[TenTec] Orion/O2 Drift Problem-who is interested in a fix?

[Ron Castro]

OK...I'll pass that on the INRAD folks...

      Ron Castro
Chief Technical Officer
  Results Radio, LLC
          N6IE
 www.N6IE.com
(Formerly N6AHA)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Scace K3NA" <eric at k3na.org>
To: "Ron Castro" <ronc at sonic.net>; "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" 
<tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion/O2 Drift Problem-who is interested in a fix?


> Ron --
>
>   I would prefer to be able to lock the Orion's master oscillator (with
> a long averaging interval) to an external GPS-based 10 MHz standard -- 
> without degrading the very clean phase noise characteristics of the
> radio.  W9AC's note sounds quite interesting.  But the devil is in the
> details.
>
>   In response to those asking why this level of accuracy is useful:
>
> a) phase-locked receivers can be helpful when comparing signals between
> two antenna systems (e.g., diversity reception);
> b) when one is crowded the edge of a band, it's good to have confidence
> as to one's actual location.
> c) crystals shift slightly when initially powered up (a permanent
> change).  The change accumulates as power gets cycled on-off and the
> radio's calibration can become far off.  Between five Orions used at one
> of the local contest stations, the frequencies are scattered over
> several hundred Hz after a few years of operation.
>
> 73,
>   -- Eric K3NA
>
> on 07 Jan 30 Tue 01:21 Ron Castro said the following:
>> I exchanged e-mails this week with one of the new owners of INRAD with a 
>> suggestion about marketing an low-drift OCXO mod to fix the warm-up drift 
>> problem on the Orions and Orion II's, and he wants to know what level of 
>> interest there might be in such a product.  The stock radios drift about 
>> 20 Hz (15 MHz WWV) in the first 10 minutes, then very slowly correct 
>> themselves to the starting point over a period of about 3 hours, plus 
>> they tend to drift with shack temperature.  I often hear Orions on the 
>> air, especially on the TT Sunday net, and very often they are 20 Hz low 
>> in frequency.  The fan mod on my website mitigates the problem to some 
>> degree, but it's only a band-aid.
>>
>> In my opinion, a mod like this would simple (a direct replacement of the 
>> existing 4-pin TCXO) and would be a welcomed improvement that would make 
>> the radio function better as well as bring a higher resale value, much 
>> the way many of the other fine INRAD after-market mods do.
>>
>> If you have even a remote interest in this mod I would like to hear from 
>> you, either here or off-list!  Note that I have no connection with INRAD 
>> or Ten Tec other than being a customer.
>>
>>       Ron N6IE
>>   ron at n6ie.com
>>  www.N6IE.com
>> (Formerly N6AHA)
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>>
>>
>>
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