[TenTec] Orion II vs K3

[Wayne Whitman]

Thanks to all who responded.  A lot of you provided good tips for
operating the Orion II.
I am reconsidering the Omni VII for portable work after receiving many
emails with nothing but good things to say about it.


On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:28:13 -0500, "Wayne Whitman"
<wwhitman at fastmail.fm> said:
> Well, I thought this topic would get a few readers at least.
> 
> Please note that this is not a post to start a flame war or a contest of
> sorts, or even a comparison of performance or features.  I've read all
> of that.
> I want to know how the cw sound compares and how the passband tuning
> works.  Unfortunately, I can't make it to Dayton to try one out.
> 
> I'm interested in the opinions of any who have used both of these rigs
> on cw.
> 
> First, let me say that I own an Orion II and it is an outstanding radio
> in many respects and I'm not looking to replace it.
> I guess I could be classified as a fairly loyal Ten-Tec owner with 3 TT
> radios.
> What I want to add is a small rig that would work well for portable
> operations, has great cw operation, 100w, and is not tiring to listen
> to.  For a number of reasons like power, agc, and selectivity my
> Argonaut just doesn't do it.  The Omni VII would be a contender, but it
> has no second receiver which I consider critical for split dx work.
> 
> All other features of the Orion II and the K3 aside, what I'm interested
> in is how the two rigs sound on cw receive.  Let me explain why.
> Of all the rigs I currently own, the Drake R4B is the hands down best in
> terms of cw sound.  Next are the Omni VI+ and the Argonaut V.  The Orion
> II comes in last.
> To me, it sounds harsh.  That's the simplest way to put it.  In
> addition, the passband tuning doesn't cut it compared to the Omni VI+ or
> the Drake.  It doesn't peak like the others and it doesn't tune as
> sharply.
> The worst part is the sound isn't easy to listen to.  Any of you who
> have used an Orion II and an Omni VI+ have probably noticed the
> difference, or you haven't and you can call me nuts.
> 
> So fire away if you have used both rigs.  Even if you haven't and you
> can tell me how to set up the Orion II to tune and sound better, I'd
> love to hear that too (but I still want that portable cw rig!).
> Thanks for your opinion!
> 
> 
> 73,
> Wayne
> K4ELO
> k4elo at fastmail.fm
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
73,
Wayne
K4ELO
k4elo at fastmail.fm