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[TenTec] Re: Continuing Orion evaluation/Dragonball

To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Re: Continuing Orion evaluation/Dragonball
From: ken.d.brown@verizon.net (Ken Brown)
Date: Mon Aug 11 20:37:20 2003
>
>
>If I read the Icom literature, as posted on the Internet
>correctly,  they have included yet a fourth processor,
>and maybe even another rcvr,  just for the sweep scan
>display! 
>
Once upon a time when I had a Heathkit SB-301 and SB-401, both purchased 
already built from separate parties, I got a SB-620 (I could be wrong on 
the model number) "Scanalyzer" scope kit as a gift. I built the kit, 
using the selected parts to make it work on the SB301/401 IF. It worked 
fine when I hooked it up to the radios. I played with it a bunch and 
tried to find some really good use for it. It was really neat, but not a 
laboratory instrument. If somebody had a really wide signal, maybe I 
would have been able to see that. If a really strong signal came on the 
band, it might alert me to that. With all the atmospheric noise, it 
would not really show a vacant spot in the band if that is what I was 
looking for.

Overall it was kinda fun to play with, and it was a good experience to 
build it and make it work, but I did not find it very usefull. I suppose 
if I was a ten meter, or six meter enthusiast it might have been real 
useful as a way to see if any signals started popping up on an otherwise 
dead band.

So my questions to those of you who have spectrum displays built into 
your new rigs, are: Do you really use them? What worthwhile information 
do they give you? If the radio that has this display, had it as an 
option that you had to pay additional money for, how much would you be 
willing to pay?

It is not my intention to criticize Icom or Ten-Tec, or anybody else who 
includes this feature. I am just trying to understand what is so good 
about it.

Thanks,

Ken N6KB



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