Topband: Rig Question

[Gary and Kathleen Pearse]

On my 990 the 2nd receiver was consistently night after night better able to detect a weak CW sig on 40-160. Same settings on both receivers: different settings, AGC, no AGC, ATT, RF gain varied, it didn’t matter the race was won by the second. I didn’t fuss with SSB very much so that mode may yield different results.

My TS-590 paralleled the 2nd in all the A/B tests, and would beat the 1st on the same weak signals as well. The weak were at or in a S3-9 noise floor before DSP NB was applied to clean things up. 

On 20M up the race winner may be different due to the conversion scheme in each rig, not sure as that wasn’t my winter goal at night in KL7.

The 990’s APF seemed to be only a narrow filter that didn’t necessarily create an “AH HA!” moment like some applications of that technology in other radios like the K3. 

Both TS-590 and 990 suffer from Kenwood’s implementation of the DSP NB…when the signals rise, the DSP NB goes to sleep and the noise floor is elevated.

If I get my TS-590’s ALC fixed, my K3 setup is history.

73, Gary NL7Y


> The main receiver in the 990 is supposed to be better than the 2nd rcv.  Things that make you go hmmmm.
> 
> Mike W0MU
>