Synchronous AM- Flex 5000 vs. Elecraft K3

[flintstone mop]

Selective Fading sticks out like a sore thumb when listening to music. Voice transmissions, it is hardly noticeable.
Listening to WBCQ, I hear extreme selective fading at times. And there can be many seconds where the maximum distortion of the audio stays. I can see it in the waveform display on the 'scope. Like sky wave and ground wave just perfectly aligned for max distortion.

Fred

Using what??

Using no SAM on the Flex or R390A.
When using the Flex SAM on any station the effects from the selective fading are greatly reduced, not entirely gone. As long as I see what looks like a wave floating through the modulation I can hear the phasing sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9NkPXOFRmw

If you look long enough you can see modulation floating. But the distortion was undetectable in the presentation.

[K4XXG]

Thanks for all the replies. It looks like there may be a Flex in my future (once I get the funding figured out ).

73,

Allen

[flintstone mop]

hey Allen
There are always reasonable deals on-line (possibly AMFONE, For-Sale,,,QTH.com or eHam classifieds) that folks upgrade from a FLEX 1000 to 5000. Or just give up and want to sell lot, stock, and barrel.

Computers are not the friendliest things, but people complicate things with THEIR way and the Flex radio will not work.
I have always found solutions at the Flex web site. I got the whole ball-o-wax working. Ham Radio Deluxe, Digital modes............no extra wires or outboard stuff...all interfaces done inside the computer...........NICE!
With all do respect to Elecraft. That was designed to be a top notch CW radio. DX-peditions love those radios for the performance.
I bought their XG-2 RF calibrator and was very impressed. Shudda bought the full blown XG-3 and had a nice sig gen in the palm of my hand, instead of this boatanchor Marconi thing.
sorry for rambling........too much coffee
Fred

[K4XXG]

Thanks, Fred.

I certainly agree with the notion that we, as operators, often either over-tinker trying to fix something that ain't broke; or under-tinker by not learning what makes a particular rig work, and deciding it must be junk.  I am confident a K3 can be setup to do an excellent job (as can my Ten Tec, for that matter) with some OTA assistance from other AM'ers, but there is a wealth of examples online of the Flex on AM, both Tx and Ex, and plenty of resources available on how to set it up. Perhaps as important is the number of ops that are well-versed in "iron"  that have added the Flex as an addition to their stations.

I would love to have the brain, time and money to be talking on and about Johnsons, Nationals, etc., but at the end of the day, the fascination with AM is much more about the quality of the operators, conversations, and audio (in that order) than how it is being accomplished. I do like nostalgia, but I mainly want to hear you better, then hopefully meme you hearing me less difficult.

73,

Allen

[W1AEX]

Allen,

Just as an item of interest, I did work a K3 on AM the other night while chatting with Steve - K1REX on 160 meters. You can take a look and listen here:

http://youtu.be/iN0ddKdKcvc

The K3 sounds fine on AM and certainly rises above many other multi-mode rigs with the AM mode. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about how it stacks up with the Flex 5000.

73,

Rob W1AEX

[flintstone mop]

The K3 sounded very nice. Kinda like a DX100 with a D-104 mic.
The test would be a balsy voice and a Marshall microphone and some processing.
The operator sounded like he was using the stock microphone.

Fred

[ke7trp]

Thats up there with the most craptastic audio I have heard.  Space shuttle quality at best. 

Probably about like me on my Icom last week when the tube rig was down

[K4XXG]

Rob,

My first thought was "I really need to add another 60 feet or so to my antenna and get on 160"!

Thanks for the link. Actually, thanks for all the videos you post on your YouTube channel. It's great to hear all the various stations you record on the Flex.

Since that isn't your only rig, I am curious what your experience is with some of the same stations on other rigs (i.e. how much "good audio" is as much (or more) your receiver rather than their transmitter? ).

Thanks and 73,

Allen