[TenTec] Sweep display freezing on Orion

[Bill Tippett]

N4LQ wrote:
 >Bill I use a horizontal loop antenna and it brings out the worst in a
receiver. If the receiver is the least bit susceptible to front end
overload, it will show up. For example, my Triton IV on 80 meters is totally
overloaded by several local BC stations. I had to install a BCI filter
across the rx input to tame it. Several other older or low end receivers
have experienced the same problem. The PRO2 and IC-781 are totally immune.
Even on 160m they are completely clean however on 160 and 80m the Orion was
almost unusable. The cure for me was to use an external antenna tuner and
just before sending it back, I ordered and received an ICE BC filter which
really did the trick. After sending the Orion back, I received an OMNI 6+.
Like the ICOMs, it had no BCI whatsoever.

         That is very odd. I would expect problems like you experienced to 
show
up in the various IMD and BDR tests done by ARRL, RSGB, Sherwood, W8JI and
YT1NT, but they are all consistent in showing excellent IMD and BDR results
at all spacings.  W0YG had both a 781 and Pro 2 and here is his experience
on 160 meters as reported here last November.  Charlie has ~240 DXCC on
160 from Colorado and was also an active 160 contester when I was there.

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I have been playing with the Orion and have it set up in an A/B test with my
756PRO II.  I am surprised at the sensitivity of the PRO II as everything I
hear on the Orion, I can hear on the Icom.  HOWEVER, on top band, where one
has a legal limit contest station within a mile of them, there is a major
difference.  I will explain.

Let me regress a bit before I explain.  I used to own a Icom 781.  I could
not get within perhaps 25 KHz of my 1.5KW neighbor because he pumped my AGC
and I pumped his.  However we both indeed could work in the same segment of
the band if he or I went to say 1803 and the other station went above 1830.

I sold my 781 when the Orion was announced in anticipation of a decrease in
price as the next generation of radio hit the market (Orion and Icom 7800).
However in the interim, I bought into another Icom, the 756PRO II because of
the deals and because I wanted a DSP backup radio.  I have been amazed at
the performance of the PRO II until I got my Orion.

In A/B tests on top band with my neighbor, and I am sure this will also be
the case on 80M, with the Orion forced into the 500 Hz position and playing
with the PBT control to narrow it to 100 Hz as well as turning up the
threshold and backing off on the RF gain a bit, I can eliminate his annoying
presence within 800 cycles of my frequency.  Why 800 cycles when I have a
500 Hz roofing filter?  Well his 781 generates what appears to be phase
noise AND he has some key clicks!  Amazing!!  However the bottom line is
that close proximity station does not pump my AGC and I can work right next
to him in a contest or on a crowded band without the interference normally
associated with a legal limit neighbor.

http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/TenTec/2003-11/msg00630.html
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It seems as if I forgot to mention the 756PRO II and how it performs with
the 1.5 KW neighbor within a mile of me.  Well, unfortunately I could not be
on the same band as my AGC pumps everywhere.  It renders the 756PRO II
virtually useless but then other tests indicated that with the BDR figure of
78 dB when there was a strong signal within 5 KHz of your listening
frequency.  This is a pity as I have been an Icom man but sadly the PRO II
lacks in this department because it doesn't have roofing filters but then I
knew that when I bought it.  The bottom line is a comparison between the PRO
II and the Orion is not favorable for the Icom.

Remember this is an A/B test on an extremely crowded band on 160M.  As I
indicated, I expect the same type of performance with the PRO II on 80 and
possibly other bands that I did not test.

http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/TenTec/2003-11/threads.html#00633
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         Here's another report by K9DX (from Topband reflector in July 2003):

I compared the Orion with one of my IC-781's and it blows the 781 away by 20
to 25 db in ability to handle large signals at offsets 1 to 20 Khz. I like
the ergonomics, I like the sound. The radio does not have an audio filter or
DSP that provides extremely narrow bandwidths (Earls issue), but since I am
accustomed to mainly using 250 Hz. CW bandwidths, that is not much of an
issue to me. I like this radio, and I have never been impressed with a
Ten-Tec product before.
John K9DX

http://dayton.akorn.net/pipermail/topband/2003-July/017171.html
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         Steve, I don't know how to reconcile these differences but your
experience seems to be at odds with most measurements and with others'
experiences, so the only thing I can conclude is that your unit might
have been defective.

                                                 73,  Bill  W4ZV

P.S.  If your TS-930S has a better front-end on 160 than an Orion, I'll
gladly trade you my TS-930S for it!  I still love that rig but mine
has a terrible front-end compared to Orion...not even close.