Summary of comments on new K3 AGC

[wayne burdick]

We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC. I'm sure we'll  
hear from some of them, but here's a summary of comments they've sent  
to me so far:

- copy is much improved in dense pile-up conditions

- signals have more "clarity"

- QSB is more noticeable on weak signals (this is to be
   expected on signals that are not activating AGC)

- the noise blanker has become more effective in some cases
   (also expected; its effect is not being muted by AGC compression)

I'll be happy to send out additional copies of the new firmware. If  
all goes well this should become a beta release next week.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[Bill N2BC]

Hi Wayne,  I would like to try the new firmware!

THX & 73,  Bill  N2BC


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2012 11:06 AM
To: Elecraft Reflector
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] Summary of comments on new K3 AGC

We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC. I'm sure we'll hear
from some of them, but here's a summary of comments they've sent to me so
far:

- copy is much improved in dense pile-up conditions

- signals have more "clarity"

- QSB is more noticeable on weak signals (this is to be
   expected on signals that are not activating AGC)

- the noise blanker has become more effective in some cases
   (also expected; its effect is not being muted by AGC compression)

I'll be happy to send out additional copies of the new firmware. If all goes
well this should become a beta release next week.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[Mike K2MK]

Hi Wayne,

How does the AGC work with respect to the Sub RX? Do the AGC config settings affect both the main and sub in the same manner? Will the latest improvements also be noticeable on the sub RX. While listening to the CW pileups for 7O6T on the sub RX I felt that I was hearing the mush that others have described for the first time.

73,
Mike K2MK

wayne burdick wrote

We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC. I'm sure we'll  
hear from some of them, but here's a summary of comments they've sent  
to me so far:

- copy is much improved in dense pile-up conditions

- signals have more "clarity"

- QSB is more noticeable on weak signals (this is to be
   expected on signals that are not activating AGC)

- the noise blanker has become more effective in some cases
   (also expected; its effect is not being muted by AGC compression)

I'll be happy to send out additional copies of the new firmware. If  
all goes well this should become a beta release next week.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

[wayne burdick]

Mike K2MK wrote:

> How does the AGC work with respect to the Sub RX? Do the AGC config  
> settings
> affect both the main and sub in the same manner?

Yes.


> Will the latest improvements also be noticeable on the sub RX?

Yes -- the two receivers are identical, and will be improved in the  
same way.

Wayne
N6KR

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[gm3sek]

Wayne Burdick wrote:

>We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC. I'm sure we'll
>hear from some of them, but here's a summary of comments they've sent
>to me so far:
>
>- copy is much improved in dense pile-up conditions
>
>- signals have more "clarity"
>
>- QSB is more noticeable on weak signals (this is to be
>   expected on signals that are not activating AGC)
>
>- the noise blanker has become more effective in some cases
>   (also expected; its effect is not being muted by AGC compression)
>
>I'll be happy to send out additional copies of the new firmware. If
>all goes well this should become a beta release next week.
>

Does this affect the C238 modification?


--

73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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[wayne burdick]

Ian White GM3SEK wrote:

>> We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC....

> Does this affect the C238 modification?

No. The new DSP AGC changes are completely independent of the hardware  
AGC time constant.

Increasing the size of C238 was experimental (maybe even "dodgy", in  
hindsight, to use the vernacular). It may help with much stronger  
signals (S9+20 or so is where hardware AGC really kicks in). But I  
think we've now demonstrated that in-band IMD in dense S3-S5 pile-ups  
can be reduced with DSP AGC changes.

Wayne
N6KR

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