Maybe. I think there will still be some front end analog processing. That
said, QRP is in the DNA of this company. Consequently, their designs have
always had low receiver current drain in mind. IMHO, this has compromised
performance. I know that the "faithful" are gnashing their teeth at this but I
said, IMHO.
One need look no further than the use of an SA612 for the second mixer. In a
backpacking radio this is a good choice. But it has no place in a
high-performance desktop receiver. By my reading of the spec sheets (I'll
confess limited knowledge of DSP device specs) the mixer is weaker than the
DSP. Hence the conventional wisdom that the need for hardware AGC is to
"protect" the DSP, when in fact, it's protecting the mixer.
We now have SDRs that can digitize wide swaths of the HF spectrum with good
overload performance yet the mixer/DSP in the K3 requires banks of pricy crystal
filters to limit the exposure to hundreds of Hz. This also leads to endless
questions on this reflector about what crystal filters are "best." The best one
would be a low IMD design that just eliminated the image with a robust DSP doing
the rest.
Just thinkin' out loud. We'll see what Visalia brings.
Wes N7WS
On 4/1/2015 11:41 AM, Doug Person via Elecraft wrote:
I think any new Elecraft radio is going to be cutting-edge DSP. Consider how
good the KX3 is. Its DSP hardware is chosen for its low power requirements -
not for maximum performance. So imagine a radio designed with the very best
DSP technology with power requirements being a much lower priority. The K3 is
unquestionably outstanding. But if Wayne were to start with a fresh, leading
edge design, there is no doubt that it would be DSP-based.
73, Doug -- K0DXV
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