[Orion] Heresy?

[Joe Giacobello]

I went out of my way this weekend to compare the performance of my 
FT-1000MP vs the Orion during the WPX test.  My FT-1000MP has a full 
complement of Inrad IF filters and the 4 KHz roofing filter.  The 
speaker and antenna were common to both receivers.  All comparisons were 
done only on 15M SSB.  It was quite easy for me to quickly switch 
between the two receivers by simultaneously switching two switches: one 
for the antenna and the other for the speaker.

I tried to focus on weak to moderately strong DX sigs that were 
challenged by nearby strong QRM.  In terms of selectivity, the two rigs 
were equal.  Copyability was slightly better with the MP because its 
audio was more penetrating, and that was even after I decreased the bass 
response of the Orion from -15 to -20 dB.  I was using the 1.8 KHz IF 
selectivity on the Orion with the passband tuning at about +250 Hz.  The 
MP was using either the two cascaded stock SSB (about 2.5 KHz) filters 
or the Inrad 1.8 KHz in the high IF cascaded with the stock in the low 
IF.  (Frankly, SSB is not easily copyable with both 1.8 KHz Inrads 
invoked in the MP.)  I didn't use any of the DSP features of the MP and 
the RF gain was backed off slightly.  The AGC setting on the MP was 
"fast" while the Orion was set at 0.65 second hang and an 8 dB decay.

While these observations were not measured with electronic instruments 
under lab conditions as others have done, the perceived differences 
were, nonetheless, both distinct and consistent.

Past, similar, subjective (objective?) comparisons on 80 and 40M CW 
under contest conditions have given the Orion a slight edge, but now I 
want to take another listen.

Anyway, that's my assessment of the way things looked at this end on the 
weekend.


73, Joe
K2XX