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Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:56 pm
by w-u-2-o
It would appear that the release of 5.1 may have been premature. From Joe:

All,

Orion_v5.2 firmware is available for download on the GitHub repository:

https://github.com/TAPR/OpenHPSDR-Firmware/tree/master/Protocol%201/Orion%20(ANAN-200D)

This firmware version simplifies Rx5 frequency switching to improvePureSignal mode performance with respect to board-to-board timing differences that may exist between different ANAN-200D radios.

I thank Joe K2GX and John W1QS for kindly helping me test the firmware.

73, Joe K5SO

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 7:06 pm
by W1AEX
Hi,

I moved from version 5.0 to 5.2 with my ANAN-200D (REV 24) and found that Pure Signal would no longer function. Same report and symptoms as Erwin mentioned with version 5.1 (the rig behaves as if the RF feedback path is not connected to the rear panel bypass port). I reverted back to firmware version 5.0 and Pure Signal is functioning normally again.

73,

Rob W1AEX

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:22 pm
by w-u-2-o
From Joe:

All,

Apparently, neither Orion_v5.1 nor Orion_v5.2 work on everyone’s ANAN-200D universally. For now, my recommendation for those specific cases is to revert to Orion_v5.0 firmware.

Thanks very much for the tests and feedback. I will continue to examine the situation to see what might be done as a remedy this frustrating issue.

73, Joe K5SO

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:55 pm
by DO2ZA Erwin
Hallo,

I have tested 5.2: same as 5.1 Pure Signal is not working (with intern Sampler). It looks like there is no Feedback, PS is on, but no green Lamps, its all Black.
Get back to 5.0 all is ok.

Another Question: The Button VFO-Lock locks only VFO A not VFO B. Is that a problem with Firmware or is it OpenhpSDR here V 3.4.6 ???

73 from DE Erwin

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:14 pm
by w-u-2-o
The VFO lock problem is a software thing, i.e. PowerSDR. It has nothing to do with the firmware.

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:28 pm
by DO2ZA Erwin
Ok, thank you.

Erwin

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:31 pm
by VY2WW
Tried to install 5.2 today, but it is still faulty firmware - doesn't run Pure Signal. Had to re-install 5.0. Not sure what features 5.2 was supposed to add, but it would be nice if Apache Labs would follow up and fix problems like this. You shouldn't have to buy a new radio to get software that works for it, especially if it was being sold as "new" a couple of years ago.

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:07 am
by w-u-2-o
John,

You have made a classic but understandable blunder: Apache does not produce the software or firmware, only the hardware. They do you a favor by pre-loading the open source firmware. I realize it is hard to tell given the advertising copy, but that's the reality.

So you need to aim your complaints and concerns at the open source developers, not Apache.

If you look at the release notes in the repository it will describe the differences between the firmware versions.

73,

Scott

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 11:53 am
by VY2WW
You're right, Scott, I didn't know that A.L. wasn't responsible for all firmware. Strange business model, but it seems to work for them - all I need to do to get the promised features for my 2 year old 200D is upgrade to a 7000DLE, right? A new 3K radio every couple of years addresses the faulty firmware and circuit design issues - what's not to like?

It's hard to pin blame on a "volunteer work force," such as we have, and they do a pretty great job, overall.

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:19 pm
by W1AEX
My 200D is probably a lot like yours as Pure Signal would not work with 5.1 or 5.2, so I rolled back to version 5.0 which works perfectly. The two newer versions offer no additional features as Joe was exploring some different approaches in the firmware to see if the end result would be more compatible with all the 200D units out there in the field. Unfortunately, adjusting one area of the firmware can throw the timing off in other areas, so the end result didn't seem to offer greater compatibility. Your 200D with version 5.0 can do everything a new 7000 can do so I would suggest that you hang onto it!

73,

Rob W1AEX

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:25 pm
by w-u-2-o
VY2WW wrote:You're right, Scott, I didn't know that A.L. wasn't responsible for all firmware. Strange business model, but it seems to work for them - all I need to do to get the promised features for my 2 year old 200D is upgrade to a 7000DLE, right? A new 3K radio every couple of years addresses the faulty firmware and circuit design issues - what's not to like?

It is a bit odd, and I wasn't around from "Day 1", but it all evolved in a logical way. Leaving aside the precursor designs to the Hermes:

- First there were bleeding edge hobbyists assembling their own bare Hermes PCBs.
- Then Apache got involved as a supplier of fully built Hermes CCAs. All the hobbyists loved this, of course, and there was still a lot of clarity.
- After that Apache started to build entire hardware platforms (they are not "radios" without the PC and software), the -10 and -100. Still, it was very early in the game and most buyers were still well aware of the actual situation, so clarity remained high.
- Then came a multiplicity of new models and actual distributors (e.g. HRO and Gigaparts). This provides the flavor of dealing with a conventional radio company, but the reality remains quite different. Clarity suffered.

Nevertheless, warts and all, this combination of software and hardware does a great many things that other radios cannot do. To me that makes it worth the extra effort. I primarily want it for it's "audio rack in a box" and linearization features on TX, and its incredible assortment of signal processing features on receive. Not to mention the pure performance of a direct sampling radio, but of course you can get that from more than one vendor now.

73!

Scott

Re: Orion 5.2 firmware released (current protocol/Protocol 1)

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:46 pm
by VY2WW
Thanks for the replies and also the backstory. Oh, I plan to hang on to the 200D for awhile, it's still the best platform I've used here. I am a bit concerned that, since migrating to the new i7 box here, and loading 5.2 firmware and then going back to 5.0, I'm beginning to experience some issues - to wit, the radio "freezes." It's happened two or three times now and not sure why - maybe the new computer? (but it's only using CPU resources 19 % vs. 40-50% before, so that seems odd) , or else something "happened" when I loaded 5.2 and then erased and re-loaded 5.0. (Left behind some files that are causing issues?) I can fix it by cycling power on the radio and PowerSDR, but it tends to happen at random, inopportune times.
Never had that happen until these two events, but that's not necessarily a correlation. I wonder if there's some kind of fault log maintained by the SW/FW that could be checked to see the "error," I wonder.
Anyway, it's worked extremely well for the most part for a long time, so hope this can be a bump in the road rather than some long term development.