K8AC:
> Anyone who believes that the K3 is an overall better rig than the
Orion II probably hasn't tried an Orion II.
I was an original Orion owner for 4 years and much prefer
the K3 for the following reasons:
1. The K3's sub-RX is identical to its Main and close-spaced IMD
performance is much better (~30 dB better) than Orion's sub-RX. In
crowded conditions such as major CW contests, Orion's sub-RX becomes
unusable because of the IMD birdies. -65 dB at 2 kHz (ARRL
measurement) puts it in the same league as an FT-2000 (ugh!).
2. Orion's sub-RX is not truly phase-locked in diversity mode. This
creates a fixed 2-6 Hz warble between channels depending on the
unit. I use diversity nearly all the time on the low bands and the
K3's implementation is excellent. The only other rig with true
phase-locked diversity is the Flex 5000. BTW the Yaesu FT-5000 has
similar diversity issues as Orion since it also uses non-identical receivers.
3. Firmware support on the Orion's v1 firmware became non-existent
with the introduction of Orion II's v2 firmware. Many original Orion
users found v2 was inferior to v1 (well-documented on this
list). Hopefully support has improved since John Henry (kudos!!!)
took over from Gary Barbour but meanwhile Elecraft has set a high
standard for firmware support.
4. Orion's internal spectrum display is poor compared to alternative
options. Here's a short video showing the combination I use (IF
Out > LP-PAN > Audiophile 2496 soundcard > CW Skimmer) which cost
~$375 (excluding computer):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZDXuOgUQJ0
Blind Skimmer mode for very rapid S&P as above is legal for
unassisted contest categories. Outside of contests its "599" mode is
amazing for busting large pileups. I recently used this to snag ST0R
for #332 on Topband and never even listened to the pileup! I just
clicked latest "599" decoder dot which sent my K3's TX to that QRG
and ST0R was in the log...so easy I almost felt guilty!
In summary, I believe Orion's Main RX is one of the best
there is. You'll never notice the difference between it and other
top rigs. However if you use the Sub-RX in crowded conditions, need
a high performance spectrum display or are concerned about timely
firmware support, there may be better choices.
73, Bill W4ZV
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