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Reviews For: BHI Compact-In-Line

Category: Filters, Audio: (DSP and others)

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Review Summary For : BHI Compact-In-Line
Reviews: 12MSRP: 259.00
Description:
Battery Operated Compact DSP Noise Cancelling Module.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.bhi-ltd.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00124.8
KC1RFV Rating: 2022-07-20
Best value for this price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got it. Holy Moly - it works great! I was missing something like this since I was using DSP NR in my Yaesu 991A. Now I am using it in tandem with IC-705 and Elecraft KX2. Its sounds like the best NR I ever used! Really good for my neighborhood full of LEDs and power supplies.
It is really portable, that's why I prefer this version over the full-blown EQ20 with bells and whistles. Works via 2 AA batteries or an external 8-16V source. Switch between batteries and external power is automated, so you do not need to bother about it.
The only thing I missing here is Bluetooth support, so I have to deal with additional wires.
Another thing - I'd prefer to see it in a more durable case. It is intended for portable use but built the same way as Elecraft T1. Both are great products and both lack metal body for their price. Anyway 5 stars for now
K6AB Rating: 2021-08-13
Exceptional Noise Reduction Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just bought a used unit specifically for a Xiegu G1M. Performance significantly exceeded my expectations - comparable to the NR in my Yaesu 991A.

Pro's
- Exceptional noise reduction for SSB and broadcast AM
- Small package
- Internal batteries or external 8-16V

Con's
- Push button ON/OFF turned on in my field bag.

Highly recommended.
G4VRR Rating: 2020-10-01
Useful Addition to Noise Armoury Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
BHI produce very clever noise reduction designs and the Compact InLine is no exception and performs its intended duty flawlessly. I have an NEIM1031 too that exhibits a dreadful warbling noise which is largely (but not entirely) masked by the residual background noise it is intended to reduce. I've tried chokes and ground loop isolators with no luck. This is still evident with nothing connected but headphones and a battery for power, so it's definitely not a ground loop. That said, my subjective impression is that the old clunker is still marginally better than the Compact InLine that I believe sports a new improved noise suppression algorithm? I chose the Compact InLine over the FT81x series 1061 because first it's so small, and secondly it can be freely transferred to other radios. That and Yaesu UK's inflexible attitude to their FT818nd warranty. The Compact InLine will replace my NEIM1031 in daily duty in time. So, all things considered it's very good at what it claims to do.

Now the less complementary bit(s), the construction; the Compact InLine is put together somewhat better than some /much other BHI (legacy?) product, but I'm no fool- it still has PCB mounted sockets. Plenty of other equipment from other manufacturers has this characteristic too, but combined with low ball plastic enclosures it is not great at all. I see no construction distinction between the Compact InLine and my old MFJ Morse Decoder. MFJ have an only partly deserved reputation for mediocrity, but as a manufacturer I would not wish to be thus compared. My NEIM1031 has intermittent sockets that I believe are partly insertion wear related and partly PCB related and I have to balance the wire stresses and plug insertions to secure audio throughput. This also makes it look a disheveled mess on the shelf. Sure a simple die cast box would cost more, but given the initial outlay on BHI product, I'd be prepared to pay for it.

As a tiny and thus eminently portable device, in transit the only way to avoid inadvertently switching the unit on is to remove the AA cells. Again, a flimsy plastic enclosure is not a happy bedfellow with the need to remove cells even on an infrequent basis. A tiny slide switch somewhere might improve this.

The Depth and Volume controls are both continuously rotatable. This means that there is no reference available for the settings, and you have to turn the controls one way or the other until they cease to have any effect. You might go to turn them up (or down) and they may have no effect. I will soon adapt to this but it seems a bit daft to me.

The manufacturer recently sent me two filter depth knobs for my ancient 1031 and I can only offer my gratitude and acknowledge the excellent service, albeit carried out via an intermediary retail outlet. It's a shame that so many of these knobs go missing ...

Would I recommend? yes definitely. Would I buy again? Again yes. Am I totally happy with the product? not really. Four stars seems fair to me.
NV6L Rating: 2020-04-04
An Exceptional Value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm in a restricted environment (RV), so anything that can make radio more enjoyable is welcome. That said, even after a few days' use, this is one of the best gear investments I've made. In conjunction with the DSP on my rig (Yaesu FT450D), it not only makes long-term listening more comfortable, but it enables me to hear stations 2-3x further away than I could previously.

As with any DSP unit, it has a characteristic 'sound', but it was easy to adjust to, and well worth the results! Highly recommended.
KF6LU Rating: 2018-10-25
Great Addition Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I thought long and hard before purchasing the Compact In Line. I'm running a vertical antenna and an older FT1000D. With band conditions as such, noise can be a real problem. All I can say is that this gem really knocks out the noise. I didn't think it would make such a difference but it does. I pair it with my Radio Sport headset. Very happy I spent the money!
HB9VQQ Rating: 2017-08-21
Super satisfied Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased the Compact-In-Line at a local Hamfest. Makes quite a difference ! Really suprised by how the DSP cuts out the noise floor when signals are weak. You really have to hear it to believe it. Only Problem I had was TX RF finding its way to the speakers through the Compact-In-Line. There is an extra section on BHI's website addressing these issues. Quickly sorted it out and pin pointed the problem to the 12V power source. Added a diode into the 12V cable and all fine.

Defintely recommend this product. It will improve weak signal readability quite significantly. Best addition to my RIG so far. Very satisfied, thank you BHI.

73's
Roland
W5FIX Rating: 2017-07-01
You Need This Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi there! :)

I am using the KX3 and IC-7200 radios, both are great for the purposes I have for each. But I have a slight hearing problem and the noise floor is a constant S3 with bounces up to S4. I could hear dx signals but not clear enough to copy a call.

So I did a little research and found the bhi compact in-line DSP module. It is just a little fellow not much larger than a deck of cards - but wow!, there is magic in the box. Set up is easy, plug and play - plug it into the "phones" jack and plug in a speaker or phones and twist the dials. Yuge difference! Cut that noise like summer grass.

On the practical side, it allows me to eliminate perhaps 6 to 10db of background noise (it depends on the type/level of course and the strength of the signal i am attempting to isolate) But don't hold me to those numbers and your actual experience may vary. If I find a weak but readable signal (34, 33 or so) that is being blanketed by the noise floor (S3), I can generally cut the noise so that the (apparent) readability will come up so that I can copy and communicate. This won't move the signal up, but help move the floor down.

I have paired the bhi compact in-line DSP module with the Radio sport headphones - that is a winning combination for weak signal.
N3PS Rating: 2017-03-25
Love Mine, But . . l, Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I found this unit to be much more useful and effective than the DNR built into my FTDX 3000 . . . . however, I'm rating it only a 4 because it is EXTREMELY sensitive to stray RF. If you have ANY stray RF in your shack, this unit will find it. Be prepared to invest in some ferrite if you buy this unit.
NZ8I Rating: 2016-09-01
Amazing DSP Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well dudes, I had my eye on this little DSP unit for quite a while. Being in the Finance world for my day job, I knew when Brexit hit; the pound sterling would tumble. So I waited for the British pound to drop to ten year lows and I ordered this unit direct from BHI in England via PayPal. Saved a ton buying in USD $. And they had a summer sale too. So how does it work? How did I live without it? OMG amazing DSP. I have two transceivers, Alinco dx sr8t -no DSP;and an icom 7200 with DSP. Improves upon ssb, dw and digital on both rigs.
At night I hook it up to my Tecsun pl 600 portable while dozing and it is unbelievable as well. Now it does not have additional bandwidth filters and a "notch" like my JPS NIR -12 does. However it is absolutely amazing as a portable DSP unit. You must buy one of these if you are thinking about additional DSP for either older or newer rigs. I urge you to consider timing your purchase with the next British pound sell off and buy directly from BHI via PayPal as you will save many $.
73, NZ8I
K1BRA Rating: 2016-04-29
Pleasantly surprised! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wanted a better noise reduction solution for weak signal listening on my KX3, which has performance and usability issues with its internal DSP. I was apprehensive about the Compact In-Line based on its high cost plus the fact that the demos on on the BHI website only show examples of strong signal noise reduction.

Got mine today (had to order direct from their US reseller - http://www.gapantenna.com) and within 10 minutes I was very pleased with the unit's ability to clean up weak signals. A/B'ing the unit against raw KX3 audio and the KX3 DSP's processed audio, I quickly was able to tweak comprehensible weak signals that were otherwise lost in the mud. Pricey but worth it. Definitely a keeper!