Re: K3 BETA FIRMWARE RELEASE -- MCU rev 1.94

> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.
>
> Try this - tune in a good steady (S6 or S7) cw signal. Set tuning to
> FINE, enable CWT and then press SPOT repeatedly, observing the
> frequency display. The beta version (like 1.88) settles on a
> considerably different frequency almost every time - moving 5 Hz or
> more commonly, and sometimes as much as 20 Hz or more. There is a
> tendency to tune low. The original version, on the other hand, rarely
> moves more than 1 or 2 Hz with each auto-spot invocation, bearing out
> the fact that it is more accurate in general, or less likely to get
> confused (by noise, varying morse code speed etc.).
>
> Since I have two K3 units here, I set one up with 1.78/1.58 and the
> other with the beta firmware, and then compared their auto-spot
> behavior side by side on the same received signal using an antenna
> switch. The difference is quite pronounced. Here are some series of
> freqs (last three digits) resulting from 10 successive invocations of
> auto-spot on the same steady S7 signal on 40 meters (at 13 wpm or so,
> fortunately a long winded transmission):
>
> v178/158 (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 125, 125, 125, 129, 130, 130, 127, 128, 129, 129
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 115, 118, 124, 079 (!), 106, 106, 124, 107, 112, 100
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = 5)
> 124, 123, 109, 116, 118, 122, 117, 116, 120, 123
>
> The newer firmware version tends to "bounce around" more with a
> tendency to tune low, often requiring multiple invocations of
> auto-spot to hit the right pitch, whereas the original algorithm
> generally tunes right the first time. With threshold set to 5 in the
> beta version auto-spot is a bit better, but all too often it takes
> multiple tries to hit the right pitch, as it still tends low. If I set
> the threshold much higher, it doesn't want to tune at all for signals
> that the original algorithm handled easily.
>
> I'm not sure what the "improvements" to auto-spot introduced in 1.88
> were supposed to do, but IMO the feature is still negatively affected
> by the attempt. A side by side comparison of the two versions, on the
> same signal, is very revealing in this case  -  can someone else try
> this?
>
> Too bad, since I use the feature a lot it's back to 1.78/1.58 for now.
> It "just works".
>
> Bob NW8L
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:08 PM, wayne burdick <n6kr@...> wrote:
>> Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88), we've made a
>> number of important improvements.
>>
>> For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta." Upgrading is
>> optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want to wait until
>> we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release. (Or until all
>> your
>> friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
>>
>> We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take the plunge and
>> load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved, and it will
>> certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past week. Even
>> though
>> we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be monitoring closely
>> for
>> any additional issues.
>>
>> For release notes and instructions on how to load beta firmware, please
>> see:
>>
>>  http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
>>
>> The instructions (linked from within the release notes) explain how to
>> create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will allow you to
>> easily revert to an older revision if you find it necessary. Hopefully
>> not!
>>
>> For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.
>>
>> 73,
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>> * * *
>>
>> MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08
>>
>>  * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.
>>
>>  * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated "scratchy" artifacts with compression set to
>> high levels.
>>
>>  * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry (default: 5.0
>> kHz).
>>
>>  * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional receive dropouts,
>> "ERR
>> PL1", and
>>    "FPF LOAD PENDING" messages.
>>
>>  * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu correctly starts/ends
>> transmit.
>>
>>  * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW "0.00" CORRECTED: The SHIFT control no longer
>> allows
>>    continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only with sidetone
>> pitch < 500 Hz.)
>>
>>  * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL concentric
>> pots
>>    control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is controlled by two
>> CONFIG menu
>>    entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to "=SUB POT"
>> assigns
>>    SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this case, the
>> main
>> RF/SQL
>>    pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN back to a
>> numeric
>> value
>>    restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies only to FM
>> mode
>> at present.
>>
>> ---
>>
>> http://www.elecraft.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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