N6KB said:
"Tom,
I agree with you on a lot of the points you have made. I am sure you
will get a lot of responses from people calling you "backward" or saying
that if we all had your attitude we would be still be using spark.
Anyway I agree that a lot of the "enhancements" using digital techniques
are not providing real performance improvements so much as they are
creating bells and whistles"......
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Sometimes I think people have forgotten that DSP stands for "digital signal
processing."
The CPUs in the Orion utilize "digital signal processing" to perform the
following functions:
VFO Functions
IF Filter functions
1st Mixer function
SSB Modulator/Demodulator functions
AM Modulator/Demodulator functions
CW keying waveform creation
CW Demodulation
AGC Circuit functions
ALC Transmit function
Notch Filter functions - manual and automatic
Noise Blanker
Pass Band Tuning
Noise Reduction
RF Power Control
Transmit Audio Processing (Compression)
Receive Audio Equalization
Transmit Audio Equalization
Spectrum Scope
and others......
I'm not sure which of these functions you would label "bells and whistles?"
It's been clear, for some time, that some people are "frustrated" that the
Orion will not do more then 40 WPM QSK. Others, all though they have used
good self control, probably wish the Orion would do 10 Meter FM. But to
confuse "digital signal processing" with the "cause of all evils," is just
not to understand the technology that is developing as "the state of the art
in communications technology".
Not withstanding the early problems, which have largely been fixed, the
Orion is today's proof of the power of the "digital signal processing"
technology. I think the independent tests have shown that the Orion is the
best overall commercial ham bands transceiver that has been built to date -
even if it doesn't do 10 Meter FM. As digital signal processors become more
and more powerful, new mathematical algorithms will undoubtedly improve the
performance of future radios.
So communicating requirements to companies like Ten-Tec makes good sense -
maybe 10 times is enough. But it probably isn't too smart to try to tell
them how to build the radios.
Merle - W0EWM
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