I think it is pretty obvious to those who have watched recent TT models
why the Eagle comes out now.
The Argonaut V QRP HF transceiver has been retired. The Jupiter was
refreshed with a different display, but is not really a mobile capable
rig, as it is boxy but adequate for a home station rig.
The Scout 50 watt radio, an ideal size for mobile, was retired previously.
Most of the competition had small radios with HF plus 6m, capable of
mobile operations. This is a big niche among the hams, to have 6m as an
option.
Now, with the Eagle, TT has a mobile capable radio, with HF plus 6m,
capable of QRP to 100 watts. The user selection of screen color assists
use in varying light condiitons. It has the clean layout of few
controls needed for a mobile, like the Argonaut V had. The extra power
gives the punch for effective mobile operation under varying conditions
of this sun spot cycle. You don't have a complicated menu system to
learn, and the radio is intuitive in its control layout.
The Orion II is a very high end radio, suited for contestors specialized
needs. When two popular models are pulled from the line up, something
in the price range of what they did is needed to balance the offerings.
The upgrades to the Orion II are complex being the DSP software radio it
is. The nature of software radios is you may never get it all to work
as some would want before the makers of the chips move on to other chips.
Thus you see leading software radio vendors change models also. It is
commendable that TT has attempted to support software upgrade, but it
takes time and resources and a company cannot devote all its time to one
model in today's market.
I think the Eagle compliments the Ten Tec present line of models and I
hope it does well.
-Stuart Rohre
K5KVH
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