[TenTec] E-Ham Bad Orion Review

[N. Kirk Pearson]

Ken Brown wrote:

> Hi Mike,
>
> There are many radios that have much better performance than the Drake 
> 2b / 2BQ Heath DX-60 / HG-10, and do not get "stuck" and require 
> rebooting or power cycling to start working again. So I do not think 
> that insisting on consistant and reliable operation means that one 
> must accept 1960s tube technology performance.
>
> I hope that someone, maybe Ten-Tec with a new firmware release for the 
> Orion, can demonstrate that top level performance using 
> microprocessors and DSP, can be accomplished with reliability and 
> consistancy. I believe that is a reasonable expectation from a 
> production radio, just as reliability from a commercial airliner is a 
> resonable expectation. I think that a much lower level of reliablity 
> and consistancy is acceptable for a homebrew project or laboratory 
> feasability demonstation, be it a radio or an airplane.
>
> I have never tried an Orion and don't own one. So I dont know, perhaps 
> all the people who post reports of their Orion's getting stuck and 
> requiring a reset to get them working again, have failed to pay 
> attention to all details in their firmware download procedures, or 
> have done something else wrong.
>
> You may be the first person to call me ultra conservative.
>
> 73 DE N6KB

The Orion is charting a new course in Ham radio with the software 
defined platform and it is hard to imagine such an undertaking not 
involving some trial and error. Part of the Amatuer's code is to stay 
abreast of technology and that requires the ability to view glitches as 
challenges during the pioneering of this new technology. I've only had 
opportunity to examine one Orion and it was not a dissapointment. For 
those who want to stay in charted territory there are always used Omnis 
to be had. I would'nt let fear of radio problems keep me away from TOP 
performance.
73 DE KI7YY