[TenTec] Jupiter

Tue Jan 18 08:08:45 EST 2005

In my opinion, I certainly do agree with Rick. I especially agree 
with Rick that I would like to see Ten Tec concentrate on fixing the 
remaining firmware bugs BEFORE any new features are added to the 
Orion.

My absolutely fantastic 12 year experience with my Omni 6 and my 
Titan 425 led me to have the same very high expectations for the 
Orion and the Titan 3. While I have had what I consider enormous 
problems for the past 17 months with both the Orion and the Titan 3, 
I still have not given up on Ten Tec and/or their products. The 
'misdeed' that I have probably done is concentrating on talking 
about and complaining about the short comings of the Orion's 
firmware, while mostly neglecting to talk about and applaud the 
hardware design and making sure I ALSO talked about the positive 
aspects of the Orion. BUT when one spends close to $8000 on a 
retirement xcvr/amp, I personally think one certainly has the right 
to expect that equipment to work flawless under normal ham operating 
conditions. (The fact that I operate high speed CW does not, and 
never has had a blamed thing to do with audio pops, random loss of 
audio, QSK problems, random loss of RF output, etc.)

While I first tried communicating with Ten Tec privately with my 
problems with the keying loop and the Titan 3, then went 'public' 
with my problems on this reflector, Ten Tec has yet, even after 17 
months, to acknowledge this problem exist, publically. However, 
recently (within the last month) and privately, Ten Tec acknowledges 
the problem as 'a firmware problem we have not been able to find', 
several users have come up with a 'work around', that seems to work 
for them. Of course, even with the release of v1.372, there still 
remains firmware problems, however they are not insurmountable 
problems. Scott at Ten Tec tried his best to be helpful and 
supportive and his support helped prove the problem I was 
experiencing was truely firmware and not hardware.

A reflector like this one, in my opinion, one should be able to both 
blindly praise the products AND complain about the shortcomings of 
the product. Unfortunately, when one complains about the products, 
one finds about 5% of the respondants are truely interested in being 
helpful and offering pertainant technical suggestions and the 
remaining percentage of respondants are most happy, sitting safely 
behind their keyboards, letting you know how stupid they think you 
are...lending nothing to trying to assist other Ten Tec product 
owners.

We certainly COULD help each other here, if we all just tried. Ten 
Tec certainly COULD be more helpful to their customers IF they would 
communicate better with us (but I DO understand Ten Tec's job at 
communicating is a heck of a lot more difficult than us users!).

I have, basically, stopped my posting to this reflector about my 
Orion problems because 1) it provided no solution to any of my 
technical problems with my Orion, and 2) I began to get numerous 
very NASTY private email's from reflector readers. AND primarily 
because I got several emails from prospective Orion owners, thanking 
me for being honest, but worst of all, based on my, and others, 
comments about Orion firmware problems, they had decided to wait 
before purchasing their own Orion. Influencing others not to buy an 
Orion was never an objective of mine in posting to this reflector.

I have said this a dozen times, and I will say it again. In my 
opinion the Orion has the best hardware design of any piece of ham 
radio equipement of which I am aware.  On the other hand, in my 
opinion, there is just no excuse what so ever, for the same firmware 
problems to continue to exist month after month.

Tom - W4BQF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NJ0IP" <Rick at DJ0IP.de>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 10:11 AM
Subject: RE: [TenTec] Jupiter

> Maybe I'm different, but this ham wants a darn good radio for the 
> price he
> pays.  In Jupiter it's bangs for the bucks and in Orion its bangs. 
> I want
> to be able to hear better than all others who don't have the same 
> radio and
> I want to be able to work what I hear (assuming my antennas are up 
> to
> snuff).  I have 4 computers in my shack to use for my other hobby.
>
> Reading your comments, I think most of you are dreaming right now, 
> which is
> allowed of course.  But your dreams may be misleading people new 
> to this
> reflector.
>
> If SDR will help TT or any vendor get me a great radio, then I 
> want it'
> especially if it reduces the price or time to market.  I enjoy 
> N4PY's
> software as much as the next guy, but my contest radio doesn't 
> have to have
> it.  It's a nice to have (for that radio).
>
> Hey, the more features you dreamers get added to my radio, the 
> larger the
> chance of failure, the longer the time to market for updates, and 
> the higher
> the price, etc.  Just take a look at Linux vs. Windows.  Msft. has 
> made
> Windows so feature-big and bulky that many people are now turning 
> away from
> it.
>
> A passer-by reading this recent thread would probably get the 
> impression
> that Ten-Tec builds bad radios.  It does not.  But that's the 
> impression
> this thread leaves on the reader.
>
> To be honest, I could not or would not be able to afford the 
> IC-7800 or the
> FT-9000.  I have an Orion.  Thanks Ten-Tec for that.
>
> Now I agree with most of the [software] criticism that I've read 
> but let's
> keep it in perspective.  Do those of you who have potentially 
> scared people
> away from buying an Orion or Jupiter due to your software 
> criticism believe
> you have done the guy a favor?  I believe you've done him/her an 
> injustice.
>
> It's great to continue the critique and help give TT direction 
> (and keep
> them on their toes), but let's also recognize what they done for 
> us.
>
> "My" software message to Ten-Tec would be to put focus on bug 
> fixes ahead of
> adding new features.  I think even Tom(my)will agree with me on 
> this one!
>
> 73
> Rick
>
>
>
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