[TenTec] Re: Orion Concern

George, W5YR w5yr@att.net
Mon, 20 May 2002 13:53:42 -0500


Interesting questions and comments, Billy - see below for a few of mine . .
.  <:}

Billy Cox wrote:
> 
> >Absolutely George... not to mention: does the Orion contain full-time
> >100% dual receive? (I honestly never got past the display thing-and, not
> >having the $$$ anyway-haven't pursued it.) At THOSE prices, I'd spend my
> >money on the Yaesu FT-1000 which DOES. If 100% of the operation of
> >modern radios REQUIRES the use of the display, ...
> 
> Uh ... and what type of display does the FT-1000 series radios use ?

The same as my IC-765 and all of the other late 1980's designs. They work -
O spent nearly 10 years staring at my 765 display - but trust me, the
concentrated information on the PRO screen is far more effective and
useful.
> 
> I'm not sure you'd also like some of the possible performance tradeoffs
> of the Yaesu ... (think "key clicks" here). Also before the Yen/$ changes,
> a true FT-1000D had a similar price point as the Orion might ...
> 
> I guess these FT-1000MPs here are not "modern radios" ? :-)  :-) :-)

Not of the same generation as the PRO series, the 870, Pegasus and Jupiter,
the RX340 receiver, etc. etc. Recent but not modern . . .
> 
> Go look at the waveform pics on the IC756 Pro II ... sure you get a
> fancy COLOR display AND that CW "less than wonderful" keyform.
> Read the QST review text carefully, while thinking of performance ...

I have made numerous keying waveform pics of my PRO and will quickly
concede that like almost all current radios the transition time from
receive to transmit and back again serves to shorten code elements and
lengthen space intervals. I correct this in the PRO by using an external
keyer with real weighting control - the CMOS K3 - or the MixW or
TRX-Manager CW program modes which also provide weighting to correct for
the space interval distortion. The leading and trailing edges of the PRO
keyed waveform are textbook perfect - scope pictures upon request.
> 
> You know, I can't blame TT if they decide to pull the entire Orion project
> after all this over the display ...
> 
> For months (years) the mantra on here has been "give me good solid
> performance, not the bells and whistles of the rice boxes" ... now ???

Billy, the problem really starts with TT's goal and published claim to be
designing to best amateur radio transceiver *ever*. Top of the line - no
holds barred. That claim suggests that no other radio is going to be able
to outperform it. And the fact of the matter is that any decently
implemented color display can present more information faster and with more
detail than a mono display. Having a mono display is not a top of the line
feature . . .

All the "glass instrument panels" in modern aircraft are color, not mono. I
am unaware of any current radio in the top tier that has a mono display.
The 781 is long gone (and dates back to an era when LCD displays of that
size and detail were unavailable) and the 746 and 746PRO look like the last
of the Icoms to lack color. I am sure that the mono on the 746 is a cost
thing - probably like it is also on the Orion.
> 
> Me thinks we are spinning in a circle on this ... (I think I'm seeing colors
> now!)

You got that right!   <:}
> 
> Everyone have a FB week, regardless of what rig you are or will use ...

Good idea which I hope we all echo . . .

73/72/oo, George W5YR - the Yellow Rose of Texas         
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13qe   
Amateur Radio W5YR, in the 56th year and it just keeps getting better!
QRP-L 1373 NETXQRP 6 SOC 262 COG 8 FPQRP 404 TEN-X 11771 I-LINK 11735
Icom IC-756PRO #02121  Kachina 505 DSP  #91900556  Icom IC-765 #02437