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

[Duane Grotophorst]

--- Jim Reid <jimr.reid at verizon.net> wrote:

> Is this a radio,  or a computer?

Both. A highly specialized computer, and pretty
definable radio. And we ain't seen nothing yet on
either count for what's coming in the few next
decades.

> Takes about 11 or
> 12 seconds
> for the "radio" to begin operating.

Kinda makes one wax nostalgic doesn't it, - just think
of it as the modern day equivalent of tube filaments
heating up...

>  Is the software loading
> going to "define"  the Orion,  or just "control" 
> it?

Again some of both. It "defines" it to the extent that
the Orion is a narrow band (roofing filter bandwidth
limited) signal processing computer (a.k.a DSP IF).
There is a wide range of things that its DSP should be
able do beyond just CW/SSB/AM/FM. All it would take is
some additional DSP firmware. 

> 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?

Basically yes, the firmware updateable Ten Tec radios
all use what's know as "flash-ROM", it is a non
volatile solid state memory chip. But unlike
traditional ROM or EPROM it can be easily changed
electronically, that is what you are doing when using
the flash loader program. When the radio is “booting
up” it is probably testing the various registers of
the DSP’s and Dragonball processors and loading the
code into them. And you might be surprised how tiny
the actual DSP code itself really is.

> 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?

Not being exactly familiar with the Orion hardware
architecture I can't really say for sure, but
conceptually that is also probably pretty accurate.

Duane
N9DG


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