[TenTec] Audio blues

[Richard Williams]

Hi Larry,

I have had my Orion for quite awhile now and I also had "good audio" reports 
initially.    However, when listening to my audio with headphones using the 
monitor function on the radio, I found it didn't sound that great.  What 
really clued me in to having a problem was when I turned the speech 
processor on; terrible feedback and really bad audio.

I found a couple of major problems in the wiring of the mic.    To make a 
long story short (I am using the same mic(s) - a Heil HM-10 and Heil Pro-Set 
headset/mic) on both the Orion and a Ten Tec 526 6N2 rig)  make sure you 
have the mic hooked up to pins 1 and 2 on the mic connector and the PTT 
between 3 and chassis ground (connector case).

I found the problem listening to myself with the headset and turning on the 
speech processor; so you might want to try listening to yourself and see how 
you sound with and without the processor on.

You said you did a master reset (which seems to cure problems that turning 
the rig on and off doesn't); but you might also try a RAM-CLEAR reset.  The 
procedure for doing it is hidden away on the Ten Tec web site, but it is 
activated by turning the radio on with the VFO-B Lock button held in. 
After turning on the radio,  hold the button in until  you get a BATTERY 
FAILURE message.  Release the button and then answer yes to "Clear user 
memories" and "Reset option filters".  When the radio screen appears again, 
turn the radio off and back on.

No gurarntees on that fixing it either,  but I would certainly look at how 
your mic is wired, and if your mic is one that has the PTT and mic ground 
tied together,  I would look into a mic like the Heil that has 4 leads (mic 
isolated from the PTT ground return.

Dick K8ZTT