flintstone mop
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« on: February 19, 2011, 03:51:22 PM » |
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Friday night WBCQ was sounding horrible on my R390A. The fades would just hang at that moment of maximum distortion.........the selective fading........ and slowly come back to an acceptable sound. But still sounding wrong...
So I started the FLEX and threw on SAM (Sync detector mode) and it was almost perfect sound. Watching the display I could see what was going on. The long distortion time was actual disappearance of the carrier. The ongoing mush to the audio and lack of high frequencies revealed a rolling characteristic of the upper and lower sidebands. When they were of equal amplitude the recovered audio was normal.
To the R390A it was a disaster of a night to listen to the radio.
There must have been severe instabilities in the Aether.
Of course, when Bro Scare is on, WBCQ is stronger than our local BC AM signals
Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2011, 07:50:25 PM » |
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The Sherwood labs FE-3 sync detector is a natural for the R-390 type. No computer required.
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic
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« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2011, 08:20:45 PM » |
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And one can buy 4 computers for the price of the sherwood....  |
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AMI#1684
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W2PFY
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« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2011, 08:29:03 PM » |
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The secrecy of my job prevents me from knowing what I am doing.
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2011, 05:44:46 AM » |
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And one can buy 4 computers for the price of the sherwood.... AGREED But I have heard that the recovered audio and sync detection is very good. Computers are starting to suck...........or have always been a PIA. It's an endless race that WE do not win in. The Power SDR 2.0.1??? (latest) and the FA 66 sound card makes, what I thought was a powerful computer, come to its knees and the program crashes, if I change too many settings while transmitting. Thankfully there's ePay and a used $250 computer that was set up for gaming. The NEW game is CORES in the processor and 3GHZ (whatever that is) and 5GB Ram. I will put the Gateway up for sale.......it was adequate for typical Power SDR use and the Delta-44 sound card. Dam that thing is heavy!!! I'll get through this Fred |
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Fred KC4MOP
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w3jn
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« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2011, 06:15:40 AM » |
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And one can buy 4 computers for the price of the sherwood.... One doesn't have to boot up a Sherwood, there's no latency, it doesn't need software updates, and it doesn't cause RFI  I paid a LOT less for my used SE-3 than I paid for the computer on which I'm typing this - about 1/3 (and this computer was used). Not saying that one is better than the other.... to each his or her own. |
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FCC: "The record is devoid of a demonstrated nexus between Morse code proficiency and on-the-air conduct."
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WA1GFZ
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« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2011, 11:25:10 AM » |
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This SDR stuff is just a fad...
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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2011, 11:47:03 AM » |
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You don't need a powerful/expensive computer or sound card to hand a converter off a receiver's IF and using software to get synchronous detection. Play your cards right and you could probably do it for well less than $100.
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2011, 12:57:46 PM » |
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You're correct Steve. And that is just a nice easy Softrock Lite board and your soundcard.
Running the newer GUI Power SDR 2. whatever and the FA66 is the complicated way for receive only.
But with the whistles and bells and to actually see why it can be a challenge in the airwaves is pretty neat.
And John, you're either lucky or very patient when you are searching.
Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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Pete, WA2CWA
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CQ CQ CONTEST
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« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2011, 01:12:20 PM » |
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PowerSDR 2.0.19 seems to run great here even on a computer (running Vista) that's "wow", four years old. If you're having problem running 2.0.xx, with the SDR1000, you may need to roll back to an earlier version of PowerSDR like 1.14 or 1.18.
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Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
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« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2011, 10:48:58 AM » |
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And one can buy 4 computers for the price of the sherwood.... But this one does not care to have a computer in the shack. I have my SDR and computers in the house.  If I were worried about money comparisons I wouldn't be keeping all this old gear, I would sell it. |
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2011, 11:46:20 AM » |
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Play your cards right and you could probably do it for well less than $100. Dell GX110 $40 SoftRock Lite $12 Monitor dumpster catch Skirting out a slopbucket PRICELESS!!! |
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« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2011, 06:37:56 AM » |
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Again, not a monetary issue, in my case at least. I just don't care to have a computer in the shack at all. I actually appreciate slicing out slopbuckets the old fashioned way . SDRs in the hamshack smack a lot of looking for quiz answers at the back of the book . The Drake R8A and the NRC 545 are about as modern as I care to get in the shack.The JRC NRD545 was quite effective at skirting slopbuckets . By using the PBT in conjunction with the continuously variable bandwidth control slopbuckets and carriers were sliced out in virtually the same way. The NRD545 bandwidth is continuously adjustable in .1 KC increments from .1 to 9.9 KC. However, the 545 is gone and the remaining R8A is not often used and may make way for another beautiful old boatanchor. I have found myself in awe of the crystal phasing filter in a 56 year old GPR90 or the National HRO-5 even at 60 plus years old. I really am into AM mainly out of a real appreciation and affection for the old gear. Often find the challenge of copying a weak signal in tough band conditions with 60 year old gear is quite rewarding. I also like the fact that the stuff is still working 50 , 60 , 70 years after leaving the builder's shops. It is fun to study the bandwidth of various stations and modes when I leave the shack and go into the house. The PMSDR is a pretty darn good little SDR kit at a decent price as well. The next SDR here will likely be an RF Space NetSDR . Just like the PMSDR and the Softrock , it will be confined to the house and not used out in the backyard hamshack. Much like the difference between radio and TV; The fun of building a mental image of the band conditions by listening rather than looking at a picture is priceless. Different stroke for different folks. It is a matter of just how one weights their preferences. |
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic
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« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2011, 06:47:14 AM » |
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I looked for a softrock. They don't seem to be available. I would love to have one.  |
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AMI#1684
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« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2011, 06:59:32 AM » |
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n1eu
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« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2011, 07:22:12 AM » |
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I looked for a softrock. They don't seem to be available. You have to be a member of a secret club to buy a SoftRock. Otherwise, they're always not available. |
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KF1Z
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Are FETs supposed to glow like that?
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« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2011, 07:49:38 AM » |
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I looked for a softrock. They don't seem to be available. You have to be a member of a secret club to buy a SoftRock. Otherwise, they're always not available. Or, you could just build your own... The schematics are readily available.... Not like you HAVE to use SMD either. It works dine with subbed through-hole parts. |
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K5UJ
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« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2011, 07:50:37 AM » |
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I looked for a softrock. They don't seem to be available. You have to be a member of a secret club to buy a SoftRock. Otherwise, they're always not available. That's what it kind of seems like from my past experience. If this is the thing this guy in Indiana is selling, the website (at least the last time I looked at it) is hard to find and even harder to figure out. Every time I looked at it there was some notice that they were out of stock and check back later or something like that. It seemed like he makes 20 of them every six months and they sell out in 30 seconds. All this stuff is pretty much a moot point with me though, because all these boxes require that the user run a windows PC and I'm not about to go out and blow money on a windows machine just to run ham gear, and that's if I liked windows. |
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"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
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KF1Z
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Are FETs supposed to glow like that?
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« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2011, 08:16:39 AM » |
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June 2010, W1VD posted here... W6DVC said he was handling the Softrock for IF use sales .... However, not sure whether he went far with it... http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=24547.0 |
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« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2011, 08:36:50 AM » |
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There is a Japanese company that often offers a softrock-like kit on eBay.
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