[Elecraft] K3: FSK or AFSK

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

 >    On 9/27/2010 4:30 PM, Bill Myers wrote:
 >> I'm trying to remember why I wanted a FSK-capable radio for RTTY.
 > I've done thousands of RTTY Qs in contests, sometimes scoring fairly
 > well, and I've NEVER used FSK. If you're using a radio that allows you
 > to put the AFSK tones in the center of the radio's narrow passband IF,
 > there's no good reason to bother with FSK. The K3 DOES allow that. So
 > does the FT1000MP (I know because I did it with both radios).  Some
 > radios do NOT (some Icoms, I am told, and probably others).

Unfortunately, many transceivers (not the K3) do not allow optimum
(narrow) receive filtering when operated in AFSK mode.  The wide
filters cause all kinds of AGC issues with strong adjacent signals.

 > Some folks who don't know how to get audio cleanly from their computer
 > to their radio manage to introduce hum, buzz, and distortion into the
 > transmitted signal. But that is VERY easy to do properly, so that's
 > not a good reason to do FSK either.

Some folks still do not know how to set the K3 audio and power levels
correctly (as indicated by regular questions about the matter here).
FSK avoids that issue as well as improper shift due to the incorrect
use of AFSK and NET in many software packages.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 9/28/2010 2:06 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>    On 9/27/2010 4:30 PM, Bill Myers wrote:
>> I'm trying to remember why I wanted a FSK-capable radio for RTTY.
> I've done thousands of RTTY Qs in contests, sometimes scoring fairly
> well, and I've NEVER used FSK. If you're using a radio that allows you
> to put the AFSK tones in the center of the radio's narrow passband IF,
> there's no good reason to bother with FSK. The K3 DOES allow that. So
> does the FT1000MP (I know because I did it with both radios).  Some
> radios do NOT (some Icoms, I am told, and probably others).
>
> Some folks who don't know how to get audio cleanly from their computer
> to their radio manage to introduce hum, buzz, and distortion into the
> transmitted signal. But that is VERY easy to do properly, so that's not
> a good reason to do FSK either.
>
>    If you DO have a problem with the computer interface, check out the
> tutorials on my website. http://audiosystemsgroup.com/publish.htm   See
> especially the one on computer interfacing, and the chapter on Solving
> Problems in the Shack in the RFI tutorial.
>
> 73, Jim Brown K9YC
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