[TenTec] Annual review of the Orion

[Steve Baron - KB3MM]

REminds me of UNIX...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin, AA6E" <martin.ewing at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 18:42
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Annual review of the Orion


> I have infinite respect for Carl, N4PY, but let's recognize that
> writing real-time embedded software is not the same as writing a
> back-end that only needs to communicate on the serial port.
>
> One of the most interesting subjects at Dayton for me as an Orion user
> was the software for the SDR1000 and GNUradio.  It is developing at an
> incredible pace, and it has features we can only dream about for the
> Big Black Box.  (Many modulation modes, filtering options, displays,
> etc. HDTV, anyone? I'd settle for an optimized RTTY filter.)  This is
> not to downplay the Orion, but to indicate the possibilities of open
> software development.  Many experts contribute new modules supporting
> their favorite modes, bugs get fixed overnight, etc.
>
> TT has the traditional development model, where because they own the
> code, they can't easily let go of it to the community.  There are
> probably lots of hardware dependencies, undocumented interfaces, and
> so on.  They are probably using a commercial operating system and
> libraries from Motorola or other vendors that cannot be distributed
> freely in source form.  (I have no direct knowledge.)  Because of all
> this, development and debugging will cost TT lots of real money, and
> they don't get the free expert support that the open projects have.
>
> Hopefully, our favorite vendor will take note of this for future products!
>
> 73 Martin AA6E
>
> On 6/1/05, Don Rasmussen <wb8yqj at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > One thing I've noticed. Those that use the N4pY
> > software to drive their Orions have a lot less
> > complaints. What does this tell us?
> >
> > >>>>>
> >
> > That N4PY should be programming the firmware in the
> > radio itself?
> >
> > I don't know if he is even conversant in the specific
> > microcode of Orion, but he has suggested that he would
> > consider it. I long ago suggested that Ten Tec offload
> > the programming burdon for the radio. The radio
> > improves faster, but Ten Tec relinquishes absolute
> > control of their product.
> >
> -- 
> martin.ewing at gmail.com
> http://blog.aa6e.net
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