[TenTec] Orion I RIT/XIT problem

Sat Jul 12 16:44:42 EDT 2008

Reg,

What I am trying to confirm is that the cable is the source of the problem.
When you do the V2 mod, you have to disconnect the suspect ribbon cable.
That may be enough flexing to correct the problem.  I have heard from
members of the list that have the problem and I have asked them to check the
ribbon cable, but don't do any other work.  If the RIT/XIT starts working
again, the cable is very suspect.  Also I am trying to find someone that has
a defective RIT/XIT and a remote POD.  You can program the POD to be the
RIT/XIT.  I have heard that it works when the front panel RIT/XIT won't
work.  You still need to turn on the RIT/XIT from the front panel, but then
you can change it with the POD.  You change function in the Menus, Other and
the last item.

Years ago as a kid, I saw the expression "Difficult - it takes a while.
Impossible - it just takes a little longer!"  I plan on conquering this
problem.

73,
John

-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Reg Unsworth
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 4:30 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion I RIT/XIT problem

All I can say is that since the repair was done on my Orion serial number 
10C10464 (as outlined in a previous post) in September 2007, I have had no 
further RIT/XIT problems.  When I took the rig in, I mentioned the various 
theories put forward in this forum at that time, including encoder failure. 
The distributor thought that, in their experience, it was unlikely to be a 
decoder problem.  They were correct - it appeared that an old fashioned 
re-solder job did the trick, although they also did the v2 mod and updated 
the firmware from the original 1.372 to 1.373b5 at the same time.  If 
(judging from earlier posts) Ten Tec are still in denial about this fault, I

suggest they contact their UK distributor who seem to have more knowledge 
and experience of it than they do (and know how to fix it).

73

Reg

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Carroll" <w2wg at comcast.net>
To: "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'" <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion I RIT/XIT problem

> Vince-
>
> During my siege with the RTI problem I found many different things I did 
> to
> the radio seemed to make the RIT work--for a little.  However I never 
> found
> an early or late firmware load made any real difference.  The "special" 
> load
> TT sent me showed that when the RIT was not working, the RIT was not
> generating proper Gray Code output--in fact most of the time the reading 
> was
> not changing.  Was it hardware?  Was it firmware?  No one has even really
> found out--least of all TenTec--but after wrestling with the problem for a
> couple of years I felt pretty sure it was a soldering or plated through 
> hole
> issue.  Recently someone made the suggestion it was a cable.
>
> Good luck--you'll need it.
>
>
> 73
> Bob W2WG
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of Vincent Bond
> Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 3:34 PM
> To: tentec at contesting.com
> Subject: [TenTec] Orion I RIT/XIT problem
>
> I have serial number 03C10885 with v2.062a and have been experiencing the
> same RIT/XIT problem ever since 2.062a was loaded. I have reset, reloaded
> etc., but the RIT function is intermittent, with the result being that, 
> for
> the most part, it just does not work.
> Last week, on a lark I reset the PBT/BW step rate to 50 Hz from 10 Hz and
> the RIT/XIT immediately worked fine for a day or two before it quit. 
> During
> that time, If I returned to 10 Hz, it stopped functioning. Reset to 50 Hz,
> it worked. That led me to suspect a firmware issue because the encoder
> worked perfectly. I still think there may be a firmware issue causing this
> problem in many cases.
> Being so busy at work, I have not had the time to play with reloading 
> older
> firware versions to see if the problem when away. Perhaps someone with 
> more
> free time might investigate that. I hope someone finds the culprit because
> it is exceedingly annoying to use a ncessary control that works only a 
> small
> percentage of the time.
>
> Vince K7NA
>
> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:11:45 -0400
> From: "John T. Fleming" <W3GQJ at embarqmail.com>
> Subject: [TenTec] Orion I RIT/XIT problem
> To: "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'" <tentec at contesting.com>
> Message-ID: <9137E7B666414EADA229149425825B18 at Core2BigToy>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> I have a theory on the Orion XIT/RIT problem.  I now think the problem is
> with the ribbon cable that is connected to J2B in drawing 81917_3.PDF in 
> the
> designator A8.   My serial number is
> 06C10363.  I wonder what other serial numbers are having the same problem.
> I bought my Orion 9-16-03.
>
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