[Orion] Re: Orion - Work in Progress

[N0KHQ at aol.com]

Hi Skip,
 
I understand you frustration with the Orion.
My frustration with SDR's began with the purchase of the Jupiter about 3  
years ago.
 
I know you probably don't want to hear this, but, these rigs are very  
susceptible to RFI. If there is any...and I mean any, stray RF in your shack the  
Orion or the Jupiter will find it.
 
First off, the Orion, like the Jupiter, is nothing more than a computer in  
an RF environment inside a transceiver case.
 
Special RF Grounding and Power Supply precautions must be taken in  order for 
the Orion or Jupiter to perform without incident. I know what  your going to 
say, "hey, I never had any problems with my other rigs". Well,  your other 
rigs were not SDR's.
 
A lot of hams have jumped into the SDR arena without thinking, like  myself, 
about what they were getting themselves into. SDR's are the next step in  the 
evolution of ham radio transceivers. By the peak of the next solar cycle you  
will see one of the other leading manufacturers of ham radio  transceivers 
come out with an SDR. It could be Icom, they are in the early  stages with the 
introduction of the IC-7800.
 
All of the top rigs out today, TS-870, TS-950SDX, FT9000DX,  IC-7800 and so 
on will be referred to as "Boat Anchors", just like we refer  to the tube type 
rigs of yesterday as "Boat Anchors". I know all of these  rigs work great, but 
there is a time when a product must evolve to the  next step. And, SDR's are 
the next evolutionary step in Amateur  Radio. Whether you, I, or anyone else 
likes it or  not......its coming.
 
If your dead set on getting rid of the Orion, don't waste your time reading  
any further. However, if your willing to give it one more shot......keep  
reading.
 
Firstly, when you hear or read about an Orion owner praising the operation  
of their rig, they are not trying to blow smoke up your butt. It's true,  the 
Orion is a great rig, and in my opinion, the best rig on the market today in  
any price range.
 
So, here we go! Please follow these instruction exactly.
 
1. If your running a balanced antenna, purchase a 1:1 50ohm Bal to 50ohm  
Unbal current balun from Radio Works (B1-2K) and install it at the antenna  feed 
point. This balun will prevent antenna currents from coming down the shield  
of the coax and entering you station and at the same time allow for a graceful  
transition from a balanced system to an unbalanced system.
 
2. If your running an unbalanced antenna, purchase an RF Balun kit from  
Polomar-Engineering and install it at the antenna feed point. For reasons  above.
 
3. Purchase from Radio Works a T-4 Line Isolator. This isolator will  install 
right at the back of the coax connector/s on the Orion. This is a  must do.
 
4. The power for your Orion, I assume, is coming from a DC Power  Supply that 
is plugged into a 115vac circuit. This circuit should be a dedicated  circuit 
and not shared with other appliances in your home. Appliances in your  home, 
depending on their load impedance's are dumping reactive currents onto  your 
service neutrals and grounds. The currents are in the milliamp range and  could 
create havoc in your power supply depending on how well your power supply  is 
capable of filtering the incoming AC.
 
5. What I do is, the DC power cable going from the power supply to the  Orion 
is wrapped around a 2-1/2" toriod donut, 6 turns one direction and 6 turns  
the opposite and other direction. 
 
6. One of the biggest culprits is the Orion amplifier keying line. This  line 
should be wrapped around one of those 3/4" x 3/4" x 1-1/4" toriod cubes as  
many times as possible. RS sells them.
 
7. Now heres a subject that you may or may not have a problem with: RF  
Grounding.
 
Some hams get a little confused when talking about Grounding for RF and  
Grounding for Lightning protection. They are not the same and should be  addressed 
separately. Grounding for Lightning protection will do very little for  RF 
grounding. But Grounding for RF will help with Lightning  protection.
 
Most ham radio books illustrate a typical station grounding system, where  
you have this big copper plate or bar behind your station and every piece of  
your equipment is supposed to be grounded to this bar and then a wire runs from  
this bar outdoors to a grounding rod. This illustration is 100% totally wrong 
 and does result in the biggest ground loop in the history of Amateur  Radio.
 
We are talking RF Grounding here and only RF Grounding:
Heres what you do. There should be only one point of connection for  that 
wire running outdoors and that is at the wing nut on the back  of your antenna 
tuner. If you have multiple station grounds disconnect them  and thrown them 
away.
 
>From Ten-Tec purchase a TT-1251 RF Counterpoise Tuner, it comes in kit form  
and will require assembly. I chose the 1251 over the MFJ because the 1251 has  
more inductance available.
 
>From the wing nut on the back of the antenna tuner run a short piece of  
copper coated metal plumbers tape (its available from Lowes) to the input of the  
1251, from the output of the 1251 run a piece of RG-8 coax, only the center  
conductor of the RG-8 will connect to the 1251 the shield will be removed. 
 
Outdoors, at the other end of the RG-8 connect the center conductor and  
sheild together.
 
This is where you've got to trust me; depending on which frequency you are  
having problems with will determine how long you will cut the countrpoise  
wire/s.
 
Lets say that the transmit operation of the Orion gets squirrely on 40 m.  
Cut a piece of 14ga stranded insulated wire 20' long (.15 wave length) connect  
one end of this wire to the shorted end of the RG-8, on the other end of  the 
14ga wire solder the wire to a 2' piece of 1/2" copper tubing,  stretch the 
wire out and pound the copper tube into the ground below grass  level.
 
Go back in the house, tune up the antenna tuner for operation on 40m, when  
the SWR is as low as you can get it, then move to the TT-1251. First, turn the  
1251 inductor knob for maximum meter reading, then turn the cap knob for 
maximum  meter reading, then go back to the inductor knob and turn for maximum 
meter  reading. The 1251 is simply an antenna tuner for your radial system. What 
you  have done here is to resonate the other half of the antenna for operation 
on the  exact frequency that your operating on.
 
Using this system and the above suggestions, I can guarantee you that there  
will be no stray RF in your shack to interfere with the operation of the  
Orion.
 
The guys on the reflectors wont see this but:
 
I am attaching construction details on the RF Tunable Buried Radial System  I 
run here at the QTH. Other Ten-Tec Orion and Jupiter owners have install this 
 system and are very happy with the results. This information is provided to  
you for your use. If I didn't have this system installed at my QTH, there  is 
no way I could try to run the Orion......been there....done that.
 
In my opinion there are 5 issues that require correcting with the  Orion:
1. Monitor Level to low when listening to you transmitted audio.
2. Sweep Display to slow
3. Sweep Display intermittently freezes when in "Sub RX" and you push the  
"Sub RX" "NR" or "AN" buttons. This is corrected by rebooting the Orion.
4. The "BW" issue when in CW and tuning from 1000hz to 100hz.
5. "Sub RX" RF Gain quits working below a setting of 32.
 
Last but not least, documentation and updating of the owners operations  
manual. 
 
Ten-Tec has come a long way since the introduction of the Orion a couple of  
years ago. You have got to admire the gutsiness of a small group of folks that 
 live in the Smokey Mountains willing to risk it all. I support their efforts 
as  I'm sure others do in there willingness to take the next step in the 
evolution  of ham radio transceivers.
 
I'm posting this information on both reflectors also, I get tired of typing  
rather quickly.
 
Have fun.........and.........dont give up.
 
Happy Holidays  


73
John / N0KHQ / St. Louis

Always on  18.130

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