Regarding the Orion II vs K3: I think Barry hit all the key nails on
the head regarding the K3 shortcomings. One thing I'd disagree with
just slightly: I don't consider the move from K3 to Orion II or vice
versa to be a lateral move. I bought a new K3 early on after having
used a K2 for CW work for some time. For some of the reasons Barry
mentioned, I moved on from the K3 to something else for a while and for
some reason elected to try a K3 again (after the P3 became available).
Once again, there were some issues with it I just couldn't get past.
After a brief fling with an FTDX-5000, I decided to try the Orion II. I
should point out that I'm not a Tentec "fan-boy" and bought the Orion II
thinking it wouldn't last long on my desk. Well, it's been over three
years now, and frankly, other than the incredibly useless spectrum
scope, I can't find fault with the Orion II. With NaP3 and LP-Pan as
the panadapter, I think the Orion II suits my style of operating better
than anything else. If I had to complain about something, it might be
the unusually large footprint on the desktop. If I had to have a rig
that would fit in an airline carry-on bag (isn't that the Elecraft
litmus test?), then I'd have a K3 or K2. Otherwise, it's the Orion II.
One comment on the Omni VII: I got my hands on one at the Charlotte
hamfest right after it was announced. What struck me was the unusually
long time it took to paint a stable image of the frequency numbers on
the screen as you tuned the thing. The result was that the low order
numbers of the frequency readout was just a blur as you tuned the knob
at anything more than a very slow rate. Just couldn't get past that one.
73, K8AC
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