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SV1CDN > DSP 03.09.97 10:47l 129 Lines 7843 Bytes #-10090 (0) @ WW
BID : 4F1634SV1CDN
Read: DK8CB DL3FDZ DJ2TK DL1EEC DK5RAS DL6LBI GUEST
Subj: TIMEWAVE DSP 599zx -VIEW-
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Sent: 970826/0318Z @:SV3AQT.PAT.GRC.EU #:48121 [Patras,KM08UF] FBB7.00d
From: SV1CDN@SV3AQT.PAT.GRC.EU
To : DSP@WW
Hello fellow hams.
The name here is Dennis fm qth Rio, Greece.
For tha last month i 've been the owner of a new DSP unit from Timewave, model
599zx. What i would like to give you is a personal view of this unit in order
to correct it and make it better and answer maybe some of the question you
might have about it.
The dsp cost me abt 600$ here in Greece, bought it from the local dealer, but
either way, if i bought it from the States (called several ham shops), they
were asking for 370$ (fair price) but abt 100$ extra for ups!!!!!!! Anyway,
thats another subject.
The dsp came inside a box, perfectly packed, with a manual very well written
and easy to understand, and a black cable with the appropriate connector for
the power supply the dsp requires. Well, i easily connected it to my power
supply at 12V DC, plugged the other end to the dsp and turned it on. Is this
the on knob or what? It must be, when i turn it clockwise it makes a noise
like switching something on.... Well if that's the on switch i see nothing at
the display.... Turn it counter-clockwise.... seems to switch off, turn it
back on, .... well the only thing that does is the noise.... no leds lighting,
no display charasters nothing..... Was i stupid enough to connect the power
supply leads in reverse? Lets check it.... no they are fine, and my power
supply shows 12.24 V DC on my meter. The dsp still showing no life signs....
Go through the installation procedure in the manual, everything ok but they
say about having and some other input and outputs connected so that you can
hear the audio etc. Maybe they need these stuff plugged in.... Can't be!! I do
have an experience in electronics and it didn't sound logical. Either way, i
link the hf rig audio and ptt, and the speaker to the dsp. Still no
response..... The dsp won't say to turn on!! Oh boy, oh boy real problem!!
Well, since i do love reading manuals, i turn to the page for the problems.
Yes there is something written. It says that the internal fuse could be
blown.... I had to open the unit, a chance to look inside also! I must say
that the whole construction is more than perfect! Fairly easy opened the unit
and slided the pcb out. Nop, the fuse is perfect, checks out ok with my meter
also. Slide the pcb in agn, turn power on, still nothing..... But, but i was
lucky! This time i didn't turn power off, instead for my good fortune as i was
plugging and unplugging wires on the back of the unit, i pressed the power
cord a bit and EURIKA! Leds ligthing, characters displayed, lcd lighted and
the dsp software initializing! Yes, yes we did it! But as i lifted my hand,
bam, blackout!!!! Oh boy again.....
Well, as it turned out finally after half an hour of anxiety, the black
supplied power connector with the wire is not even good for tighting your
garbage bag!! I personally find it rediculous paying 600$+ for a unit with
such a good quality in general, and without having a proper connector!! If i
am not wrong, the one that my unit was shipped with had an internal hole
diameter a bit bigger that the lead of the unit and there wasn't a proper
connection between them!! Would it be that expensive for Timewave to supply us
the proper connector??!!
I was really dissapointed from that fact.....
Apart from that the DSP worked perfectly again in general. I usually qrv in CW
and digital modes like RTTY, PACTOR and SSTV. Well, this baby made me hear
signals in CW that i couldn't without!
In CW you can have a bandwidth of 10Hz but it is recomended not for high speed
cw, maybe 10wpm or so maximum. The upper bandwidth is 600Hz and the Random
noise reduction works fairly well but only from 300Hz and up, lower than that
it almost does nothing. When we are talking about noise reduction don't think
that enabling that removes the whole bunch of noise and leaves the signals!
The reduction is still noticable a lot and made my ears feel better after a
many hours qrv with headphones. when you start narrowing the bandwith you
must, must be at zero beat of the other station or else you might start
loosing it! Also as you lower the bandwidth, it doesn't ony improve the
signal, but sometimes if noise is so much you might start hearing more of the
noise rather than the signal. The dsp provides a continuous tone at the center
frequency and makes you zero beat a bit easier. Also the AGC is usable but
more with low sig stations. What you must try is the manual notch with
adjustable width, wow!! Were did that side station went? When you ptt you can
still hear your tone (couldn't be elseway, hi), but when you try to work semi
qsk, you can't understand anything!
In RTTY and PACTOR the filters are fully adjustable and they are working extra
well. DSP also has an tuning indicator for Mark and Space and in rtty provides
a remodulator that offers you an almost error free rtty qso but doesn't work
that well if you have qsb, it seems loosing a few letters as the signal goes
up and down. AGC works again nice but random noise reduction mode is, as the
manual says, not designed fer RTTY or PACTOR but sometimes works fair. In SSTV
the data filter is NOT adjustable. It seems that with my homemade interface,
is an extremely tight filter. Pictures are decoded nicely but weirdly the
colours of some letters are not what they were supposed to be, when i bypass
the dsp is fabulous but with it on its as is there is something eaten from it.
I have tried fine tuning but the problem persists, then again not always just
in some cases. AGC works ok and random noise is definitely not designed fer
SSTV! I qrv using MSCAN 2.20 and the interface with the CA3240 Bi/MOS OpAmp.
By the way, when you ptt the dsp shuts the speaker off, so you hear nothing.
In SSB voice mode, i just can't say that much since i don't qrv, hi. But as in
STTV and digital modes, when you tx and the dsp senses the ptt going to
ground, it shuts the speaker off. You hear nothing. That really dissapointed
me again. I am using TS-850SAT and really enjoyed working SSB with my
headphones and the monitor on so i could hear what i transmit!! Now i can't
hear a thing.... Maybe a possible software modification could make the DSP
switch its headphones output either on or off when you ptt in voice mode?? The
auto notch is attacking quickly and effectivelly, but sometimes degraded the
quality of voice.... As fer the random noise reduction works even with its
aggresiveness set to 1, default value should be abt 3-4, and goes up to 9 but
don't expect to understand who is talking to you from his or hers voice! AGC
works agn fine.
I think thats abt it!!
Most of it at least.....
Two last stuff. When i use my 8 Ohms external speaker, and try high volume,
the lcd lights seem to loose their glow! My power supply at 12V DC is not
dropping its voltage output when this happens, have checked this also.
Last thing is that, when i opened the unit the pcb board took only about 2/3
of the whole space in the chassis. Two big multi wires were connecting the
front panel with the pcb. They were easily disconnected. Still i wonder why
the extra space? Could it be because of the heating? DSP gets warm when in
use! Not extremely warm, but warm to the touch. Maybe the whole chassis works
like a cooler??!!
Have to hit the bed now.
Will answer any question you pose me.
Take good care and cu on the air sn.
73 gn gl guddx tu su AR SK . .
MNI MNI 73 73 DE SV1CDN Dennis FROM RIO/KM08VH.
AX.25 MAIL : SV1CDN@SV3AQT.PAT.GRC.EU
Please always use the WHOLE ax.25 address shown above, thanks.
E-MAIL : SV1CDN@PACKET-G.CTI.GR
SNAIL MAIL : DIONISIS -DENNIS- DRAKOPOULOS
UNIVERSITY OF PATRA
P.O. BOX. 1396.
RIO. 26500.
GREECE.
Message timed: 00:38:58 on 26 Aug 1997 GREEK TIME
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