[TenTec] More from Rob Sherwood, NCØB Re: Is the Orion Noisy?]

[Grant Youngman]

> Here are my comments on the major issue of how the Orion II 
> sounds with
> S2 or S3 signals.
> The issue of the noisiness of the Orion II has to do with the 
> operation of the AGC code, not general sensitivity.  Once a 
> signal starts to move the S meter, a radio should start 
> quieting down, and one should be able to run the AGC slowly 
> enough smooth out the signal.  <etc. etc.>

I think Rob's observations in this respect, relative to the II/v2 are dead
on the mark.  It isn't that the radio is "noisy" (in some absolute sense
affecting sensitivity),  it has to do with AGC behavior.  That same behavior
I've always thought is the factor that has led some (me included) to notice
(and report to ditsnbits) what sometimes appears to be no apparent
difference in AGC speeds between the S/M/F settings.  This latter effect is
especially noticable with weak signals close to the noise level, or even
just listening to the noise by itself and observing the effect (or lack of
effect) of AGC speed settings along the lines of what one would typically
observe in an analog radio.

Grant/NQ5T