HFguy wrote:
D Peter Maus wrote:

bpnjensen wrote:

Likewise here...and without a decent complement of knobs and switches
to control functionality - that remove the need to resort to nested
tech menus - the AOR is a nonstarter for me.

Bruce Jensen


I thought that way, too. Until I bought an HF-150. Using the
software driven interface took a bit of getting used to, but I noticed
fairly quickly, that there were none of the artifacts of switching
with dedicated controls that I'd begun to notice, even on rigs as
simple as my SW-2. And a year down the road, I wasn't having any of
the artifacts of dirty switches I see so much of with electronics in
this neck of the woods.

So, when I went to the AR-7030+, I already had a reasonably good
sense that control of parameters need not be a knobs-and-switches kind
of affair. And the operating within the menu trees, while presenting a
certain learning curve, became second nature fairly quickly, while
capturing some pretty difficult signals that even R-71 had trouble
sucking in. And the interface isn't as complicated as many have
suggested it may be. The controlling menues are logically laid out, so
most used functions are at the top. If you need to dig deeper, each
layer of controls groups similar functions together, so as you work
harder to capture that ephemeral signal, you can bring up
complimentary functions with a single button press, as you need them,
without having to renavigate the tree.

Once you use it for any length of time, you'll not notice the lack
of knobs and switches.

Now, I will say that AR-7030+ is a bit small for someone as ham
handed as I can be, but the operating system produces as fine a DXing
experience as anything I've used to date. In a small package on the
desktop, with plenty of room to grow on the inside. And as easy to
operate as the Ten-Tec sitting next to it.

The whole knobs-and-switches thing...I don't even notice anymore.

If you can't operate the radio without having to constantly look at the
display to see what the menu indicates, I wouldn't be interested,
regardless of the performance.


Again, it doesn't work that way. You don't have to navigate the trees
esch time you need a function. Functions are grouped in such a way, that
one button is all you need to hit to activate a function.

For instance, if you're changing mode, that's one function. One
button And you can do that from anywhere within any menu tree. Same
button. One press. You're there. You don't need to be looking at the
screen. Only at the face to find the button over the tuning knob. Change
filters, one button, change the filter. Dial in an IF offset, one
button, turn the knob. No need to navigate, it's all at your fingertips.

It's effortless. Once you get the hang of it, operating AR-7030 is as
intuitive as R8B.


One of the reasons I like the R8B is you
can operate most of the functions with the touch of a button, even in
the dark, without having to keep looking at the display to see what's
going on.


As you can with the AOR. Just like R8B, you simply have to get used
to where the buttons are on the panel. The most complex function is
setting the clocks.

Much as been made of the nested menu trees. Mostly by people who've
never worked the radio.