I see the TT Orion II is no longer in production.

[KB3LAZ]

Seeings as the Orion II is no longer in production, does anyone care to speculate what we might see to replace it? Maybe just an upgraded model of the same? This I doubt because one would think it would be ready for release shortly after the cut off date of the previous unit. Also, one would think that there will be information about such a thing.

Thoughts? Top of the line contest model to compete with the competition. Something having dual RX, USB, IF out, etc. Maybe something more along the lines of an Eagle but upped a few notches. What about size? Desktop or Micro.

It seems the Omni VII is getting a bit long in the tooth as well. I wonder if it will be discontinued after(if) a replacement for the O-II appears.

Google gives me nothing.

[N8YX]

How about Ten-Tec comes out with an all-mode DSP-based IF system and offers modules for HF and all of the VHF/UHF bands through 1.2GHz for it?

I'll take two right off the bat.

[KB3LAZ]

How about Ten-Tec comes out with an all-mode DSP-based IF system and offers modules for HF and all of the VHF/UHF bands through 1.2GHz for it?

I'll take two right off the bat.

Sadly I don't think that is likely, lol. I am rather curious to see what replaces that Orion II though. I'm heavily weighted toward the K3 atm but I have a good chunk of time yet before I return home so nothing is final. Whatever it is, if anything, I hope it at least has 6m in it. Slowly but surely TT has been adding the band to each new rig. It would be a shame if they come out with an Orion replacement that was lacking said band.

[N8YX]

I'm going to do something different with the shack in the coming months/years. Elecraft is probably going to factor into that reconstruction in a big way.

Both of my FT-980s decided to contract a case of the stupids during the last couple weeks. The leftmost SO2R radio's VFO/Ref Board has always been flaky; the original 30.0000MHz reference oscillator crystal drifted so badly that I couldn't net it and had to sub another on-hand rock just to get the thing running. Unfortunately, the replacement crystal takes a while to settle on frequency and has itself drifted to the point that it almost stops oscillating and thus results in an impure reference signal. (Recovered audio doesn't sound so good.)

Next up with that particular radio is that an IC on is CPU Board is thermally erratic and the VFO Up/Down function only works after a warmup period of around a half hour.

Lastly is the front panel. It has seen better days.

I scored a new CPU Board and front panel off eBay and was planning to swap them into/onto that rig when the rightmost '980 decided to acquire a case of Teh Stoopids. Its CPU now thinks 80M is a "General Coverage" band (and won't transmit on the allocation). Sooo...appears I'm going to replace its CPU Board with the new one and repair the other rig's board.

Next up: The receivers I use for split/dual RX. All R71As. Three just decided to DNF; two have the (in)famous VCO Warble Issue (bad trimmer caps on the VCO Board) while the third appears deaf and its memory channel selector doesn't work. The latter is CPU-related.

These repairs and the time I'm spending on them are cutting into my business model. :angry:

Where does Elecraft factor in? I just may fix everything here and sell most of it, keeping the Ten-Tecs, a couple Drake/Cubic pieces and most of the Icom equipment for use on the "vintage" desk - then get ahold of two K3/xverter/bandscope/amp lineups for meat-and-potatoes contest work.

[WØTKX]

The technology used in the Orion II, while good, is getting a bit old.

[K7SGJ]

snip< thus results in an impure reference signal.>snip

Sounds like a job for our resident Pope.

[W3WN]

First things first...

This is the official word from Ten Tec, courtesy of their last newsletter:
On a rather sad note, about the time you read this message, we will have sold out of the last 566 Orion II transceiver. Unfortunately, due to the availability of some very critical parts plus skyrocketing prices for difficult components, the staff at TEN-TEC decided to discontinue this product. This does not mean we will not trade or sell used and demo Orion's and Orion II models. We will continue service and support this product as we have done in the past with all TEN-TEC products. Is a new Orion III on the horizon? There are plans for several new TEN-TEC products lined up for the future but at this time no concise decision has been made for another Orion transceiver.Offhand, I don't know what part(s) are no longer available, but I'd put my money on the Dragonball CPU. The chief reason for the end of the Orion & the introduction of the Orion II was that the original processor was discontinued by Motorola... and word is that the company that used to be Motorola Semiconductors is dropping older items from their catalog.

So... with this in mind, while I think the timing may have caught Ten-Tec by surprise, consider that the Orion II is 8 years old, and it's based on the Orion (1), so it's technology dates back another 6 or 7 years, going back to the original design specs put together by Scott W4PA.

It should tell you something about a basic design that goes back that far has lasted so long as a top of the line radio in the marketplace. Especially when compared to the other top-of-the-line radios offered by other manufacturers, that have come & gone in the same period of time.

It's also clear that the Omni VII won't be around much longer. The Orion II, Omni VII, Jupiter (recently discontinued), Argonaut V & 5N2 represented a certain point in time, technology wise. Technology has progressed significantly. Their time has come, and these rigs have been or are being replaced.

(I still want one though!!)

The future of Ten-Tec lies in the Eagle, Argonaut VI, and the upcoming Rebel.

Give it a little time. I'm sure that we'll have a new top-end radio to take over the Orion II's slot. And I'd give you even odds that it will give the K3 a run for it's money... which is good for all of us.

[W3WN]

I'm going to do something different with the shack in the coming months/years. Elecraft is probably going to factor into that reconstruction in a big way.
< snip >
Where does Elecraft factor in? I just may fix everything here and sell most of it, keeping the Ten-Tecs, a couple Drake/Cubic pieces and most of the Icom equipment for use on the "vintage" desk - then get ahold of two K3/xverter/bandscope/amp lineups for meat-and-potatoes contest work.Have a word with Bill W3WH.

He is less than happy with his K3.

I do like the KPA500 amp though, it worked great with his Omni VII.

[KB3LAZ]

First things first...

This is the official word from Ten Tec, courtesy of their last newsletter:Offhand, I don't know what part(s) are no longer available, but I'd put my money on the Dragonball CPU. The chief reason for the end of the Orion & the introduction of the Orion II was that the original processor was discontinued by Motorola... and word is that the company that used to be Motorola Semiconductors is dropping older items from their catalog.

So... with this in mind, while I think the timing may have caught Ten-Tec by surprise, consider that the Orion II is 8 years old, and it's based on the Orion (1), so it's technology dates back another 6 or 7 years, going back to the original design specs put together by Scott W4PA.

It should tell you something about a basic design that goes back that far has lasted so long as a top of the line radio in the marketplace. Especially when compared to the other top-of-the-line radios offered by other manufacturers, that have come & gone in the same period of time.

It's also clear that the Omni VII won't be around much longer. The Orion II, Omni VII, Jupiter (recently discontinued), Argonaut V & 5N2 represented a certain point in time, technology wise. Technology has progressed significantly. Their time has come, and these rigs have been or are being replaced.

(I still want one though!!)

The future of Ten-Tec lies in the Eagle, Argonaut VI, and the upcoming Rebel.

Give it a little time. I'm sure that we'll have a new top-end radio to take over the Orion II's slot. And I'd give you even odds that it will give the K3 a run for it's money... which is good for all of us.

And this is what I am waiting for. It doesnt matter if it is an Orion III, just something to replace it. I just hope it wont be a little knobless black box.

A 4x size Eagle with dual RX, IF out, USB, and 8 band EQ would sway my vote from the K3 if it weighs in at about 5k$ or less.

That being said , all we can do is wait and see. I have more or less a year yet.

[WØTKX]

I suspected the Dragonball... interesting.

[KB3LAZ]

I suspected the Dragonball... interesting.

The movie was god awful.

[NQ6U]

I suspected the Dragonball... interesting.

Dragonballs are hard to come by. Those critters are dangerous and don't like it when you mess around with their genitalia.

[WØTKX]

Same processor family was used in the Handspring Visor PDA.

Old Skool, indeed.

[W2NAP]

How about Ten-Tec comes out with an all-mode DSP-based IF system and offers modules for HF and all of the VHF/UHF bands through 1.2GHz for it?

I'll take two right off the bat.

Honestly. I would love to see them come out with a good DSP based rig. maybe add in the ability to control width,ect like the ft-950,2000,5000 has. have one HF+6M and another modular set for 144,220,430/440,900,1200 all mode. Also make the fucking thing look like a damn radio NO MENU everything controlled by a knob or button. (menu on the vhf-uhf would be to set offset,pl,dpl but thats it) main point for me is make it look like a damn radio and not some shitty looking tv/computer type thing like yaecomwood has done.

My thoughts have Always been I got radio because I like radio, if i wanted a damn pc (pc looking device) to play radio well. I would just load up yahoo chat with voice.

[W3WN]

This may also be of interest, courtesy of the Ten-Tec Reflector:
Regarding obsolete parts, as Jim/Stan drafted in the announcement letter, the Orion 2 has components that are obsolete which we can no longer get in production qtys. We have sufficient quantity in house to handle repairs for failures related to these components for at least 8 to 10 years. The number we have in house and the number of years we think that they will cover is based on the current failure rate of similar parts in the Orion. So we should be covered for Orion 2 repairs for quite some time.

Regarding firmware updates, well, discontinuing firmware updates for the Orion 2 is not in the plan. In fact, unlike our competitors, discontinuing firmware updates for it's predecessor, the Orion 565 is also not in the plan. As you will see soon, we have an update in the pipeline for the original Orion 565 firmware. We will soon release it to the beta testers, and as soon as they thrash it completely, and we have ironed out any issues, we will then release it to the public. Once we are through with that release, we will assess the requests for all of the other rigs, including the Orion 2. Schedule the software changes to work on next, and follow a similar release path. Let the beta testers thrash it, then again assess the next rig to work on. Including the Orion 2. I still want to address specifically the "Smeter affected by AGC or not" issue, and also work with experts on the ability of extremely fast impulse noise spikes loading up the AGC attack. Addressing Rob's concerns on the Orion 2 and our other rigs regarding this same issue.

There is no exact specific plan yet for a real high end Orion 3 type of a rig, but there is always "something" in the works for new rigs, and various other products. I cannot divulge yet what these are, but as I have always tried to tell this and other TEN-TEC reflectors/yahoogroups/etc....

TEN-TEC is working on new products, TEN-TEC is not sleeping. We are going to continue to address traditional user interface type rigs, and also going into open source where we can to let the rigs themselves take a life of their own, etc. We aren't sleeping, and yes, MANY in TEN-TEC read this reflector, and others.
Thanks, and 73,

[KG4CGC]

My concern is that TT is phasing themselves out.

[K7SGJ]

Same processor family was used in the Handspring Visor PDA.

Old Skool, indeed.

Looking at the number of those on Ebay, there should be enough of those processors to last until the next coming. Oh wait.....................that's in another thread. Sorry.

[WØTKX]

I still have mine around here somewhere.

Back when I carried a cellphone and a PDA.

[K7SGJ]

I still have mine around here somewhere.

Back when I carried a cellphone and a PDA.

I'll bet I've got a hundred old PDAs out back, mostly Handspring, prior to Palm buying them, and several Palm V series. A few were the early version with internet capability, sort of. I use to fix and resell them back in the PDA craze days. I still have my HP 4705 and a few others I still use for oddball stuff. Even have my old Dell Axim which still works. Amazing how the smart phones contain all that stuff and so much more.

[KB3LAZ]

I'll bet I've got a hundred old PDAs out back, mostly Handspring, prior to Palm buying them, and several Palm V series. A few were the early version with internet capability, sort of. I use to fix and resell them back in the PDA craze days. I still have my HP 4705 and a few others I still use for oddball stuff. Even have my old Dell Axim which still works. Amazing how the smart phones contain all that stuff and so much more.

I never had an actual PDA. At least not one that was not also a phone. My first PDA/smartphone type thing was a Motorola Q and it was awful. Now even the most simplistic of smartphones is more than I will ever need. My Galaxy mini meets and exceeds my needs. I only really use the news and weather apps. Then again, I'm not an email, MMS, etc kind of guy. I did however buy a tab pc which works great as a secondary PC at home.

[N8YX]

My concern is that TT is phasing themselves out.

I hope not, but if so I think I'll be okay with the Omni V/VI and two Paragons that are currently gracing
the lineup. Need to get hold of another Herc II, a couple more 253 tuners and a 238 then I'll be set.

Love those rigs.

[WØTKX]

Motorola has no mention of the Dragonball, even historical, on their website anymore.

Wow.

[W3WN]

My concern is that TT is phasing themselves out.Nah. Product line is simply evolving.

[KG4NEL]

I remember seeing Ten-Tec ads taking up entire pages in QST full of different products - everything from HF rigs to transverters to a 220MHz FM rig.

Would be cool to be able to outfit a station like that with TT gear again.

[W3WN]

A lot of that equipment was the Ten-Kit line. They included SW receivers, transmatches, FM rigs for 6, 2 & 220, and the transverters.

Some of those are still available -- SWR bridges, & mono band QRP transceivers come to mind. The rest? Well, some items didn't sell well & were dropped. Others ran into the same issue of parts that are now made out of Unobtanium.

I have one of the transverters sitting at home right now, it will eventually be mached up with my Argonaut V. And every now & then, there's a posting over on That Auction Site for the FM rigs; I usually drop out of the bidding when it gets too high. Much as I'd like to have one of the rigs, I'm not paying through the nose for it.

[WØTKX]

I have a few of those transverters... Including an unbuilt "NIB" 10m to 2m. Will be converted to 220 MHz, one of these days. I really like them, they work quite well for what they are.

AFAIK, they never actually made a 220 transverter, but I have the QST reprint that shows how to mod the 10m to 2m model.

[KB3LAZ]

Nah. Product line is simply evolving.

And shrinking. The next rig will be microscopic. :snicker:

[NQ6U]

And shrinking. The next rig will be microscopic. :snicker:

And will only accept an isotropic radiator as an antenna.

[K7SGJ]

A company named Scrotech is working on an implantable rig. Made for men, it covers 160-1.2 gig. The antenna pigtail connector exits through....... well, you know. It's designed for a small vertical.

[WØTKX]

And will only accept an isotropic radiator as an antenna.

Requiring an SWR of 1.5:√-1 or less. ;)

[KG4CGC]

A company named Scrotech is working on an implantable rig. Made for men, it covers 160-1.2 gig. The antenna pigtail connector exits through....... well, you know. It's designed for a small vertical.

There's always a way around that. Capacitance inductance and shunt fed. Hmmm. There's my T-shirt idea!

[KG4NEL]

Two hundred meters and down, indeed.