[Orion] Problem wirh AM mode

[Grant Youngman]

> When I try to transmit on AM when the transmitter is first 
> keyed there is little to no power out.  After holding the key 
> down for a few seconds the power slowly begins to increase 
> until it reaches the full power available on AM.  This may 
> take as long as seconds.  So much for trying to break into a 
> conversation.  

After tuning up into your amp (I do it in CW mode) to set the peak drive and
amplifier loading, when you switch to AM mode and key down the first time it
takes a few seconds for the Transmit Gain circuitry in the Orion to
automatically set the correct carrier output level.

That's normal.  It's a one-time thing.  I always do that step as part of
normal tune-up, to check amplifier output with the Orion's adjusted carrier
level, make sure transmit peaks look ok, etc.  It's still easier than
changing bands on a Globe King and getting it tuned up and ready to go --
but not as buzzardly, by any means :-)

In the early Orion firmware releases, the power output started high and
DROPPED to the correct level rather than starting low and RISING to the
correct level as it does in v2/II.  It didn't seem to take quite as long to
drop as it does currently to rise.  The very latest releases also reduce the
output level slightly to reduce carrier shift with modulation.

Grant/NQ5T