In a message dated 2/7/04 5:03:06 PM Eastern Standard Time,
btippett@alum.mit.edu writes:
>>but I never felt I was missing weak callers and my results seem to
confirm this, of course my antenna gain of 22 dBi doesn't hurt either.<<
You will never know what you missed when it was weaker than the threshold of
the internal noise. Subjectively you find it better, quieter, easier to read
receiver, there is no argument with that. But if K2 or few other radios can
hear weak signals (based on K6SE A/B tests) then there is a room for
improvement.
The point is that if there is certain threshold of internal noise and the
signals at the antenna inputs are below it, then you will never know. If the
band
noise (and signals) are above that threshold, then there is "no problem" they
override the internal noise and everything is fine. But as low band
aficionados and VHF weak signal diggers know, it makes the difference between
hearing
and not hearing the stuff at the lower limits of sensitivity.
So using Orion preamp should help, I would assume that its S/N or internal
noise would be lower than what we are hearing without it. This has to be tried
and tested with signals that are in the mud, not moving s meter and with band
noise below the internal noise (like "naked" Beverage or 10m antennas beaming
North).
Again AGC, DSP is immaterial here and should be off. We are looking at the
bare front end S/N performance and sensitivity. I will look at those aspects
when I get more intimate with Orion and get into the receiver.
Yuri, K3BU.us
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