How good is the KX3 CW decode?

[vtnn43e]

I am thinking about getting a KX3 and am wondering how good the CW decode is considered to be? Currently I use an SDR rig with CW Skimmer and it works very well but I would like to have a portable rig for car camping and it would be also be handy to have one just in case of a zombie apocalypse or attack by Gojira .

If anyone reading this uses a NUE-PSK with another rig how does that compare with the KX3 CW decode?

Last of all how good is the KX3 CW decode in marginal conditions?

Yeah, I am aware that I really should only do CW by ear but my ears are not so good and I really like using software to decode CW. Currently I have 177 countries confirmed in LOTW with CW Skimmer and my SDR.

73

Zack

N8FNR
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[G]

It works amazingly.


On Fri 18 Jul 2014 08:14:55 AM EDT, [hidden email] wrote:

>
>
> I am thinking about getting a KX3 and am wondering how good the CW decode is considered to be? Currently I use an SDR rig with CW Skimmer and it works very well but I would like to have a portable rig for car camping and it would be also be handy to have one just in case of a zombie apocalypse or attack by Gojira .
>
> If anyone reading this uses a NUE-PSK with another rig how does that compare with the KX3 CW decode?
>
> Last of all how good is the KX3 CW decode in marginal conditions?
>
> Yeah, I am aware that I really should only do CW by ear but my ears are not so good and I really like using software to decode CW. Currently I have 177 countries confirmed in LOTW with CW Skimmer and my SDR.
>
> 73
>
> Zack
>
> N8FNR
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[wayne burdick]

Hi Zack,

Skimmer uses a very sophisticated, PC-based CW demodulation and tracking algorithm, and it works really well, taking advantage of the PC's serious MCU horsepower.

The KX3's implementation uses about 1/1000th as much code space, consistent with the available MCU resources. It can't keep up with Skimmer on really weak signals. So if you were dependent on CW decode to complete QSOs, I would suggest sticking with Skimmer or similar PC applications. You should be able to use these apps with the KX3 via its RX I/Q port (interfaced to a sound card).

73,
Wayne
N6KR


On Jul 18, 2014, at 5:14 AM, [hidden email] wrote:

>
>
> I am thinking about getting a KX3 and am wondering how good the CW decode is considered to be? Currently I use an SDR rig with CW Skimmer and it works very well but I would like to have a portable rig for car camping and it would be also be handy to have one just in case of a zombie apocalypse or attack by Gojira .
>
> If anyone reading this uses a NUE-PSK with another rig how does that compare with the KX3 CW decode?
>
> Last of all how good is the KX3 CW decode in marginal conditions?
>
> Yeah, I am aware that I really should only do CW by ear but my ears are not so good and I really like using software to decode CW. Currently I have 177 countries confirmed in LOTW with CW Skimmer and my SDR.
>
> 73
>
> Zack
>
> N8FNR

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[vk2rq]

Mauri AG1LE has been doing some very interesting work with CW decoding in FLdigi using Baysean techniques like what they use in CW Skimmer. You can read about it in his blog:
http://ag1le.blogspot.com.au/

It is still experimental, but looks very promising.

73,
Matt VK2RQ

> On 19 Jul 2014, at 3:08 am, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hi Zack,
>
> Skimmer uses a very sophisticated, PC-based CW demodulation and tracking algorithm, and it works really well, taking advantage of the PC's serious MCU horsepower.
>
> The KX3's implementation uses about 1/1000th as much code space, consistent with the available MCU resources. It can't keep up with Skimmer on really weak signals. So if you were dependent on CW decode to complete QSOs, I would suggest sticking with Skimmer or similar PC applications. You should be able to use these apps with the KX3 via its RX I/Q port (interfaced to a sound card).
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>> On Jul 18, 2014, at 5:14 AM, [hidden email] wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> I am thinking about getting a KX3 and am wondering how good the CW decode is considered to be? Currently I use an SDR rig with CW Skimmer and it works very well but I would like to have a portable rig for car camping and it would be also be handy to have one just in case of a zombie apocalypse or attack by Gojira .
>>
>> If anyone reading this uses a NUE-PSK with another rig how does that compare with the KX3 CW decode?
>>
>> Last of all how good is the KX3 CW decode in marginal conditions?
>>
>> Yeah, I am aware that I really should only do CW by ear but my ears are not so good and I really like using software to decode CW. Currently I have 177 countries confirmed in LOTW with CW Skimmer and my SDR.
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Zack
>>
>> N8FNR
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[John Gibson]

Hi Wayne,

Is this also true of a comparison between a K3 and CW Skimmer?

73,
John, no8v
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[wayne burdick]

Hi John,

The two receiver architectures are quite different, and we've had more time to optimize the K3's implementation. But any decoder implemented with a small microcontroller running at slow clock speeds will be a compromise between code space and algorithmic complexity.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

On Jul 19, 2014, at 12:02 PM, John Gibson <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi Wayne,
>
> Is this also true of a comparison between a K3 and CW Skimmer?
>
> 73,
> John, no8v

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]