I can say that I would be looking at a TS-890 on my desk if it wasn't for the
reported abysmal NB/NR performance. I can believe the reports because as best
as I can determine, Kenwood used the same processing in the '890 as they did in
the TS-870. Before Elecraft I owned an '870 and loved everything about it
except for the NB/NR. I had remarked more than once that Kenwood wasted
valuable panel space by including controls for those features.
Frankly, I'm not very satisfied with the K3/K3S NB performance either. (I seldom
bother with NR) Twenty-one settings for hardware and 21 settings for DSP
blanking are ridiculous. IMHO, of course. If the K4 does significantly better
then I'll be an optimist and buy myself one for my 79th birthday. The bugs
should be resolved by then.
re: Sensitivity, this is a non-issue for any decent radio built in the last 20
years or more.
Wes N7WS
On 12/23/2019 10:20 AM, John Stengrevics wrote:
POTENTIALLY better NR & NB will have to wait for hard data and independent
reviews.
And, this will absolutely determine whether or not I transition from the K3S to
the K4 (along with improved sensitivity).
73,
John
WA1EAZ
On Dec 23, 2019, at 9:43 AM, M. George <[email protected]> wrote:
It's not surprising that there many looking for all the information they
can get on the K4 etc.. Here is a YouTube link that lists K3 related
video 'Search
for Elecraft K4 Sorted by Date for Video posted this year'
<https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elecraft+k4&sp=CAISBAgFEAE%253D>
:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elecraft+k4&sp=CAISBAgFEAE%253D
Just use the filter option in YouTube in this case to narrow down the
videos to the latest postings based on the search criteria to get the
latest video by date.
The first video in this list contains a lot of detail at 38 minutes long
(Eric). (ELECRAFT K4 IN DEPTH with WA6HHQ at Waters & Stanton Ltd
Portsmouth UK). Take the time and watch the whole video... there is a lot
of detail in this one.
For the questions that seem to persist about how the K4 will compare to the
K3... you quickly begin to understand that the receiver specs will be
similar to the K3S, especially once you understand the K4 design approach
with the hyrbird direct sampling approach and superhet addition in the
K4HD. At the same time, I'm not going to underestimate the potential for
some eye popping numbers when the K4HD module is introduced. (think
Third-Order Dynamic Range Narrow Spaced rankings). However if the specs
are similar to the K3S or even a little better, it's becoming more clear to
me that the K4 platform and it's future potential with advances and
refinements in the software are where the real advantages are. Big leaps
here over the K3S. Leaps that the K3S can simply never take do to the
limited processing power. The K3 and K4 are not even in the same league in
this area.
You also begin to see the much higher potential the K4 has as far as noise
reduction / noise blanking capability due to algorithms having access to a
much wider bandpass with the SDR direct sampling approach. Just my
opinion, but I suspect there will be some big improvements in these areas
as compared to the K3/S line. The speed of the processing power and access
to bandwidth will allow for better noise reduction etc... plus the software
improvements over time and head room for processing power sets up the K4
for some big performance leaps improvements are made in software (IMHO).
You can glean all of this from the videos (reading between the lines) in my
opinion. i.e. Elecraft potentially adding the capability with diversity
receive to do phase shifting to null out noise, similar to the capability
you get with a NCC-2 box for example. And consider the design approach to
upgrade the ADC processing... the K4 seems to be setup for a long life with
some interesting improvements down the road, not only with the software,
but think hardware processing upgrades too.
I can't speak for anyone else, but since the K4 has been announced I have
gone through a phase of trying to convince myself that the K4 isn't any
better than my K3S, so why would I consider a K4? ($4K to $6K for a new
rig sure isn't chump change and could be spent on other station
improvements right?) As far as some of the tell-tell specs like dynamic
range blocking with strong signals near your band-pass etc... I think with
the K4HD, the specs will be similar, but overall, what is beginning to
interest me is the amazing potential the K4 design has. We are talking
about two very different animals here. (with the same linage)
I have also spent a considerable amount of time looking at the direct
sampling competitors and as I start to dig in, I'm really seeing some
lacking features as they relate to a CW operator's rig. I guess I'm biased
as a current Elecraft Fan-Boy / CW operator (I'll admit it), but when I
look at what I would be giving up in regard to CW operating features that
have become second nature to me, I think I would be very disappointed. If
you spend some time in the competitors user groups you will understand what
I'm talking about, but that's just me. Owners in these other groups have
been begging for some common CW features that never seem to materialize.
However competition is good and it's great to have options. You can't go
too wrong with any of the high end rigs these days, including any of the
direct sampling designs that are shipping now.
So to end this tome of a post... if I had to place an order today for a new
rig, it would be a an order for a K4. Wink / wink, maybe I already did.
;) And if I did, I'm happy to wait X number of months for the K4 to emerge
only when it is ready for prime time. My trusty K3S at my side as I type
away at the keyboard here will make the wait easy. Take your time Elecraft.
Max NG7M
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