[TenTec] Orion - Work in Progress - Part 2

[N0KHQ at aol.com]

Part 2
 
We are talking RF Grounding here and only RF Grounding:
Heres what you do. There should be only one point of connection for  that 
wire running outdoors and that is at the wing nut on the back  of your antenna 
tuner. If you have multiple station grounds disconnect them  and thrown them 
away.
 
>From Ten-Tec purchase a TT-1251 RF Counterpoise Tuner, it comes in kit form  
and will require assembly. I chose the 1251 over the MFJ because the 1251 has  
more inductance available.
 
>From the wing nut on the back of the antenna tuner run a short piece of  
copper coated metal plumbers tape (its available from Lowes) to the input of the  
1251, from the output of the 1251 run a piece of RG-8 coax, only the center  
conductor of the RG-8 will connect to the 1251 the shield will be removed. 
 
Outdoors, at the other end of the RG-8 connect the center conductor and  
shield together.
 
This is where you've got to trust me; depending on which frequency you are  
having problems with will determine how long you will cut the counterpoise  
wire/s.
 
Lets say that the transmit operation of the Orion gets squirrely on 40 m.  
Cut a piece of 14ga stranded insulated wire 20' long (.15 wave length) connect  
one end of this wire to the shorted end of the RG-8, on the other end of  the 
14ga wire solder the wire to a 2' piece of 1/2" copper tubing,  stretch the 
wire out and pound the copper tube into the ground below grass  level.
 
Go back in the house, tune up the antenna tuner for operation on 40m, when  
the SWR is as low as you can get it, then move to the TT-1251. First, turn the  
1251 inductor knob for maximum meter reading, then turn the cap knob for 
maximum  meter reading, then go back to the inductor knob and turn for maximum 
meter  reading. The 1251 is simply an antenna tuner for your radial system. What 
you  have done here is to resonate the other half of the antenna for operation 
on the  exact frequency that your operating on.
 
Using this system and the above suggestions, I can guarantee you that there  
will be no stray RF in your shack to interfere with the operation of the  
Orion.
 
The guys on the reflectors wont see this but:
 
I am attaching construction details on the RF Tunable Buried Radial System  I 
run here at the QTH. Other Ten-Tec Orion and Jupiter owners have install this 
 system and are very happy with the results. This information is provided to  
you for your use. If I didn't have this system installed at my QTH, there  is 
no way I could try to run the Orion......been there....done that.
 
In my opinion there are 5 issues that require correcting with the  Orion:
1. Monitor Level to low when listening to you transmitted audio.
2. Sweep Display to slow
3. Sweep Display intermittently freezes when in "Sub RX" and you push the  
"Sub RX" "NR" or "AN" buttons. This is corrected by rebooting the Orion.
4. The "BW" issue when in CW and tuning from 1000hz to 100hz.
5. "Sub RX" RF Gain quits working below a setting of 32.
 
Last but not least, documentation and updating of the owners operations  
manual. 
 
Ten-Tec has come a long way since the introduction of the Orion a couple of  
years ago. You have got to admire the gutsiness of a small group of folks that 
 live in the Smokey Mountains willing to risk it all. I support their efforts 
as  I'm sure others do in there willingness to take the next step in the 
evolution  of ham radio transceivers.
 
I'm posting this information on both reflectors also, I get tired of typing  
rather quickly.
 
Have fun.........and.........dont give up.
 
Happy Holidays  


73
John / N0KHQ / St. Louis

Always on  18.130

Antennas:

You can build 'em better than you can buy  'em
Please visit the sites below:
_http://www.hamuniverse.com/antennas.html_ (http://www.hamuniverse.com/) 
_http://www.cebik.com/n0khq.html_ (http://cebik.com/nokhq/html)