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

[Barry N1EU]

I'm not often in the role of rig defender, but would like to respond to a 
few Orion comments which I feel don't reflect my experience with the radio.  
I'm a long-time Yaesu user and owned two MP's before getting my current 
FT-1000D which is on the table next to an Orion.

Earl K6SE mentioned "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."

I'm an audiophile of several decades and use a pair of Sennheiser HD580 
headphones or a Heil ProSet on the Orion.  Earl, plain and simple, there 
just ain't no audio whine coming from the newish Orion sitting on my table, 
even with no rf input and the audio at maximum.  I'm not denying your 
experience, but I certainly don't experience it.


K6SE also stated "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."

I'm not sure how you operated the Orion in your tests Earl, but this is just 
in-conceivable in what I hear from the radio.  When I first got the radio I 
thought it was deaf some of the time, or distorted/noisey some of the time.  
It took me many, many hours of operating before getting the hang (no pun 
intended) of adjusting the Orion's AGC.  When set up properly, this radio 
hears quite well indeed and the receiver is quiet and clean.

I'll be the first one to agree that the Orion is not the radio for everyone, 
but if you're willing to put up with its quirks and learn to drive it, it is 
sure a lot of fun and will do things that no other radio will.  If you're 
not, the MkV Field is a fine choice IMHO.

73,
Barry N1EU

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