[TenTec] Orion

[Eric SENSI]

Dear Rik,

I'm using :

TT Orion w/o ATU
TT 706 desk mike
SGC MAC-200 smart tuner
ALINCO DM-330MVE switching mode PSU
AIRCELL 7 coax cables
G5RV half
Vertical R7
SAGANT MT-240X double dipole.

I choose the 706 desk mike over any other solution just because I thought it
was plug-and-talk !

I found stupid (excuse the word !) that I have to tweak two devices that
were made to work together ! ;-)

I received an excellent suggestion from someone off the reflector... Why not
moving the shack if you can't move the antennas he said ?

I think it is a great solution and next week I'll put the Orion on a table
in the garage in a field day configuration (2 levels below) to see if the
problems are still there. I'll keep you informed of my future investigations
for sure. If it works, then I have to invests in some construction an
isolation material, I'm not affraid to do the job, I'll do anything for ham
radio.

Thanks for kind help... keep on rockin'

Eric.

-----Message d'origine-----
De : tentec-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]De la part de NJ0IP
Envoyé : vendredi 10 décembre 2004 22:15
À : eric.sensi at skynet.be; tentec at contesting.com
Objet : RE: [TenTec] Orion


Eric,

Like you, I've run many radios from my current QTH for about 5 years.
I only use openwire fed antennas with excellent symmetrical matchboxes.

In the CQWW DX contest, I suddenly had RF problems - though only on one band
(20m).  It was getting into my Jupiter and the TX audio was distorted.  I
never experienced this before with any of the 6 or 7 transceivers I've used
here.  I cleaned the problem up about 90% by connecting a 5m long piece of
wire to the chassis of my matchbox and just laying it on the floor of the
shack.  It worked as a quarter wave counterpoise.

Immediately after the contest I loaned my Jupiter out and so I was not able
to follow up on the problem.

The bottom line is, when having RF problems, there is almost always a
solution, but it isn't always the same for different environments.  Although
you have taken some pretty logical steps to solving your problem, you
obviously have not found the real cause (and this is more of a factor of
luck, not skill).

In addition to trying a counterpoise, you might also place an RF choke (like
the ones from Wireman) in the antenna line near the Orion (between the Orion
and external matchbox if you use one).  However I think the previous post is
probably going to be your problem.  The Orion is indeed fussy about how you
connect a microphone to it and if you do it wrong, you do get RF in its
audio.  Before you throw in the towel, you might check out the Pin-1 thread.
Perhaps you've already done that.  If not, you really should do it.

Gud Luk

73
Rick