[TenTec] E-Ham Bad Orion Review

[Martin Ewing]

>
> From:
> "Steve N4LQ" <n4lq at iglou.com>
>
>
>... BTW,
>I am very acquainted with computer glitches. I've worked in an  IT
>department for the past 27 years! I've supported every version of dos, OS2
>and Windows. The Orion made me feel like I was still at work...
>  
>
That's a good way to put it.

I've had a similar reaction, but I kept my Orion.  Maybe I am a 
masochist, or maybe I enjoy the challenge of a great radio with an 
almost great control system.  Yes, it's a busman's holiday for some of us. 

The Orion seems to be a lifestyle as much as a product.  The lifestyle 
includes the fellowship (using the word loosely) of this reflector, and 
even some off-the-wall on-line reviews.  And it includes the great 
on-air signal reports and the general mystique of the product.

Looking back, I think the "authoritative" reviews (like QST's) dropped 
the ball.  They emphasize the RF side, which they are most familiar 
with.  But they generally talked about the firmware only in terms of the 
novel field update procedure, without enough skepticism about the 
stability of the software that requires so many updates.

73, Martin