[NLRS] REQUIRED - SoftRock Ensemble transformer mod

[Jim Klassen]

That explains a lot.  

I built an Ensemble RX II and it is my first direct conversion receiver.  I don't have any calibrated RF field strength equipment but I had noticed the LO and LO*4 leakage was RX S9+ as received on my regular HF station RX even at about 30 feet separation.  This was with the SoftRock in a metal case.  All I could find online at the time was that any DC design does this to some extent, but this did seem excessive to me. 

So far, I've been afraid to connect it to a real antenna for how much it radiates.

Thank you for finding this.  I will be performing this mod.

Jim
KB0UAZ



On Aug 5, 2012, at 6:27, Bill Davis <cqbilld at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> If you have built a SoftRock Ensemble, please see the following::
> 
> 73  Bill   K0AWU  EN37ed
> 
> 
> ------------
> 
> 
> Further to the topic of oscillator leakage on the Softrock, it has been 
> discovered that there is an error in the PCB layout in the Softrock 
> Ensemble series which increases the level of LO leakage, and adversely 
> impacts performance.
> 
> The following mod is recommended for all new and existing Ensemble Softrocks:
> https://sites.google.com/site/g4zfqradio/softrock_ensemble_isolation_transformers
> 
> 73, Matt VK2ACL.
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