[TenTec] Orion reviews

[dennis o'connor]

Just some general comments...

We were on vacation this week... Wound up passing through Sevierville 
yesterday, Friday, totally unplanned as I intended to be at Kitty Hawk 
looking at the First Flight Monument, but hey, life happens... Anyway, 
it's been close to a month since I sent my 564, Omni 6+, in to have the 
encoder replaced and a general tuneup... Thought I would stop in and 
see... It wasn't ready... The mechanical work is done but needs to be 
cycle tested and the oscillators will be final adjusted after the rig 
is good and hot...  Should be Wednesday or so when it ships...  They 
said repairs are running back logged 4 weeks right now, so they do not 
lack for repair business...

    I live a sheltered life so this was my first chance to play with an 
Orion, and I did...  I was neither highly impressed nor was I 
disappointed,  all in all it seems to be a fine rig...  The appearance 
is not as striking as the photos in their ads  (amazing what Photoshop 
can do)...  It is a big rig, up there with my Mark V...  The bands were 
not in good shape as I tuned about a bit...  No contests on so I 
couldn't check out the superior receiver... All in all a nice radio, 
but I did not take one home...   Interestingly I hung around for a bit 
after I operated the Orion and talked to a few TT employees and I asked 
each one the same question, "So which Ten Tec radio do you use at 
home?"  (Scott was not around)  The answer from each one was an Omni 
6....

Now before someone jumps on this fact, it was an unofficial survey... 
The Orion is an expensive radio and these are working folks with kids 
and mortgage payments...  And I report it only as an interesting 
tidbit, not a knock against the Orion...  When the 564 comes back it 
will go back on the bench next to the Mark V and be used for another 
contest season...  Maybe I will revisit the idea of an Orion later...

Cheers  ...  Denny

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