[Elecraft] Analog vs. Digital Front Ends

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 6:28 PM, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com>
 quoted:

> This all stems from the poor NF of their ADC and its low input voltage
> range.


This just points out that given problems in hardware have capacity breakout
points. We are at a point where pure digital stuff to handle full range
alongside a K3 just isn't available at a price even remotely workable, even
for high end consumer gear. It might be "close", but it's not at the
breakout where those devices are at commodity prices.

I remember the days back in the 70's when for commercial computing reasons
we would have spent exorbitant money to get our hands on processor speed or
storage sizes that I currently have in my iPhone, which is commodity
pricing for processor speed and storage size and everything else. Price
point A/D range to match a K3S just isn't quite here. One of these years
everything will be direct sampling, and it will be very, very good. The
features and process simplifications that will flow off that will be
awesome.

At this point the top extreme range handling boxes are hybrid, both receive
and transmit. High end reliable solid state ham HF amps are just now
hitting close to 1500 watts. Still rumblings from the contest clubs about
solid state amp unreliability. Very touchy, if one exceeds power limits
(that are legal to hams) and limited impedance ranges you can blow stuff.
So we still have tube amps for brick on key 1500 watts. Our best RX are
still hybrid, if you throw ALL the testing at RX with no held back punches,
the direct sampling stuff still has issues at certain extremes. But it is
close enough that many could use them because their personal environment
doesn't tickle those susceptibilities.

What bothers me is trying to blow off those specific weakness as if they
weren't there.

I think that a direct sampling K4 is still pretty "out there". Don't think
that stuff is improving on a steep enough curve. But direct sampling that
works as well as a K3S *will* happen some day. Apparently needs another 25
dB of sampling range? But it will happen.

73, Guy.