On Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 6:28 PM, Jim Brown <[email protected]> quoted:
> This all stems from the poor NF of their ADC and its low input voltage > range. This just points out that given problems in hardware have capacity breakout points. We are at a point where pure digital stuff to handle full range alongside a K3 just isn't available at a price even remotely workable, even for high end consumer gear. It might be "close", but it's not at the breakout where those devices are at commodity prices. I remember the days back in the 70's when for commercial computing reasons we would have spent exorbitant money to get our hands on processor speed or storage sizes that I currently have in my iPhone, which is commodity pricing for processor speed and storage size and everything else. Price point A/D range to match a K3S just isn't quite here. One of these years everything will be direct sampling, and it will be very, very good. The features and process simplifications that will flow off that will be awesome. At this point the top extreme range handling boxes are hybrid, both receive and transmit. High end reliable solid state ham HF amps are just now hitting close to 1500 watts. Still rumblings from the contest clubs about solid state amp unreliability. Very touchy, if one exceeds power limits (that are legal to hams) and limited impedance ranges you can blow stuff. So we still have tube amps for brick on key 1500 watts. Our best RX are still hybrid, if you throw ALL the testing at RX with no held back punches, the direct sampling stuff still has issues at certain extremes. But it is close enough that many could use them because their personal environment doesn't tickle those susceptibilities. What bothers me is trying to blow off those specific weakness as if they weren't there. I think that a direct sampling K4 is still pretty "out there". Don't think that stuff is improving on a steep enough curve. But direct sampling that works as well as a K3S *will* happen some day. Apparently needs another 25 dB of sampling range? But it will happen. 73, Guy. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
