[TenTec] Orion Prog AGC Threshold

[Ten-Tec Inc. Amateur Radio Sales]

At 09:01 PM 12/30/03 -0500, you wrote:
>I noticed Scott W4PA frequently tweaking the Orion Prog AGC Threshold when
>he was here operating CQ WW a few weeks ago and made a mental note to
>experiment with this function myself.
>
>With 160m season fully under way, I am really starting to love the Orion's
>AGC versatility.  I've been twiddling the Prog AGC Threshold control on
>marginal signals and find that quite often there is a "magic" setting that
>pops the signal out of the noise (actually, it sounds like the band noise
>drops leaving the signal alone).
>
>This threshold varies signal to signal and minute to minute.

Absolutely.

Constraining AGC action to "fast, med, slow, off" really is a compromise of 
receiver ability.
Leaving it to the operator to change as needed is by far the best option 
for weak signal
DXing rather than having the 'wrong' AGC setting or having a fixed AGC 
value clip the
weaker signals (usually a problem when using 'fast' on CW on any 
radio).  Every signal
and every noise situation is unique and dynamic.

>This feature
>has helped me work a few new countries on Top Band the couple of weeks,
>including 5X1X, TF8GX, ZB2FK, ZC4CW, et al.
>
>Top of my Orion wish list is a way to adjust the Prog AGC Threshold without
>drilling down to the MENUS level.  This is function I want to have immediate
>and constant access to and having to hit the MENUS button to get at it is a
>major hassle (MENUS mode disables the VFO and other knobs so leaving the
>radio in this mode is not an option).
>
>73,
>Bill NT1Y

Yes - having AGC threshold available on the MULTI knob while not
inside a menu would be useful.  I have also suggested that more range
at the top end of the AGC threshold would also be a useful change.
Gary and the programmers are aware of these but I don't know
where they fall on the priority list.

Scott Robbins, W4PA


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