[Orion] V1.373b5

[Merle Bone]

Duane said:

"But in order to choose between the
two levels mentioned, it would help to know what the fixes were (and even
what broke on later 1.373b5 level, if any of that has been summarized).  

        73,  Duane  (for me and K5LN)
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The fundemental problem with the V1 firmware (Including v1.373b5) was stated by TenTec as:

 "There were two major problems with the original V1 firmwarethat precipitated the extensive revision.  The primary issue wasunresolved failures in time-sensitive, state-driven communicationsbetween the three processors on the DSP/Logic board. Each DSPprocessor had its own state-machine or command sequencer. The DSPprocessors also streamed data between themselves. In addition, therewas a master state-machine that managed the interaction betweenprocessors, T/R operation and the user display. Any loss ofsynchronization between these various entities would lead to anunrecoverable system error that could be cleared only by a powercycle.          Correcting the state-machines was not an option because ofthe second issue. The DSPs were completely FULL. No memory wasavailable to implement any fix. The V1 DSP code didn't make efficientuse of the available resources. The V1 SSB/CW receiver mimicked theFILTER method of SSB demodulation instead of the more code-efficientWEAVER method. The decision to change methods also meant discardingmost of the old code."As you can see, unfortunately TenTec not only changed the control code but they also redesigned most of the functions of the radio that are implemented in the DSP. V1.373b5 is very stable for me if I keep the SpectrumDisplay off, don't poll the Orion for frequency data and use the Voice Data Recorder sparingly. It also helpsnot to use the software NB or Noise Reductio on the Subreceiver.I hope this helps with questions about V1.373b5.73,Merle - W0EWM