CW/DATA modes: Why you'll want a narrow roofing filter

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CW/DATA modes: Why you'll want a narrow roofing filter

wayne burdick
Administrator
Let's suppose the only crystal roofing filter you have installed is 2.8
kHz wide. You put the rig into CW (or data) mode, then dial the DSP
bandwidth down to 400 Hz. Everything will be fine -- unless an
extremely strong signal appears that's *outside* the DSP's passband but
still *inside* the crystal filter passband.

This can cause what's called "pumping," meaning activation of the AGC
or desensing. Many transceivers with I.F. DSP don't have the ability to
do anything about this, so they get "trashed" on receive. Such
transceivers typically have only a 3 kHz (or wider) roofing filter,
allowing strong signals to cause trouble.

The K3 has roofing filter bandwidths as low as 200 Hz, giving you a
means to completely eliminating problems with nearby signals. If
installed, these will be automatically selected as you narrow the DSP's
bandwidth using the shift/width/hicut/locut controls. Or you can select
them manually.

We'll add this to the FAQ.

73,
Wayne
N6KR



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Re: CW/DATA modes: Why you'll want a narrow roofing filter

Don Wilhelm-3
AGC pumping is the problem I notice most with data modes - the roofing
filter must keep out of passband signals at a sufficiently low level to
allow copy of a weak desired signal.

Also my opinion on filters used for data modes is that they would
ideally have good group delay characteristics, and to me that is more
important than steep skirts or a flat passband. (steep skirted filters
with very flat passbands usually exhibit poor group delay
characteristics).  Low group delay also means more pleasant sounding CW.

Steep skirts are not really needed with a roofing filter because the DSP
can create the desired skirt selectivity.  Again the roofing filter must
only be narrow enough to keep strong offending signals out of the 1st IF
passband (or sufficiently reduced to keep the AGC pumping problem at
bay).  Perhaps a Gaussian to 6dB filter would act as a better roofing
filter than a steep skirted filter - but I have not done any
measurements - just thinking out loud.

73,
Don W3FPR

wayne burdick wrote:

> Let's suppose the only crystal roofing filter you have installed is 2.8
> kHz wide. You put the rig into CW (or data) mode, then dial the DSP
> bandwidth down to 400 Hz. Everything will be fine -- unless an extremely
> strong signal appears that's *outside* the DSP's passband but still
> *inside* the crystal filter passband.
>
> This can cause what's called "pumping," meaning activation of the AGC or
> desensing. Many transceivers with I.F. DSP don't have the ability to do
> anything about this, so they get "trashed" on receive. Such transceivers
> typically have only a 3 kHz (or wider) roofing filter, allowing strong
> signals to cause trouble.
>
> The K3 has roofing filter bandwidths as low as 200 Hz, giving you a
> means to completely eliminating problems with nearby signals. If
> installed, these will be automatically selected as you narrow the DSP's
> bandwidth using the shift/width/hicut/locut controls. Or you can select
> them manually.
>
> We'll add this to the FAQ.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> ---
>
> http://www.elecraft.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>
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Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
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