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THE AM BULLETIN BOARD => Technical Forum => Topic started by: KD0HUX on September 26, 2022, 04:11:37 PM



Title: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS CRL units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: KD0HUX on September 26, 2022, 04:11:37 PM
Hello AM crew I want to know which is the best for AM ham radio. I know  Orban owns Circuit Research Labs now.What would you choose and why?


Title: Re: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: WBear2GCR on September 26, 2022, 04:17:23 PM
Yes.

 ::)


Title: Re: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS CRL units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: Pete, WA2CWA on September 26, 2022, 06:21:18 PM
Why do you think you need either one?

What microphone and rig would it be mated with?


Title: Re: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS CRL units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: KD0HUX on September 27, 2022, 05:51:07 AM
Why do you think you need either one?

What microphone and rig would it be mated with?
Mic Locker Audio Technica 3060   AKG c4500b-bc       Home brew transmitter


Title: Re: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS CRL units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: N1BCG on September 30, 2022, 12:04:12 PM
Audio processing for broadcasting is designed to address issues that don't exist in amateur radio and you pay dearly for them. However, having a good peak limiter is critical and allows you to use pretty much anything you want before it.

If you want to go with CRL, their PMC-300 and PMC-450 series limiters are both excellent as is the very popular Inovonics 222. Interestingly, I've found that the "Peak Stop" limiter (clipper) in the DBX 166XL is very effective in wrangling in loudness-killing peaks. The Symetrix 565E also has a decent limiter so there are a few options available.


Title: Re: CIRCUIT RESEARCH LABS CRL units or OPTIMOD 9100B
Post by: KD6VXI on September 30, 2022, 06:41:28 PM
To be honest, if you have a good enough transmitter, you won't go wrong with the Optimod-HF.  It was designed to get speech into the iron curtain and other areas.

Good luck finding one.  And the few that show up for sale, they ain't cheap, usually.

Supposedly one of the (prior) Omnia engineers has his own software now.  Breakaway Broadcast Processor.  If you have a DC coupled soundcard it's capable of asymmetrical output as well.  I've used it, it works well.  It does introduce delay because it uses the PC and sound card(s) to process the audio.  The Omnia processors weren't as aggressive in the processing, in my opinion.  One of the less is more things.

For casual AM operation, the D104 with an xmitter that has 5 to 10 megohm input impedance is hard to beat, honestly.

--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI
AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands