[TenTec] Receiver Specs - Orion et al

[Bill Meahan]

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 15:20:43 -0400
"Chuck Rippel" <WA4HHG at R390A.com> wrote:


> I asked a FT1000/Icom V/S Orion question a few days ago.  This thread sheds 
> some light on one of the arrows aimed at the Orion, a supposed lack of 
> sensitivity.  What is being experienced is most likely a very quiet receiver 
> which most are never exposed to.  No "YaWoodCom" I have ever come across has a 
> has a receiver section with particularly low noise floor.  Even on a quiet 
> band, the "S" meter is always bouncing between S-1 and S-3.
> 

I can't speak to the Orion (I don't own one) but I do own a TenTec Corsair II. The other night I was playing around comparing (by ear) my new ultra-high-tech FT-817 vs the Corsair. I thought the FT-817 seemed a lot noisier than the Corsair so I disconnected the antenna I had been switching between the two and instead attached my dummy load (a nice DC-2 GHz "commercial/professional" unit, not mighty fine junk) to each in turn.

Great googledy-moogledy! The Corsair was extremely quiet - just a barely-audible hiss. The FT-817, however had an S3-S5 noise level, even with the preamp off!! 

I dropped all plans to replace the venerable and comparatively low-tech Corsair II with a new(er) all-singing/all-dancing YaComWood box that instant :-)
-- 
Bill Meahan   wmeahan at wa8tzg.org     Ham:  WA8TZG    GMRS:  WPXM723
 "Progress is made by two kinds of people:
   Those who know what can be done and those who 
   don't know what can't"        -- Henry Ford