[TenTec] "System Loading......"

[Jim Reid]

Hi,

"System loading......"

That is what I see on the "screen" when I flip the power
switch to ON,  at the Orion.

Is this a radio,  or a computer?  Takes about 11 or 12 seconds
for the "radio" to begin operating.  Is the software loading
going to "define"  the Orion,  or just "control"  it?

Evidently,  something inside the Orion is not permanent;
as the RAM in my computer isn't either;  it has to be
reloaded each time my computer "boots up".  Guess the
Orion is "booting up" during these dozen or so seconds.
Info to the ram in my computer comes,  I guess,  from
the hard drive where it was  stored at the time windows
says it was "saving my settings"  just before shutting down
for the day.

I have other gear with programmable EPROM's inside;  when
the gear is turned on,  it operates immediately per whatever
is stored in the EPROM's,  dose not have to "boot up" and
load a program from some other place where stored.

When we download a "firmware" update for the Orion,
where does it go?  I would have thought right into a
"rom"  where it would do its' thing to define/ or is it control
the Orion operation.  But must go into something else,
which then "loads" the system program into the real
time Orion processors;  is that what is happening?

That is the Dragonball and DSP chips are being told
what to do based upon how things were at the moment
the rig was turned off last time?

I don't know much about computers;  but have been thinking
about this in these 2 1/2 weeks I have had the Orion so far.
Just curious, hi.  Am very pleased with the rig, absolutely!

73,  Jim  KH7M