At 06:02 PM 8/28/02 -0400, you wrote:
>Scott,
>
>Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
>
> > Because as time progresses, your current top of the line SDR as described
> > would someday be woefully inadequate for receiver performance, just as
> > the top of the line gear from 15 years ago is today. Count on it.
>
>Don't you think we're getting to the point where improved performance can
>only be measured in the laboratory, not in day to day operation?
Not at all - and in fact, it's just going to continue to evolve with DSP as
time passes. We're now bumping up against hardware not keeping up
with the processing capabilties.
Here's a spec, that taken out of context is meaningless. (Doug Smith
provided this to me): The dynamic range available for 64 bit DSP
representation (a la the dual 32 bit SHARC DSP's in the Orion)
is somewhere in the 400 dB range. 400 dB. Will you see this with
the Orion? No. It's a meaningless number without the ability to take
advantage of it, and that ability simply doesn't exist yet. Will we see
even more gains in receiver performance in the future as DSP and the
hardware used with it continues to evolve? Certainly. Will you hear
the difference on the air? No question.
When will this happen? Impossible to say. Not in the near future.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall at Analog Devices, though.
Summary: HF receiver performance will evolve. We will continue
to innovate. Our Japanese competitors will continue to push hard
with their new gear. We would like to stay a step ahead of them.
Scott Robbins, W4PA
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