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Re: [TenTec] Older Ten Tecs and Roofing filters

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Older Ten Tecs and Roofing filters
From: Ken Brown <ken.d.brown@hawaiiantel.net>
Reply-to: ken.d.brown@hawaiiantel.net, Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:56:49 -1000
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Hi John,

Yes all those Ten-Tec rigs have a first IF of 9 MHz, which allows the use of economical narrow crystal filters right after the first mixer, before most of the active circuitry of the IF. This is a great advantage compared to most rigs capable of general coverage receive, which usually have a first IF of 45 or 70 MHz, where narrow filter are more difficult to make.

The first filter after the first mixer in a superheterodyne receiver was not always called a roofing filter.

Once upon a time the term "roofing filter" was used in FM microwave radio systems with analog multiplex audio channels. These systems were designed for a certain maximum bandwidth occupied by the FM microwave signal, and a maximum number of 4 kHz wide audio channels (actually SSB signals) modulating the microwave carrier. There was a low pass filter used on the output of the receiver's FM discriminator, and also probably one at the input to the wobbly oscillator in the transmitter, that limited to top multiplex channel frequency that could be used on that system and kept higher frequency noise from the discriminator out of the baseband, or from the baseband out of the modulator. Since the filter cut off anything ABOVE a particular frequency, it made sense to call it a ROOFING filter.

There are probably similar low pass used in digital microwave systems between the IF and the ADC, and no doubt the terminology carried over into the newer digital systems. All these microwave systems I refer to have bandwidths of hundreds of kilohertz or even several megahertz. Ten-Tec may be the first to use the term "roofing filter" for a narrow bandpass filter used in front of an ADC in a narrow band (relatively at least) receiver.

DE N6KB

John Geiger wrote:
In looking over the reviews and other on-line sources
for rigs, it looks like some of the older Ten Tecs
(Omnis, Corsairs I and II, but not the Paragons) use a
low first IF (9 mhz or so) with crystal filters there,
as well as in the 2nd IF.  So the filters in the first
IF would be a roofing filter, correct?  Just like what
Icom and Yaesu are now discovering, if I understand
the roofing filter concept. This should make the close
in spacing on the Corsair II and these other rigs very
good, correct?

73s John W5TD




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