[TenTec] Re: Decision Made

[Jerry Volpe]

KD7EFQ at aol.com wrote:

>However after NOT seeing a CONSISTENT "it's all OK now" and seeing nothing 
>but consistent controversy about Orion, I believe I will go with a new PRO III 
>for my next rig if it's receiver specs are comparable to an Omni 5 or 6. I 
>still think Ten Tec is an excellent manufacturer with a great history of rigs, 
>(and I'm keeping my TT accessories) but I'm getting the feeling that Orion has 
>become the Paragon of the 21st century, and not suited for my casual style of 
>operating. Too many "loose ends" with it for me....
>
>  
>
And what exactly is the problem with the Paragon? Here it is nearly 2005 
and this Paragon at my station is a joy to operate with the only issue 
for me is the lack of computer interfacing :( .... and I guess I would 
classify myself as generally a 'casual' operator. So not sure I think 
that is a 'nice' comparison. However, I do agree that there is an awful 
lot of polarizing Orion talk. I'd been planning to eventually obtain an 
Orion since I first heard of them.  Subsequently I have personally 
experienced a lot of SDR's current strenghts and weaknesses (I wrote 
about my exposure to SDR before) and I"m not convinced that SDR is a 
good alternative to plan old good descrete circuit design.... not yet 
anyway.

No, I haven't as yet tried an Orion (too much money for a test drive) 
but one may eventually find its way to my shack but probably not till 
they evolve more. If I had to rebuild my station today from scratch I 
would probably look for another Omni-V+/Paragon combo although I think 
an Omni-V.9/Paragon II combo would be more to my liking. I can, 
however,  understand why KD7EFQ choose  a Pro III. I have a couple hours 
of familiarization specifically with the Pro III  (and I've used 
friends' 756, 756 Pro, etc) and the Pro III is an incredibly intuitive 
design with a quality feel... a very quiet and easy to listen to 
receiver.... what I would want and expect from Ten-Tec in an Orion!

So just what was so wrong with the Paragon? :)

'Tis the season to be jolly!'

73,
Jerald, KG6TT