[1000mp] ORION X FT 1000MP and IC 756 PROII

[Earl W Cunningham]

PY2FR wrote:

"have you detected any shortcomings problems with the Orion ?"
==========
The headphone output mod on the Orion that Bill, W4ZV mentioned is a
"band-aid" to cover up the audio whine that all Orions have.  When they
modified my Orion to "correct" the audio whine, all they did was to add
resistance to the headphone output.  This merely made the whine weaker
(as well as the desired audio).

IMO, the Orion is an ergonomic nightmare.  I complained to Ten-Tec also
about the hassle necessary to put the radio into the correct split-mode
operation.  Their answer was that their DXer beta testers said it was
fine the way it was.  If so, then why are Bill and I (we are both DXers)
not happy with it?

When I A/B'd the radio for weak signal reception versus other radios, the
Orion placed a sorry last, even though I tried every conceiveable
programmable AGC setup.  When Ten-Tec implied that I was operating the
radio incorrectly, that was the last straw!

Customer satisfaction??  No way!!!

The FT-1000MP and the IC756Pro2 both can run circles around the Orion in
a contest environment as far as ease of operation is concerned.  Any BDR
and/or IMD3 problems these radios have can easily be taken care of by
using the radio's built-in attenuator.

73, de Earl, K6SE