[TenTec] Orion Ergonomics, Key Clicks, etc.

[Bill Tippett]

W4TJE:
 >pse stop by if you have time and explain to me what
this discussion is about. idon't fully understand it.

         Jack, if you don't understand others may not either.
Here's the problem in brief (applies to all Orions):

1.  Menu>CW>Rise/Fall can be set from 3 ms to 10 ms.
2.  The default setting as shipped is 5 ms.
3.  Actual measured Rise/Fall times are *much* less than
indicated menu settings.  Two recent references are below
but many others have observed the same problem going back
several years (the list archives show 87 hits for Orion
Rise/Fall with some going back to at least 2004).

http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/TenTec/2006-09/msg00426.html
http://blog.aa6e.net/2006/07/orion-keyclick-checks.html

4.  Because the actual Rise/Fall times are much less
than indicated on menu settings, using the factory
default of 5 ms will result in bad key clicks.

         As I said before, the real solution is to correct
the firmware so the menu settings actually perform as
Rise/Fall times indicate.  As an interim fix, it should
be very simple to change the default from 5 to 8 ms so
that Orions will not click as shipped from the factory.

         Many others have observed this problem (N1EU
and YT1NT who were beta testers).  The problem has been
reported to ditsnbits for years now.  As yet nothing
has yet been done (witness 2 new Orion II users early
AM on March 8 were clicking away on 160 with their
new rigs' factory default setting of 5 ms).

         See you at the hamfest but hopefully this
briefly explains the problem.

                                         73,  Bill  W4ZV