Re: W9OY comments about K3

Posted by Bob - W0GI on Feb 22, 2010; 1:03am
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/W9OY-comments-about-K3-tp4598096p4609607.html

And as we compare the P3 to a Softrock or LP-Pan, there are some other issues to consider.  Unlike man, all soundcards are not created equal.

I have a Presonus Firebox external soundcard that I use for recording. It is 96kHz/24 bit. It is not a card recommended by Larry, and for good reason. It has a spur that shows up at the center tuning. I found a mod to get the spur down a bit, and it isn't as bad now.

But worse then that, is the image rejection, which means rejecting false peaks on the pan display. The Firebox isn't too good at that either. This is not an issue with LP-Pan, as the spur is there with nothing hooked into the soundcard. It is an internal spur in the card. Since I had the Firebox already, I will live with it, but there are other soundcards that work better.

The new PowerSDR-IF version 1.19.3.4 should help the image rejection problem, and I will try it soon.

This all may not make sense to those that haven't used this stuff, but my point is that it isn't plug and play like a P3.

In my case, I will need to buy a E-MU 0202 if I want a 196kHz bandwidth scope and no spur. Another $129 dollars. What I have now is fine for my use, but it does add up, and it takes experimentation.

If you want something that "just works", with a simple hookup, I imagine the P3 will be a nice unit.

Comparing this vs that without taking into account your own time to make it work, is apples and oranges.

I like to tinker and make stuff work. Other people just want it to work without the tinkering.

Some people want a portable panadapter without the PC and assorted boxes and cables.

It's all good, and the P3 definately is a great addition to the K3.

Again, the P3 is not a joke, but has a real purpose, and I bet Elecraft will have a real problem filling all the orders for it.