the other guys with clicks sidle right up close and cause me QRM
> problems)  I wanted a control like there is on the TS870 so I can run a
> little dirty when I need to!)
>
> The Orion has completely met or exceeded my expectations in all of these
> categories.  I especially like the I/F DSP filtering which is rather
> like but better than, that in the TS870.  I/F b/w is adjustable in 10 Hz
> steps from 100 Hz to 6 kHz. using a rotary encoder knob.  The second RX
> is light years better than that on the FT1k.  Strong signal handling
> capability on the primary rx is truly excellent.  The transmitted signal
> on both CW and SSB is of excellent quality.  I haven't got around to
> trying RTTY yet.  The CW envelope can be adequately tailored to meet my
> contesting needs.  In addition the menu system is good clear and easy to
> operate.  Synethiser noise factor is very low.  QSK is excellent.
>
> I'm undecided about the AGC system currently.  It's a digital system and
> is quite different to anything I have used before.  The comments I've
> had from those who have used it for longer than me is that it's actually
> extremely good.  I suspect I will come to agree with them but it's early
> days here.
>
> What is not quite so good about it?  Well......
>
> Whilst styling has improved over the traditional retro look of the Omni
> series and earlier, the construction still retains a bit of the Ten Tec
> homebrew feel.
> The 64 momentary push buttons on the front panel are spongy and lack
> positive tactile feedback.
>
> Finally.....and this takes us towards the problem area.
>
> The synthesiser has step size selectable at 1/10/100/1k/5k/10k/100k Hz.
> It then has an encoder rate selectable Low or High.  On low that
> provides 64 steps per rev and on high 256.  Only the 10 Hz setting is
> practical for CW/SSB work in my view and with High encoder rate that
> gives 2.5 kHz per rev.  I would prefer 5 kHz per rev but that's not
> available.  To get to 5kHz per rev they will probably have to introduce
> a 20 Hz step.  OK there's an optimum tuning rate issue here but that's
> not the end of the world.
>
> So why do I think the Orion is not up to replacing my two FT1kMPs?
>
> Well it's this:  Primary control funtions and all housekeeping are
> accomplished with a Motorola Dragonball processor, 68EZ328.  This is the
> control processor they used in the Jupiter, apparently with great
> success.  The problem is that there are a lot more things to housekeep
> in the Orion and the device appears way out of its depth.  This
> manifests itself in a number of ways:-
>
> When you press a button there is a pause before what should happen
> actually does happen.
> When you change band it takes a full 2 seconds before the frequency
> readout follows.
> The computer interface runs like a race horse at 57600 baud but command
> execution time is pedestrian.
>
> All of these are irritations but hardly stoppers.  Then there is the
> problem with the synthesiser.........
>
> With the synth set up for 10 Hz steps you should hardly be able to
> discern audible steps even if you listen really hard.  Tuning should be
> smooth and uninterupted giving the illusion that you are using a rock
> steady linear VFO.  Well, if you tune real slowly that's the way it is
> but if you tune just a little faster (and I mean a little faster; not
> knob spinning fast!) the microprocessor can't keep up with the synth
> update requests so it gives up and just counts pulses until it finds
> time to sort itself out and actually shift the synthesiser frequency.
> This means if you tune anything faster than very slowly with a
> theoretical step size of 10 Hz you can jump in much greater increments.
>
> For day to day use and DXing I don't think this is that much of a
> problem even though the choppy tuning is an irritation and significantly
> cheapens the feel of the radio.  In contesting it's a bigger deal!  In
> single op unassisted efforts you have to spend time tuning the band as
> rapidly as you can looking for mults.  The manic choppy sound you
> encounter doing this is a real put off and substantially detracts from
> the ability to read calls whilst tuning.  In SO2R where the operator
> overhead is a lot higher the problem is bigger still.  Running on one
> radio and mult hunting on a second is a demanding way to work.
> Frequently, you can only tune across a band looking for mults in 7-10
> second bursts while exchanges are being sent by computer on radio 1.
>  From the tests I have done, the synth choppiness completely screws up
> my ability to do this with any success and it increases stress levels
> massively.  I don't need that!
>
> So far as I can determine, the A7 CPU/DSP assembly in the Orion would
> need to be reworked and perhaps completely redesigned to resolve this
> problem.  It's way too early to say whether Ten Tec will rise to that
> challenge.  Without a fix though, the Orion looks to be completely
> incompatible with second radio SO2R use.
>
> There you have it Fred.  That's pretty much what I think so far.
>
> 73
>
> Bob
>
>
>
>
> Fred Handscombe wrote:
>
> > Hi Bob
> >
> > Happy New Year!
> >
> > I was interested to read in todays newsletter that u have got an
> > Orion.  I
> > was going to order one before Xmas to pick up in San Jose next week but
> > they are out of stock and building for the end of Jan.  I have time to
> > think as my next trip will be in March although of course they say the
> > next batch is "selling fast"!
> >
> > What do u think about it?
> >
> > Is it better than the MP/Mk5?  A lot better?
> >
> > I have read various reviews but dont really trust ON4UNs judgement.  I
> > believ they gave him one anyway!
> >
> >
> >
> > 73 Fred
> > G4BWP
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
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