[R-390] Suggestions for SSB adapter for R-392?

[2002tii]

Bill wrote:

>I've heard nothing but good about the Sherwood units but have never 
>had the experience of one.

I'm not a fan.  Here's what I posted a couple of years ago:

>I have an SE-3 and frankly, in my view, it's not worth the time it
>would take to toss it into the trash.  Anyone who has used a properly
>designed synchronous detector would just laugh at it.  IMO, the
>esteem in which it seems to be held in some quarters shows how few
>hams and SWLs have used a properly designed synchronous detector.
>
>The SE-3 oscillator is not temperature compensated, and it drifts
>beyond the ability of the frequency trim capacitor to center it as
>the temperature changes.  I had to drill a hole in the top cover
>above the tuning coil and leave a tuning tool poking out the top to
>tweak it.  The capture and lock-in ranges and behaviors were also not
>well chosen, necessitating that the user manually "guide" the PLL
>into lock.  All in all, a very poor effort, IMO.  PLL design is just
>not that difficult.

Then, in response to someone who said he hadn't heard other complaints:

>All the ones I've seen perform similarly.  Some folks may have
>tighter temperature control in their shacks than I do, so the lack of
>temperature compensation may not be a practical problem for some
>users.  However, the need for manual guidance (intolerable in a PLL
>demodulator, IMO) is no secret -- it is described on the
>manufacturer's web site.
>
>I've designed and built more than a few different PLL detectors over
>the last 30 years, and the worst of the bunch performed a lot
>better.  There are also commercial designs that perform well.  I
>think the folks who sing the SE-3s praises do so simply because they
>haven't used a PLL detector that works as one could (and
>should).  Horse-drawn buggies must seem really fast to someone who
>hasn't ever seen a car.  If an SE-3 fills someone's needs, fine --
>but it is far from the best that can be done, and the price is
>outlandish (IMO) in light of this shortfall.


Best regards,

Don