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Topband: Re: Key Clicks

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Re: Key Clicks
From: mtracy at arrl.org (Tracy, Michael, KC1SX)
Date: Tue May 13 13:43:11 2003
Paul Christensen wrote:
>
> is this information available in the comprehensive Product Review?

Yes, for a number of months now there have been plots of keying sidebands (+/- 
5 kHz) included in the expanded reports.

As to discussions of what sort of waveshapes generate clicks, I have refrained 
from commenting precisely because of what I've learned in doing this testing.  
As it turns out, a rig with an "obviously" good waveshape isn't necessarily 
good spectrally.

For example, you could hardly ask for a nicer looking shape than that exhibited 
by the Kenwood TS-940 (reviewed in Feb 86 QST).  As it so happens, the lab owns 
a TS-940 that is used for some amplifier testing, and I recently performed the 
keying sidebands test on this radio.  The results were *not* significantly 
better than other rigs I've tested, including the (stock) FT-1000MP.  

So far, the only radio I've tested that was significantly better was the Harris 
commercial model that we use at W1AW...  (discounting a couple of units with a 
slight audio spur problem, which are currently at Harris being serviced).

73, Michael Tracy, KC1SX, ARRL Lab

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