Fwd: RE: [Elecraft] AGC

Heimo J. Lyden [email protected]
Wed Sep 10 07:04:02 2003


Pleased to hear that I am not alone preferring AGC off. And as Ron points 
out the KX1 has a RF control. I remember, maybe it was 20 years back, that 
my IC735 had a big nice Squelch knob on the front panel and a small tiny 
slider for RF inside a plastic cover. This was almost useless, so I made 
some modifications and fially ended up with the squelch knob as an RF knob. 
I could never understand why the japaneese constructors put a squelch on a 
HF transceiver. But working inside one of those factory build rigs was a 
mess. Once I had assembled my K2 I set the S-meter to off. I only put it on 
occasionally when I have non-amateur visitors. Things like leds do impress 
on people who does not know anything about radios. I give reports by ear. 
Ron, keep up the good work with the manual. Before I received my K2 I read 
the manual three or four times and it certainly helped me once I finally 
got it.

73
Heimo FG5VIJ SM6LOD PY2ZOD

------- Forwarded message -------
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] AGC
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 11:07:01 -0700 (PDT)

> Dear Ron & Heimo,
>
> Please count me in on this too!
>
> AGC off forever!  Maybe we should start an old geezer club of CW 
> operators that keep the AGC off.
>
> Seriously though, Ron, my Kenwood TS-850 has serious problems with AGC 
> off operations.  If the RF gain is too high the detector overloads, and 
> if it's too low the audio amp has hiss in it.  There is a relatively 
> small window for clean signals and as the QSB moves around I have to 
> follow it with the RF gain.  It's a "pain" and the result is one of the 
> reasons I prefer the K2.
>
> My point is that just turning off the AGC is not the whole story, the rig 
> needs an adequatly quiet AF amplifier, yada yada yada.  The TS-850 
> doesn't "cut it."
>
> I can't post to the list when I'm at work, but one of you might QSP my 
> comments if you think they're worth repeating.
>
> Very 73,
>
> TR WB6TMY S/N 0838
> [email protected]
>
>> I'm an "AGC off" op too, Heimo (and been pounding brass for 51 years so
>> far - I guess I fit the "geezer" category too).
>>
>> I've been listening to KX1 S/N 2 that I am assembling as I write part
>> of the KX1 manual. The AGC in it is NOT irritating - at least for the
>> casual listening that I've done so far. Gee, for the modern crowd Wayne
>> even included an "S" meter although I'm sure it will spawn endless
>> discussion about how to calibrate it so the little dashes marching
>> across the display are meaningful.
>>
>> I'm pushing ahead full steam to get the book done so I'm not tinkering
>> with mods, but this will be a VERY simple AGC to disable I think, at
>> least in hardware. (I don't think there are any ways to do it in
>> firmware.) It's a simple audio-derived circuit with a diode detector
>> driving a bipolar d-c amplifier.
>>
>> It does have one the most important requisites for a receiver operated
>> without AGC - a true RF gain control (a variable attenuator ahead of
>> the first mixer). 'course that's a real plus in ANY receiver among us
>> "geezers" <G>.
>>
>> And, yes, I too will be one of the ones interested to see how the RX
>> sounds running "wide open".... later when I find some time.
>>
>> Ron AC7AC
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> Subject: [Elecraft] AGC
>>
>> Since the actual release of the KX1 is not imminent and maybe Wayne
>> will do  some modifications to the PIC, I wonder if it will possible to
>> disable the  AGC?
>> I know that 99 percent of you guys cannot live without it, but we are a
>> few  old geezers that always run without AGC. It is a personal
>> preference, so  maybe we are a minority. But as soon as we get the
>> manual on line with the  schematic, that might be one of the first
>> mods.
>>
>> I always run my K2 with AGC off. ...my ears have survived the russian 
>> woodpecker, while receiving radiograms as an operator on
>> Goeteborgradio/SAG  for a few years....We managed and at the end of a
>> six hour watch your brain did not feel too good. But it certainly 
>> improved my CW
>> receiving skills.
>>
>> 73
>> Heimo FG5VIJ SM6LOD PY2ZOD
>> Guadeloupe, French West Indies
>>
>>
>>
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