[TenTec] Which one ? PRO III or Orion

[Bill Tippett]

         I had an MP for 6+ years before getting my Orion.

 >The Field looks like a shiny Ferrari - the Orion looks like an old VW
Microbus with paint missing.

         Look under the hood...exactly the reverse is
true.  Do you prefer cosmetics or performance?
Same issue for the Icom Pro family BTW.

 >The Field has no firmware to glitch.  Things may not be changeable but they
all work.  The Orion is still not right and progress has been one step
forward and two steps back with each new release.

         I agree in general but my Orion today is a
far cry from the one I got 2.5 years ago....and
there are more exciting things yet to come.  If
I had my MP, I would still be stuck with a minimum
Pitch setting of 300 Hz.  Lowering Orion's Pitch
below 300 Hz was a change TT implemented just weeks
after I suggested it.  This is a big deal for me
since I like very low Pitch for weak signals on 160.

 >The Field's controls are a lot easier to use - there are simply 
more of  them
on the front panel.

         Very debatable.  Many of the knobs are too
small for my hands and some MP features can only
be changed in the MP Menu.  For example, Preamp
On/Off is accessible only from the MP Menu.
Pitch is changeable only via internal dip switch
settings in 50 Hz steps but is variable in 10 Hz
steps from Orion's front panel.  Post-MP, the
Mark V & Field's filter selection became very
cumbersome to use from the front panel.  On
Orion I simply turn the BW knob in 10 Hz steps.

         What irritated me most about Yaesu was
their stonewalling keyclick problems for nearly
15 years, extending from the 1000D to the
Field.  Finally, in the summer of 2004, they
implemented Inrad's keyclick modification in
production Field units.  Every time I hear a
clicking signal on the low bands, chances are
good it's an unmodified 1000D/MP/MarkV/Field.
Thank you Yaesu!

                                 73,  Bill  W4ZV