Hi Rich,
Actually, and correct me if I am wrong on this, but I believe that one
of the bigger issues with SDR's right now is with latency. There is some
delay in the processing of the signal on the computer which can cause
effects such as slower turn around time for CW/Digtal Modes, slightly
slower tuning, a slight delay in received and transmitted audio, etc. I
know there has been a lot of improvement made in that area, but I don't
believe it is quite at the level of other radios such as the K3. .
Whether or not this latency is more or less more then serial control of
a radio, I am not sure. But I suspect that some of that might depend on
the baud rate of the radio. I have a TS-2000 set to 57600 baud and it
seems quite responsive, whereas my K2 which I believe is 4800 baud is
noticeably less responsive. I am not sure what the baud rate is on the
K3. And as far as booting up a computer, I work as a computer
consultant, and sometimes the last thing I want to do when I get home
from work is boot up my computer :)
John, KD8K
Richard Smith wrote:
Thanks for the info on this program, John. I'll download it and give
it a try.
My first reaction without trying the program (always dangerous) is
that needing HRD sitting between the PowerSDR GUI and the K3, and
controlling the K3 via serial commands, will leave users with the
feeling that software control just isn't responsive enough for real
world uses. To me, even a slight delay in response, or waiting for
the rig to catch up with the GUI user, is annoying enough for me to
reach for the knobs. It certainly won't cut it for competitive
contesting. The PowerSDR when used with the SDR-1000, and I assume
the SDR-5000A as well, has an instantaneous "feel" to the software.
It feels very natural to tune, and no adjustment is necessary by the
user to learn how to use it effectively. It is a generation beyond
what you propose in software control. My beef with serial
command-controlled hardware radios has always been the tuning "lag" I
experience as I sweep the software controls up and down the band and
the radio tries to keep up. That is not the case with the PowerSDR
running the SDR-1000 or 5000A. Maybe the K3, the interface, the
software and the PC will all be responsive enough to emulate the
excellent "feel" of the PowerSDR running an SDR-5000A, but I'm
skeptical it will. Right now, this solution seems like a band-aid to me.
Also, is booting a computer really an issue? I use mine these days
for so many things, it is always on or in standby. I can play radio
at anytime by simply clicking the PowerSDR icon.
It will be interesting to see how things evolve.
73,
Rich W1EZ
----- Original Message ----- From: "John A. McCabe"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 7:34 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Comparison: K3 and SDR 5000A
Hi All
"Since Power SDR has a Kenwood CAT interface, I would bet it would
relatively easy to couple PowerSDR with a SoftRock40, a relatively
inexpensive soundcard and a few lines of custom software to both
provide a "bandscope" and fully control the K3"
There already is a modified version of PowerSDR that is similar to
what you are describing. It is a version that works with Ham Radio
Deluxe and a Softrock to allow point and click bandscope tuning in
PowerSDR of any radio that has an IF out (which includes the K3) and
supported by Ham Radio Deluxe. I have tried it and it does work
(Not on a K3 however, still waiting on mine like the rest of us). To
me this is the best of both worlds, a High performance K3 controlled
by computer and/or Knobs. Sometimes I just don't want to have to boot
my computer up to use my radio, and at other times the features of
bandscope point and click tuning would be nice.
The software is at the following location: http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html
73, John KD8K
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