[TenTec] [Orion] "Technical Correspondence", August 2007 issue

[Kevin Purcell]

Grant,

One comment this: Frank was "promoting" or clarifying the difference  
between a general purpose SDR system and a DSP-based radio.

The SDR system he has written free software (i.e. GPLed not mere  
freeware) Dtts which also FlexRadio happens to use. But other people  
use it on other hardware (as he mentions in his letter). So hardly  
marketing for a commercial product. You can get the builds and the  
source here.

<http://dttsp.sourceforge.net/>

I thought it was valid technical correspondence making a valid point.

I've wondered if TT has considered the open-source route for software  
development on their hardware to allow more community participation.  
After all do they make money on selling software or hardware?

And I got to agree with Rob's comments below too.

On Jul 24, 2007, at 10:31 AM, Rob Atkinson, K5UJ wrote:

> Hi Grant,
>
>> When did the Technical Correspondence column become a personal  
>> outlet for
>> marketing material??
>
> Any "marketing" was for the Orion.  The author went out of his way  
> to praise
> Ten Tec and the Orion not once, but twice.  He wrote that he wants  
> to _own_
> an Orion.  An excerpt about Ten Tec:  "They are a top-notch company  
> and the
> radio looks to be marvelous.  I wish I had one."
>
>> I don't care who's right or not (although the distinction drawn  
>> between
>> what
>> is SDR and what isn't is completely falacious),
>
> I'm not sure what you mean.   Oh, you mean drawing a distinction  
> between the
> Orion and a real SDR has no merit?
>
>> but this is truly bad form.
>> Aggregeous.  Is the next step a Ten-Tec rebuttal?
>
> Perhaps the letter could have been in another column or tagged onto  
> the end
> of a future Product Review section.   What is Ten Tec going to rebut?
> Everything in the letter was truthful unless you don't think Ten  
> Tec is a
> "top-notch company."  Maybe Ten Tec should rebut that part.
>
>> I suggest that software authors or hardware developers or others  
>> who wish
>> to
>> take a swipe at someone elses product
>
> You mean like this?-- "I hope to own [an Orion] before too long."   
> Yep,
> that's a real swipe.  I wonder what Frank Brickle, the author of  
> the letter,
> says when he likes a product.  I am outraged that he didn't say he  
> wants to
> use his Orion for a pillow when he goes to sleep at night.
>
>> be compelled to buy "advertising"
>> space to do so.  I hope we don't see any more of this kind of thing
>> permitted, from ANY vendor or developer of ANY product.
>
> Frank Brickle took issue with something in the Orion product review
> pertaining to the way in which the Orion and the Flex Radios were  
> developed.
>   He pointed out that the Ten Tec firmware is not open source,  
> which is
> true.  Is there a problem with amplifying something that is the truth?
> Over the years I've noticed that all editorial responses that are some
> variation on, "how dare you publish that" or, "shouldn't have been
> permitted" have no real basis for objection--the complainant just  
> didn't
> like what he read and didn't want to see it.   If Ten Tec wants to  
> complain,
> they could try saying that Frank Brickle is a serious threat to  
> national
> security.  That tactic has been working fairly well against the  
> truth in
> politics for the past six or seven years.
>
> 73,
>
> rob / k5uj
>
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--
Kevin Purcell
kevinpurcell at pobox.com