Hi again,
Ok, I have sold my Orion to another user out here in Hawaii.
I didn't sell it because I was dissatisfied with the rig; just needed
the cash out for other purposes.
However, let me comment about the design and components
within the innards of the rig. I was not a QA engineer, but was in
electrical design for a long time (long enough back to have begun
designing vacuum tubes!!! Learned all about cathodes and their
mechanical/electronic design using an electrolytic tank, outgassing-
never use solder in the vacuum, how to treat all copper parts in
the hydrogen furnace to remove all traces of Oxygen, etc. etc.)
As any manufacturer must do, Ten Tec was careful to use just the
"right cost" components. But some of these selections, I believe
perhaps could have been upgraded a spot or two. However, we
would have seen a noticeably higher rig cost for those component
changes.
But, assuming we would have been willing to pay more for an Orion,
here are a couple of examples:
1. That pot on the bottom which sets the display characteristics ought
to have been a better grade; it is causing many owners trouble. I know
nothing about that pot, except it was bad in the rig I sold, and "caused"
be some embarrassment with the fellow buying the radio from me. He
returned the Orion to TT, where it had several things done, including
the replacement of the that original rig run pot.
2. The TCXO used is adequate, but very difficult to set accurately to
the proper 10 MHz frequency and drifts around for nearly an hour
before settling to where ever it eventually goes, hi. Admittedly over
no greater range than usually 50 Hz or so, but a bit of a bother
if doing something where better stability might be needed sooner.
And it will change frequency with temperature; I would have chosen
to use the oven stabilized TCXO as was an option in the Omni VI's.
(Sort of wish I had not sold my Omni VI+ as well!).
3. Wish the engineers had selected the TI processor over the Motorola
Dragonball, or whatever it is called.....
but these component use decisions are driven by many factors, not all
of which deal with performance issues. When I was in the industry, we
were told that a product HAD to sell for at least 5 or 6 times "prime"
cost! Prime cost = component costs plus assembly labor only. All
else about the business: engineering, admin, marketing, plant rent,
all other employees except assemblers, etc. etc. and finally profit
to pay for new product development and plant growth, etc. must
come from that selling price mark up from prime costs. And,
we ALWAYS had to make a profit, or the shareholders would
withdraw their capital and.........we would be out of business. And,
I was with a couple electronic firms which wound up in exactly that
place...out of that business because of unwise pricing and cost allocation
decisions.
It you could only sell your product for 2 or 3 times prime cost, you
were on your way out of that business!! And for MORE than
5 or 6 times prime if you were in a rapid growth mode (Microsoft
in the late 80's early 90's, for example).
Well, how much more would you be willing to pay Ten Tec for a
new rig that had all of Orison's features and benefits plus absolute
guaranteed operating performance, needing no on-going firmware
upgrades, all was perfect at production release? How about
three, four, five times higher price a la the "other" new rigs coming
into the amateur market.
We will see how these do in our amateur world at the needed prices
to keep those firms in this business and all their costs paid (and you can
bet they must pay the dealers handling those rigs at least 20 to 35% of
the selling price, especially those dealers that inventory a bunch
of the rigs. But how many they inventory is going to depend upon
initial enthusiasm (purchases in the first months) in our market.
There are some electronic products in the market place today where
the manufacturer must offer the stocking dealer 50%+ of the selling price
to inventory: these are products that will sit at the dealers for many
weeks before a buyer will come along for them, and there are products
like that. However, we are buying directly from Ten Tec, so there is
no dealer mark up to be covered. Another benefit from doing business
with TT. Nor is TT carrying an inventory or Orions, they are being
built essentially as ordered at this time.
What I am saying is: we have gotten a bargain for the performance
now of the Orion at the price we are paying Ten Tec for it. Yes, it
is taking time to get all the nits and bits just so, but our going in price
was very fair for what we got, what Ten Tec got and is allowing Ten
Tec to remain in business and continue to engineer new products up
and down the product line. Had we waited longer before production
release (and remember all the pressure we all were putting on TT to
get that Orion on the market??) or had the engineers sold the company
on some absolute need for "better" components or a different case
design, you can bet the price would have been significantly higher!
We have gotten an excellent return from the Orion for what we have
paid. And it really is not a great burden to download and install
the next firmware release, regardless of the surprises perhaps
found therein, hi.
Tough decisions are needed in business..........
best and 73, Jim KH7M
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