[Elecraft] DSP

[Grant Youngman]

Perhaps we just need to take a breather on this thing. This general discussion (no fingers specifically pointed) is getting to be as ridiculous as the end of world.  The prototype about which we know very little is already being reengineered by people who know even less, and somehow this has morphed into a "K3 is dead, and has to be brought up to spec and maybe NR will be better and where is the K3 upgrade"  discussion. Because a better (?) DSP will solve every problem. Right. The radio is at least 6 months away, and we already have a Yahoo "users group", where the speculation and reengineering will no doubt take on a life of it's own. 

Good grief ... zip it back up, take a cold shower, and let's see -- rationally -- what the radio is and is not. And LET ELECRAFT ENGINEER IT!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

On May 21, 2011, at 4:30 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV <olinger at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Wayne was talking about an optional "roofing filter that is in the
> audio range ahead of the DAC" in the YouTube video.  So it is
> seriously down-converted before it goes digital.  It's not a Flex
> 5000.  73, Guy.
> 
> On Sat, May 21, 2011 at 4:05 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <ron at cobi.biz> wrote:
>> And I'd not be at all surprised to see such upgrades available at some
>> future time if the improvement is significant in the K3 application and
>> there is sufficient demand. But that may not be the case.
>> 
>> The K3's receiver is a superhet (i.e. converts the input signal to a fixed
>> intermediate frequency where it is amplified, filtered then demodulated). A
>> successful superhet receiver is a carefully balanced system from the antenna
>> input to the audio or data output. One component that might make a huge
>> improvement in one superhet design may have little or no benefit in another
>> superhet design. In the 90 years since Col. Armstrong developed the superhet
>> receiver platform all of the improvements have been in the various
>> components, not in the underlying design. And that continues.
>> 
>> However, a full SDR receiver may not use the superhet architecture at all.
>> An SDR receiver typically converts the RF signal at the antenna input
>> directly into digital data and from that point on it's all crunching bits
>> and bytes until, if an analog output such as audio to speaker or phones is
>> needed, the digital data is used to produce an analog audio signal. I got
>> the impression from the video with Wayne that the KX3 *may* use a full SDR
>> receiver.
>> 
>> Whether or not the KX3 uses a full SDR or retains a superhet architecture,
>> it will have quite different demands on the components than the K3,
>> including the DSP system.
>> 
>> I'm sure there will be a LOT of test data comparing the KX3 and K3 receiver
>> as well as endless anecdotal comparisons shared here on the reflector by
>> those with both units. I'm looking forward to them.
>> 
>> Ron AC7AC
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> I note that Wayne makes a point of the fact that the DSP in the KX3 is
>> 32-bit, floating point. This buzzphrase is also used by other manufacturers
>> to tout their DSPs, but I can't find any similar description of the  DSP
>> hardware in the K3. To raise again a point that was mentioned yesterday: if
>> there's a potential for getting more DSP horsepower in the K3, I'm sure that
>> many K3 owners would happily pay for a retrofit.
>> 
>> Tony KT0NY
>> 
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