[TenTec] What Radio?

[Bill Tippett]

K8AC:

 > Anyone who believes that the K3 is an overall better rig than the 
Orion II probably hasn't tried an Orion II.

         I was an original Orion owner for 4 years and much prefer 
the K3 for the following reasons:

1.  The K3's sub-RX is identical to its Main and close-spaced IMD 
performance is much better (~30 dB better) than Orion's sub-RX.  In 
crowded conditions such as major CW contests, Orion's sub-RX becomes 
unusable because of the IMD birdies.  -65 dB at 2 kHz (ARRL 
measurement) puts it in the same league as an FT-2000 (ugh!).

2.  Orion's sub-RX is not truly phase-locked in diversity mode.  This 
creates a  fixed 2-6 Hz warble between channels depending on the 
unit.  I use diversity nearly all the time on the low bands and the 
K3's implementation is excellent.  The only other rig with true 
phase-locked diversity is the Flex 5000.  BTW the Yaesu FT-5000 has 
similar diversity issues as Orion since it also uses non-identical receivers.

3.  Firmware support on the Orion's v1 firmware became non-existent 
with the introduction of Orion II's v2 firmware.  Many original Orion 
users found v2 was inferior to v1 (well-documented on this 
list).  Hopefully support has improved since John Henry (kudos!!!) 
took over from Gary Barbour but meanwhile Elecraft has set a high 
standard for firmware support.

4.  Orion's internal spectrum display is poor compared to alternative 
options.  Here's a short video showing the combination I use (IF 
Out > LP-PAN > Audiophile 2496 soundcard > CW Skimmer) which cost 
~$375 (excluding computer):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZDXuOgUQJ0

Blind Skimmer mode for very rapid S&P as above is legal for 
unassisted contest categories.  Outside of contests its "599" mode is 
amazing for busting large pileups.  I recently used this to snag ST0R 
for #332 on Topband and never even listened to the pileup!  I just 
clicked latest "599" decoder dot which sent my K3's TX to that QRG 
and ST0R was in the log...so easy I almost felt guilty!

         In summary, I believe Orion's Main RX is one of the best 
there is.  You'll never notice the difference between it and other 
top rigs.  However if you use the Sub-RX in crowded conditions, need 
a high performance spectrum display or are concerned about timely 
firmware support, there may be better choices.

                                         73,  Bill  W4ZV