Tommy:
Just my personal opinion, but I think that TenTec made an error in
not paying more attention to customer wants/ desires/ likes in terms of a
color display and a better looking cabinet.
I asked Scott, at the Huntsville Hamfest, a couple of years ago
about the color display. His comment was that it was a cost driven issue.
Personally, I would have paid extra for a color display and a few more color
driven options. But, that was TenTec's decision and it is hard to fault
them.
I selected the Orion because of its receiver specifications. I have
not regretted that decision. The new Icom does not exceed the Orion specs
and the new Yaesu specs are still undetermined.
The Orion design is probably somewhere between 3-4 years old (from
initial design). No doubt that the processors could be replaced with much
higher speed units. I would not be surprised to see this in the future. I
have also heard rumors of a color display. Will these occur? Well, only
TenTec knows for sure. If these occur, I hope that I can upgrade my Orion!
In the mean time, I will enjoy my Orion and not worry about the Icom
and Yaesu rigs.
Just one man's opinion.
73s,
Bernard, WA4OEJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tommy" <aldermant@alltel.net>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] TT (Orion) Future improvements!!!
> This is my opinion only!
>
> I think it's becoming obvious that what the ham radio user community
> wants in a radio has changed to more 'glitz' that actual operational
> performance. Ten Tec probably designed the Orion with customer
> loyalty in mind, the 'IY' manufacturers designed their latest rig's
> with the customer's wallet in mind. (Acknowledging the 'IY'
> manufacterers current radios technical performance IS quite good.)
> The Orion is just about as perfect 'hardware design' as one could
> ask from amateur equipment. The ONLY snaffu in the Orion design is
> possible the added stages of amplification on the last two narrow
> roofing filter positions, done with their user community in mind.
> The selectable roofing filters, which help provide the very best
> receiver performance available kinda caught the competition grasping
> for some way to use the term 'roofing filter'. Ten Tec again, with
> the user community (cost to the user) in mind, used a non-color
> display. The concept of a near-perfect hardware design and firmware
> downloadable updates should have been a 'killer' system for the ham
> community IF the ham community was still technical-orionted.
>
> Two major problems; 1) The very old addage "One aw-s**t will kill a
> thousand 'Atta-Boys'!" remains true today. While the Orion is an
> extremely excellent hardware design, Ten Tec kinda dropped the ball
> with the Orion's firmware; 2) probably 95% of today's ham community
> think a color screen (so to speak) is much more important than
> actual radio performance under extreme operating conditions.
>
> What I saw yesterday at the Orlando hamfest kinda brings home the
> point about today's hams. During my walk around at that hamfest what
> I saw was shocking to me.
>
> First walk through approximate number of ham visitors:
>
> Yaesu booth: 25 to 30 visitors at the booth.
> Icom booth: 30 to 40 visitors at the booth.
> Elecraft booth: 10 to 15 visitior at the booth.
> FlexRadio booth: 8 to 10 visitors at the booth.
> Ten Tec booth: Only person present was the sales guy.
>
> Two hours later:
>
> Yaesu booth: 20-30 visitors
> Icom booth: 20-30 visitors
> Elcraft booth: 8-10 visitors
> FlexRadio booth: 5-10 visitors
> Ten Tec booth: Myself and the TT sales guy.
>
> My immediate impression was the non-technical ham of today probably
> ranks pretty color screens over pure absolute technical performance.
> I think even if Ten Tec had a flawless firmware package in the Orion
> today, the 'average' ham would prefer showing his friends the
> 'pretty color screen' and boast about how much it cost instead of
> proudly boasting about the technical excellence of their Orion.
>
> In my opinion, the "Guys @ TT" had the wisdom to produce the best
> hardware design offered to the ham community on their first try, and
> I personally do not see the need for "Hardware" improvements via an
> Orion Pro II, or what ever. Of course, advancement in technology
> would require such, in the future.
>
> Tom - W4BQF
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Davis" <nn6ee@yahoo.com>
> To: "Ten-Tec List" <tentec@contesting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 1:51 PM
> Subject: [TenTec] TT (Orion) Future improvements!!!
>
>
> > Gentlemen,
> >
> > In the future I hope that the Guys @ TT have the
> > wisdom to offer "Hardware" improvements (when
> > available) instead of offering a entirely new version
> > of our Rig. Look what manufacturers like Icom did to
> > us when they brought out the IC-756, then the PRO,
> > then the PRO 2, then the PRO 3!!! All similar rigs
> > but enough differences to preclude any chance of
> > up-grading any of them by their owners which I think
> > is an insult to all of us who ARE NOT independently
> > wealthy or have a psycotic need to keep up with the
> > "JONESES!!!" $3400.00 is too big a chunk of change to
> > have to part with every time TT brings out a better
> > rig?
> >
> > The "ORION" is a stellar rig, no doubt about it, BUT
> > still the hardware should be made avaialble when the
> > time comes and it WILL!!!
> >
> > Any thoughts???
> >
> > Jim/nn6ee
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________
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> > http://my.yahoo.com
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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