Just like people say "you can't judge a book by its cover", you can't judge an orchids health by its leaves and flowers. The roots are VERY important to judge how its growing. Orchids will frequently send up spikes as a last ditch effort to propagate before dieing. I don't think that your plant is at that point, but I do recommend that you look at the roots.
When you use the pencil, you can't just push it in and pull it out. You leave it in for a while to let it equilibrate with the media around it. It is a waste of time to do it right after watering because you know it's wet. Do it just before you plan to water next time.
Healthy roots in the medium are generally tan to light brown, and are firm and plump. If they are mushy, they are rotten. If they are black or dark brown they are probably mushy. If they are VERY thin and wiry they are totally rotten away and only the central fiber is left. Cut off any rotten roots.
Aerial roots that are happy look like yours do. A brown spot every now and then may be sign of past damage or insect attack. If the root is white on both sides of the damage and firm, it should be ok. If it is "floppy" at the point of damage I would cut it off because it isn't going to send water to the plant past the floppy point.
How often you water depends on several factors. Plants in low humidity dry out faster than plants in high humidity. Plants in moss dry out slowly, plants in bark dry more rapidly. Plants in rock or LECA dry out even more quickly. Plants grown bare root dry out very quickly. Plants in fibrous mixes vary considerably depending on the exact fiber and how tightly it is packed. All organic media dries more slowly as it ages and starts to decompose. There is no magic rule on how often to water. You have to figure out your conditions and base your watering on that.
Many growers like plastic pots like yours because they can see what is happening. I like clay pots and/or wooden slat baskets because they allow for more rapid drying. In my conditions I need that.
You can re-use your pot if you want, but wash and sanitize it, especially if there were signs of rot.
I almost always repot a new plant when I get it so I know when it was repotted and so it is in a medium that I know and am familiar with. It is easier to judge how dry it is when you are familiar with it. Using the same medium when you are starting is important so you can learn how it dries and how long it lasts. When you are familiar with one medium, then you can experiment.
The only time I do not repot a new plant is when I am sure about the medium just by looking at it (it looks REALLY fresh) and the plant is in bloom. The more manipulation you do on the roots the more likely it is that the buds will blast (fall off). In my opinion it is better to risk bud blast than to chance major root rot and loosing the plant.
As Forest Gump said "that's about all I have to say about that". Hope it helps and others chime in. We all do things a little differently, so it is important to listen to all opinions and choose the one that matches your conditions and care habits the best.
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