[TenTec] Orion reviews

[Toby Pennington]

The Ten-Tec showroom is the worst place you could choose to play with an
Orion. The line noise in that shop is terrific, easily S-9 on some bands,
and it almost never goes away in the daytime. And like you said the bands
have been very bad lately. Also, you have to spend some time with the Orion
to appreciate the benefits of its superior receiver and flexibility of the
radio in general.

Having said that, the software still needs work and hopefully the 2.0
version will clear up any remaining issues.

It is interesting to visit the plant and see all the older gear on display
in the radio room. The history of several decades of Ten-Tec rigs is all
there to see and think about.  The Omni 6 is on one of those shelves and and
is a part of the technology of the past decade.  But a new day is dawning,
and the Jupiter and Orion are the beginning of a new technology that will
someday be accepted with enthusiasm just as the Omni 6 was in its day.

Toby  W4CAK

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "dennis o'connor" <k8do at mailblocks.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 6:50 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Orion reviews


> 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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