Scott Robbins, W4PA,
Amateur Radio Product Manager
Thanks for giving us your comments on the Ten-Tec Orion, from an "official"
viewpoint.
Three ham friends of mine went to the Charlotte Hamfest and thought the trim
was "Gold", in color, so maybe it was the lighting, or whatever. Their
comments to me were that it looked "Art Deco" (From the Fifties).
The main point is that they did not like the appearance of the Orion,
especially the black color, among other things. They did, however, really
like the Model 516 "QRP" Transceiver.
Ten-Tec doesn't have to make its transceivers the same color as the
competitors, in order to increase sales. You just have to make them look
like a quality Ham Transceiver, not a stereo or CB transceiver. The main
point is that it must be a great operating transceiver!
After viewing the digital pictures of the Orion, on the Internet, my first
impressions were as follows:
1. Ten-Tec ORION logo.......... Way too large and "Garish". Maybe should
be just white lettering like the 516.
2. The LCD Display looked awful.............Should be Color to even hope to
compete with the competition.
3. Looked like an MFJ product from the back view.............Should have
PEM nuts and nice screws.
4. Enclosure color looked "Too Black"............Should be more Gray and
flat or matte finish.
5. AF Gain Control(s) should be on the bottom row, maybe below the Tuning
Control knobs, or on the left.
6. Chrome ("Gold"?) Trim made unit look "Cheap"...........I would get rid
of on Logo and Knobs.
I have an Icom IC-2800H Dual Band mobile transceiver, that cost about
$500.00, that has a great Color TFT 3" Display, that has adjustable
brightness and colors, on-screen switch displays and a great band spectrum
analyzer, that Ten-Tec's Orion, at approximately $3,300.00, should be able
to beat. (MUST be Color Display!)
I strongly disagree with your statement that "the performance can be
secondary as long as it's within the same realm of other comparable rigs."
Who's going to pay $3,300.00 for a transceiver that doesn't provide MUCH
more performance than a comparable rig, just because you think it has to
look appealing? If it doesn't perform, and perform well, I don't think
anyone is going to be concerned with what it looks like. Performance should
still be Number 1! I sure hope that Ten-Tec is not becoming a "Me Too"
Company.
Thanks for your comments and insight, Scott.
72/73, Carl, WN3DUG
Ten-Tec Model 544 Triton IV
Ten-Tec Model 1220 2 Meter
Ten-Tec Model 1230 220 Meter
Elecraft K2 S/N: 1320
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