Omni-6

[H. L. Serra]

On Mon, 4 Mar 1996 K8DO@aol.com wrote:

> BTW adding a DSP audio processor only adds distortion and does not improve
> anything else...

I have used my OMNI VI with the W9GR DSP for 2-3 years. Usually I just use
the random noise reduction mode on CW to take out a lot of the background
junk and crashes that really cause fatigue over long listening periods,
and I find it helps a lot. Also, I had W9GR reprogram his chip (about $75)
for some special settings (e.g., 500 Hz and 200 Hz BWs @ 700Hz CF, 200 Hz
BW @ 600 Hz CF and 400 Hz CF) which I find useful in a crunch since my
OMNI VI 500 Hz filter rings/howls, and the all their filters don't seem to
perform well off their 700 Hz design center frequency, even though you
can change the sidetone offset and theoretically re-center the passband
with the PBT control. 

I have tried the other DSPs (Timewave, JPS), and agree that they do not
enhance the generally excellent OMNI audio and AGC characteristics. One of
them re-shapes the CW note so it sounds "hollow," like polar flutter, the
other overloads the AGC and is too slow for break-in. Anyway, I plan to
send my filter board back to Tentec to see if they can get rid of the 500
Hz filter ringing/howl, since this the only filter I ever use in contesting,
if I use any filtering at all. I am generally of the school that keeps
a wider passband open (1.8kHz) so I can hear what's going on around us
without incessant RIT tuning after each CQ. But when it really gets heavy
(sometimes on 20/40M KW alley when we do 6E2T), I crank in the 500 Hz. 

73, Larry N6AZE, 6E2T