[TenTec] TECHNICAL: Wish List for ORION-III

[PA5MW, Mark]

Dear,

We have been discussing the ORION III within our contest team and 
clubstation (2x 565+1x 566) for some time now.
We would like to express our vision, but divided it in separate main 
areas so others can chime in.



Technical proposed changes for the ORION III:

- Forget about competition and their full SDR-knob-less-boxes/flashy 
gameboy interfaces; do what Tentec does best !

- State of the art low phase noise  (both close-in and  >50Khz away)

- Focus on minimal crossover distortion at input DSP section

- Restrict group delay at analog crystal-filtered IF stage(s) to 
absolute minimum

- User selectable DSP curves sharp vs the current soft analog shapes

- At least KEEP the current analog DSP shape; I have measured proof of 
its advantage against competition

-  AGC;  keep the current off/slow/med/fast/prog options, but next to 
adjustable also offer pre-defined fixed settings for the' easy listening 
user'

- Add 'frontend saver' relay grounding option at RX input. Selectable 
from menu

- Weak signal  noise reduction; something like the NR1 of the TS590 
which does a great job on 144 and 50Mhz

- Weak signal noise reduction tailored for crowded bands like in contesting

- Weak signal noise reduction for rough (atmospheric) background noise 
like 160m

- Transverter interface connections + various IF (14 and 28) + 
programmable freq. offset  + VHF freq  on display

-  2nd RX optional  but f 100% similar

- Add 2nd RX input for RX2, selectable from menu

- IF output, separate for both receivers

- Clean TX (phase noise)

- Build in PSU, but only if superb performance + absolutely noise/birdy-free

-  State of the art  low noise and low THD AF output section

- check some of the current and past designers like  PA3HKE front 
end/mixer/IF filtering,  AOR7070

- Focus on  receiver performance by listening

- Use realtime test environments, use modulated testsignals. (forget 
about meaningless static-benchtest-specs like MDS and IP3)

- We want to hear 'deeper in the bandnoise' (like listening to a K2, 
although there's no other rig which comes that close to the K2)

- We want to make more and difficult, but new QSO's

- Make it sound even more great than it already does



Note: some of the above are surely at the limit of what might be 
possible(or beyond).



73 Mark, PA5MW
565 since 2004
566 since 2013