[TenTec] observations of my Orion with V 1.372 (better yet 1.371)

[Gary Tuck]

Buck, those were exactly my observations with v1.371.  I'd have S5  
noise here in the city.  The software NB would take it down a bit,  
the hardware NB would drop the noise a couple of S units and the NR  
took it down to S1.  It was like magic.  Very seldom ever noticed any  
distortion on the signal and if there was, it was from the hardware  
NB.  I could copy weak CW signals with the NR engaged that I could  
not without it.

I believe the implementation of NR is totally different in v2.  None  
of the noise fighting circuits--or the Notch for that matter--affect  
S meter readings so perhaps they are implemented later in the  
receiver chain.  Secondly, NR doesn't seem to be building a narrow  
filter around the signal at all, irrespective of what the manual  
says.  It really acts much more like the NR circuit in my little Icom  
R-75 SWL receiver.  This is a real loss.  Although Gary doesn't say  
so, I bet the design of the v2 core firmware has made some of the  
Orion features more difficult, if not impossible, to implement the  
same way as before.  I'm just hoping since he found a means to solve  
the loss of signal in the 100-140hz filter range, that this can be  
resolved too.

Gary - W7TEA