[TenTec] ORION Returns (N4NT's Musings)

[Mike Hyder --N4NT--]

Hi, Todd--

Here are some of my musings on your comments:

Those sad fellows' troubles are obvious: they want to consider themselves
"professionals" instead of "amateurs."  I'm glad they sent the rigs back so
we don't have to endure their endless complaints!  What we focus on grows
and grows in our minds.  If we focus on negatives, we become nit-picking
complainers -- truly poisonous personalities.  If we focus on positives, we
have a chance of being truly happy people.  If you are the sort of person
who focuses on negatives, then you will not be satisfied with the Orion
(remember: nothing's perfect).

Speaking of sending the rigs back, do you think that if they are
dissatisfied with their brand x radios, they can return them for a refund?
You can do that with the Orion, as they allegedly did.

I've been dealing with Ten-Tec for about 20 years.  During that time I have
been dissatisfied a couple of times.  Once was with my Omni-C's putting out
spurs on the 18 MHz band (I never worked 18 MHz so it was no trouble to my
operating, but I wanted it fixed).  Ten-Tec's unnamed employee told me that
if working 18 MHz was important to me I ought to get a different rig.  The
openness and honesty of the folks at Ten-Tec operates in both ways.  When I
was considering a Corsair II, I was talking with Larry Wirth (or is it
Worth?) and Al Kahn.  Al asked what rig I was using and when I told him an
Omni-C he said, "If you've got an Omni-C, you don't need a Corsair II."
That could have cost Ten-Tec a sale (but didn't).

You see, Ten-Tec doesn't do frequent model replacements to sell radios.
Remember the history of the Omni-VI.  They made improvements to its design
and would retrofit those improvements into their earlier models.  Who else
has EVER done such?  With these newer rigs the retrofits can be downloaded
and applied to the rigs where they sit.

The question for me becomes, "What do I need a radio to do that I cannot do
with my current rig?"  I don't operate in contests.  I don't chase DX.  If
there were strong signals too close to me, I would probably just change
frequency (this has NEVER happened to me).  I don't care if I am on 7020 kHz
or 7020.0015 kHz.  It is amazing to me that people worry enough about this
to synchronize their rigs with satellites, but that is their bag.  I just
can't see why it matters, but to them it seems to matter.

When I look back on my time in ham radio, I remember most fondly the time
when the marks on the receiver's dial were every 5 kc.  I was a kid and
radio was magic.  The interesting things back then were the people I could
talk with.  As time has gone by, for some hams the focus has changed from
the people to the rigs.  To me there is no better illustration of this than
contest stations that are run almost entirely by computers.

Once I read that if you hung a truly good picture in your house, nobody
would notice it because it would just blend in with the surroundings and
almost vanish.  The Zen of radios is the same.  If I use a Ten-Tec rig, then
I don't notice the radio because it seems to fade away and let me
communicate.  Other rigs I've owned and used never would do that, but were
right up front and in my face -- almost calling for attention.

enough,
73, Mike N4NT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "M.Todd Miskel" <kd7efq62 at hotmail.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2003 8:18 AM
Subject: [TenTec] ORION Returns


> Hello all, NOTE: This is not a bashing, but rather a concern. In the last
24
> hrs I have heard 2 more people have returned their Orions to Ten tec. The
> biggest complaints I have heard is that the Orion was an unfinished
product
> and released too early with many little bugs in it, No color display,
(which
> to me is no big detail) and non-linearity on the spectrum display. These
> people claimed to both be engineers with one supposedly having a Phd in
EE.
> Their disappointment mainly was that for the cost of the radio, they
> shouldn't have to be finishing Ten Tec's Beta testing for them out of
their
> own pockets.
> One Gentleman said he will put his money down on 2 Brand X 7800's (which
is
> pricey!) but at least he knows he will have a finished product when it
> arrives. I personally would like an Orion, but the more I hear of these
same
> complaints makes me continue to be cautious and stick with my Omni 6+. I
> know not everyone wants the same thing from a radio, but is there any info
> on how many Orions have been sold Vs. how many have been returned? For me,
> this would be a good barometer on when the Orion has matured. I would buy
TT
> before another brand, but $3500 for me is an investment I don't want to be
> dissatisfied with. 73. Todd