Topband: Fw: Diversity

[john battin]

Subject: Diversity


Let me share some of my experience. 
I have two IC781's. One is the main radio and the second is only receiver #2. Receiver 2 gets its VFO  injection from radio #1 so everything being equal they would be on the same frequency. Things are not equal however, so I adjust IF shift and CW pitch so that the beat between tones coming the two receivers has a period of 5 seconds or more. Fortunately the radios are stable enough that they stay that way for months. (they are remote so it requires a drive to diddle them). This is definitely not phase locked but it works great. The ears are sensitive to frequency response, group delay (set the selectivity the same) and amplitude, but so much with phase. When listening  to two antennas that are receiving signals with different fading and noise characteristics, the remaining sensitivity to phase seems to disappear. 

Based on this experience I would take exception to the contention that the Orion would be poor for diversity reception. I would expect it to work just fine.

Most of the time I listen to the vertical array with one receiver and the beverages with the other. Diversity is almost always distinct advantage. I would not live with out it. When it does not work, it is usually that the signal from one of the antennas is too poor to add anything but noise.
John K9DX