On 5/12/2011 11:50 AM, Floyd Sense wrote:
> I'm new to the Orion II, having owned it for just a month now. Over the
> years, I've owned most of the better transceivers and have been using a
> panadaptor of one sort or another since the Icom 781. I currently run
> the Orion II with N4PY software and PowerSDR/IF for the panadaptor
> function. For a long time, I read Orion owners complain about needing a
> "high-speed panadaptor" and recall various promises from Ten Tec that
> there would be one some day. After using the Orion II along with
> PowerSDR for the past month, I think the requirement for a real-time or
> high speed display is missing the point entirely. The name of the game
> in panadaptors is RESOLUTION and the ability to twiddle sweep speed and
> AVERAGING parameters in such a way that best allows you to visually
> identify the weak signals you're looking for.
>
> The marketplace if full of ill-conceived "spectrum scopes" that aren't
> in the same league with what's provided by PowerSDR. Take for example
> the SM-5000 scope for the FTDX-5000. This is a dreadful implementation
> that guys are buying right and left, and then complaining that they
> don't really see any value to a spectrum scope.
>
> In regard to the Orion II, speeding up the sweep and making it "real
> time" is senseless unless vast improvements are made in resolution and
> the ability to fine-tune averaging. The current concept of a display
> consisting of vertical bars makes no sense at all with today's
> technology. Set your Orion sweep range to 4.5 or 9 KHz and think about
> just how useful the display is. All you can tell is: yes - there are
> signals of some type there (or maybe it was a static crash). For those
> who have never used a scope like the one provided by PowerSDR, download
> PowerSDR (free) and their demos and play around with the scope
> parameters. You'll easily be able to identify discrete signals that are
> barely audible and you'll be able to see that some CW signals are wider
> than they should be, etc. No comparison in value to the user. The only
> scope implementation that gets everything right today is the Elecraft
> P3, but the K3 is not in the same league with the Orion II when it comes
> to usability.
>
> I've also seen folks complain about the fact that the Orion II scope
> freezes when the tuning knob is turned. Sounds silly? Has anyone seen
> what some of the other implementations like PowerSDR do? Depending on
> how you have the averaging parameters set, what you see as you tune is
> nothing of value at all. Signals that were clearly visible are now gone
> or are just a low broad hump moving across the screen. At least on the
> Orion you can see what was really there a few seconds ago. What's
> really needed is a "fixed" mode as implemented in the P3 recently. In
> that case, the trace remains in place with all signals visible while an
> indicator follows the tuning knob. I understand that in some previous
> release of the firmware, the Orion had that feature but it's since been
> removed.
>
> A separate scope accessory like the P3 for the Orion follow-on should be
> considered. I place far more value on the scope than I do on having a
> second receiver that's the equal of the first. For those who haven't
> implemented the PC approach to a scope using something like PowerSDR/IF,
> I can tell you that it's an extremely high-maintenance approach that
> won't withstand the test of time. While the resulting display is
> exceptional, getting to that point and keeping everything running
> properly is a nightmare. The number of software and hardware components
> is high and the dependence on certain operating system versions adds to
> the difficulty. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the components
> all come from different authors/manufacturers and it would be
> impractical for any one of them to test the combination that you might
> have.
>
> Serious spectrum scope users will pay the price for a good
> implementation, so why not make a good scope in a separate box as an
> option?
>
> 73, Floyd - K8AC
> Former owner of K3/P3, FTDX-5000 and now a happy Orion II owner
>
>
>
>
>
> On 5/12/2011 10:37 AM, Rsoifer@aol.com wrote:
>> I've had my O2 (fully loaded except for the antenna tuner) for 5+ years.
>> With that experience in mind, I would like to see its successor have a sub
>> receiver identical to the main rx, data outputs to support
>> externally-running software (e.g., Skimmer, etc.), and a selectable
>> waterfall display. I
>> can do without 6-meter coverage if it would detract from performance on the
>> other bands -- I've already got a 1208 transverter. I want the radio to be
>> fully stand-alone like the current O2, i.e., connecting to a PC should be
>> optional, not required. As for a fast spectrum display, it would be nice
>> to have, but I wouldn't pay much to get it. A PC does a better job of that,
>> anyway. I'm not interested in open-source firmware; if I were, I'd have
>> bought a Flex. IMHO, that's a different market segment. As for Elecraft,
>> the K3 (K4?) is more of a direct competitor, but I wouldn't try to have the
>> O3 match its small size. I'd leave that to the Eagle 2, or Omni 8. The O3
>> should be the best-performing HF/MF base station radio on the market, full
>> stop.
>>
>> My $0.02 worth, anyway.
>>
>> 73 Ray W2RS
>>
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I am in full agreement with your thoughts on Pan adapters. John kb2huk
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