[1000mp] Omni VI+ A/B Test Results

[Pete Smith]

At 11:08 AM 6/24/03 -0400, you wrote:
>A couple of comments:
>
>If you read K6SE's test methodology closely, I don't believe he's testing 
>for MDS but the ability to actually copy a weak cw signal that's present 
>and close to the noise level in whatever rig he's testing.
>
>As far as the MP vs. K2 or whatever in contest conditions, in my 
>experience the MP's rf gain shouldn't be much above 12 o'clock or you're 
>inviting gain problems.  IMHO, throttling the MP's rf gain is the most 
>important lesson you can learn if you haven't already.


I guess my discomfort with Earl's results is that he's unable to put his 
finger on why the other receivers did so much better than the Orion's.  As 
long as this attribute remains unattributed to specific design or 
adjustment issues, we'll never know for sure whether Earl's radio was 
defective or misaligned or somehow misadjusted.  Given how many ways the 
Orion is unlike traditional transceivers, maybe there's something obscure 
or "different" that needs to be "just so" in order to realize best 
weak-signal performance.

When someone with as good a reputation as Earl reports such a devastating 
conclusion, you can bet that somewhere at Ten-Tec there's an Orion and an 
MP on the bench, with technicians playing the "can you hear me now?" 
game.  Ultimately, this will be nothing but good for us all.  Ten-Tec does 
apparently listen...


73, Pete N4ZR
The World HF Contest Station Database was updated 17 June 03.
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