[TenTec] New Orion Owner

[k8jdc at sbcglobal.net]

Well, I took the plunge today and ordered a "pre-loved" 565AT from our friends in Tennessee.   It should be here sometime next week.  I had hoped to drive down to the TT hamfest for the first time, but I wasn't able to skip out of work.  I've never owned a TT radio before and have been reading about them for quite some time, especially the Orion and Orion II.  I'm certainly looking forward to getting it here and playing with odd-named things like "hang" that I've never messed with before.

I've got a copy of the manual, so I'm going to try and read through it (again) before the radio gets here.  I don't have a mic that will work with the Orion, so I also ordered a 701 hand mic just to get me going.  

I'm certainly happy that TT is an American company and that they've really designed a great-performing radio with a modern DSP/SDR architecture.  I'm happy to support them and hope they're around for a long time.  And I'm not just saying that because I want them to keep improving the software, either, although that thought had crossed my mind.  :)  I've read through the reflector and through the reviews, so I'm prepared for some software glitches and other warts and plan on just taking them in stride while waiting and hoping that TT can continue to improve the software.

Just thought I would share a little of the excitement...

73

Dave / K8JDC