[Elecraft] P3 vs SDR-IQ

[John Kramer]

Phil

So….you’re okay using “fixed tune” where your VFO window moves off-centre, and heads off
towards the edge of the screen - at this point you can’t see whats ahead of you because you’re
near the edge of the pan adapter. If you go any further, you fall off the edge, and it plonks you back 
in the centre, the waterfall refreshes, and you lose your waterfall history. That’s okay ?

Wouldn’t it be better if your VFO window remained centred in the pan adapter, even if you tuned up
the band ? so you can see equally whats going on above and below your frequency ? Yes, you can
do that in tracking mode…but then we get back to the issue of it resetting and removing the
averaging feature.
If you haven’t tried an SDR radio that can do both - “fixed" and “tracking" at the same time, perhaps
you should try, and see what you’re missing out on. If the clever guys at Elecraft can come up with
a firmware update that will allow you to do both…simultaneously, would you choose to rather have your
VFO window jump off the edge every time you get to the end, as in “fixed tune” ? Perhaps they could 
give us a menu choice of all three options - “fixed tune”, “tracking” and “fixed tracking”. Would you stifle 
the opportunity of having this menu choice ?

I better stop, I’m starting to feel like I’m repeating myself :-) Have a good weekend fella’s.

73
John







On 31 Jul 2015, at 5:36 PM, Phil Wheeler <w7ox at socal.rr.com> wrote:

I agree with Joe. My usage of the P3 and the PX3 is 100% fixed-tune mode, and I find both the P3 and PX3 to work very well for me. They do differ in amplitude scale in A-B comparisons, but this is compensated for by scale adjustments.

I've never really found a situation where Tracking mode is helpful, but maybe I'm missing something.

73, Phil W7OX

On 7/31/15 8:03 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> 
>> It’s difficult to see a station, and find where you are trying to
>> tune to, when the display loses itsaveraging.
> 
> As a long time user of the P3, I strenuously disagree with that
> assessment.
> 
> 73,
> 
>  ... Joe, W4TV
> 
> 
> On 2015-07-31 9:57 AM, John Kramer wrote:
>> Wayne
>> 
>> Apologies, I have never seen a P3 in action before, I live too far away from locations
>> that have regular hamfests. Maybe I should go and watch some youtube clips.
>> I just thought the basic architecture in the P3 would be the same as my
>> PX3.
>> But, reading your last two paragraphs, tells me the issue I have with my PX3
>> also happens on the P3 - In tracking mode averaging info is reset the moment
>> you tune. I find this loss of averaging when tuning, to be totally counter
>> intuitive when trying to home in on a signal. It’s difficult to see a station,
>> and find where you are trying to tune to, when the display loses its averaging.
>> 
>> Thanks for the good work at Elecraft, and your quick response
>> 
>> 73
>> John, ZS5J  C91J  A25J
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>