K-4 features

[Art Suberbielle-2]

Wondering if the K-4 will remember settings of RF/AF gain per band?

Also, what amount of reduction in db will the Attenuation provide?

Thanks.

Art KZ5D
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[wayne burdick]

> Art Suberbielle <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Wondering if the K-4 will remember settings of RF/AF gain per band?

Hi Art,

RF gain and squelch are per-band, per-receiver, as are the preamp and attenuator controls.

There's an AF gain control for each receiver that applies to all bands.


> Also, what amount of reduction in db will the Attenuation provide?

Attenuation ranges from 0 to 21 dB in 3 dB steps. There are also three preamp settings per band (off, 1, 2).

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[stengrevics]

Hi Wayne,

Do you have any information about:

1.  Sensitivity or noise floor of the K4 relative to the K3S?

2.  Noise blanking and noise reduction effectiveness relative to the K3S?  In the regard, will noise reduction be disabled on digital modes as does the K3S?

73,

John
WA1EAZ

> On Nov 10, 2019, at 3:33 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
>> Art Suberbielle <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Wondering if the K-4 will remember settings of RF/AF gain per band?
>
> Hi Art,
>
> RF gain and squelch are per-band, per-receiver, as are the preamp and attenuator controls.
>
> There's an AF gain control for each receiver that applies to all bands.
>
>
>> Also, what amount of reduction in db will the Attenuation provide?
>
> Attenuation ranges from 0 to 21 dB in 3 dB steps. There are also three preamp settings per band (off, 1, 2).
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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[wayne burdick]

> John Stengrevics <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hi Wayne,
>
> Do you have any information about:
>
> 1.  Sensitivity or noise floor of the K4 relative to the K3S?

Similar, but with finer-grain control. The K4 has 3 preamp settings and 8 attenuator levels per-band/per-receiver. As with the K3S, an LNA (low noise preamp) is available for each receiver on the highest bands. Built-in transverters will have their own LNAs optimized for specific bands.


> 2.  Noise blanking and noise reduction effectiveness relative to the K3S?  

The K4, being an SDR, provides access to a different class of wide-band NR and NB algorithms. In HDR mode (i.e. with the KHDR4 module installed and enabled), per-receiver hardware I.F. blankers can be switched in, similar to those in the K3.

There's also narrowband, DSP-based NR and NB, similar to that available on the K3. You'll be able to combine the various modes to best effect. Since the user interface is more versatile (graphic LCD), we can provide both simple and customized NR and NB setup.

The noise blanker for the panadapter is linked to noise blanker setup on the radio, so only one operation is needed to turn on both. (This is in contrast to the K3 and P3, where independent setup is required.)


> Will noise reduction be disabled on digital modes as does the K3S?

Yes.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[K9MA]

On 11/10/2019 19:06, Wayne Burdick wrote:
> The K4, being an SDR, provides access to a different class of wide-band NR and NB algorithms.

Some hardware noise blankers are very effective at reducing line noise
and other impulse-type noise, provided there are no strong signals
within the 15 kHz + NB bandwidth. (My old FT-1000D, for example.) With
appropriate firmware, could the K4 NB achieve that kind of performance?
Could the strong signal limitation be overcome by having the SDR detect
noise in a slightly different frequency range, like just outside a ham
band during a contest?


73,

Scott K9MA

--
Scott  K9MA

[hidden email]

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[wayne burdick]

Hi Scott,

We could trigger the main RX noise blanker from the sub RX, though we haven't tried this yet. I believe this would achieve what you're describing. For example, the sub RX could be tuned to 13.975 while the main is tuned to the 20 meter CW band.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


> On Nov 10, 2019, at 7:12 PM, K9MA <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> On 11/10/2019 19:06, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>> The K4, being an SDR, provides access to a different class of wide-band NR and NB algorithms.
>
> Some hardware noise blankers are very effective at reducing line noise and other impulse-type noise, provided there are no strong signals within the 15 kHz + NB bandwidth. (My old FT-1000D, for example.) With appropriate firmware, could the K4 NB achieve that kind of performance? Could the strong signal limitation be overcome by having the SDR detect noise in a slightly different frequency range, like just outside a ham band during a contest?


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[K9MA]

Hi Wayne,

That's the sort of thing I was thinking of. I think Collins did
something like that back in the 50's. Even if it meant dedicating the
sub RX to noise detection, it would be worthwhile in high noise
environments. I've thought of trying to modify the K3 to do something
like this, but I've never found the K3 NB to be all that effective, even
when the band was empty.

The above would work in the HDR mode, of course.

I was also wondering if there might be a way to do this with the SDR,
without tying up the sub RX.

73,
Scott K9MA

On 11/11/2019 10:17, Wayne Burdick wrote:

> Hi Scott,
>
> We could trigger the main RX noise blanker from the sub RX, though we haven't tried this yet. I believe this would achieve what you're describing. For example, the sub RX could be tuned to 13.975 while the main is tuned to the 20 meter CW band.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>> On Nov 10, 2019, at 7:12 PM, K9MA <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> On 11/10/2019 19:06, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>>> The K4, being an SDR, provides access to a different class of wide-band NR and NB algorithms.
>> Some hardware noise blankers are very effective at reducing line noise and other impulse-type noise, provided there are no strong signals within the 15 kHz + NB bandwidth. (My old FT-1000D, for example.) With appropriate firmware, could the K4 NB achieve that kind of performance? Could the strong signal limitation be overcome by having the SDR detect noise in a slightly different frequency range, like just outside a ham band during a contest?
>

--
Scott  K9MA

[hidden email]

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