| GI0ZGB |
Rating:      |
2007-12-05 | |
| Simply The Best |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I use the Timewave 599ZX for PSK31, RTTY and SSB, I much preferred it to my West Mountain Rigblaster Pro, which was a superbely built piece of equipment in its own right, but lacked the versatility of the Timewave. On SSB, the Auto and Manual Notch filters worked superbly well, killing off IQ zero sociopath tune up tones with ease. Reducing random noise was very much a hands on affair, and required careful adjustment of the level of aggression, otherwise the audio could end up sounding like fish tank bubbles! Occasionally it was necessary to switch in the AGC to get the best noise reduction under the circumstances, and certainly it took some time to learn how to get the best from the unit. The AM line noise function worked superbly, especially on weak signals, but if used on very strong signals the audio echoed quite a bit. On PSK31, wired to my TS-2000 via the ACC sockets it was a pleasure to use, being wired in such a way that the audio input was controlled via the packet menu presenting a constant input, plus, I didn't have to listen to the data tones, being able to turn the AF gain right off. In addition, I could see the filter bandwidth on the PC screen and could adjust it to exactly capture the target trace. On RTTY it was much the same, a real pleasure to use and adjustable to suit whatever RTTY spec was being used worldwide. The unit is superbly built and a real boon for older analogue rigs working in harmony with the likes of INRAD filters or even factory filters. Like I say, it takes a bit of getting to know how to extract the best performance from the unit, so I suggest a thorough RTFM session before playing with your new toy. I recommend it to anyone, great bit of kit!
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| TI2TL |
Rating:   |
2006-12-21 | |
| Not as good as expected. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Well I bought this DSP unit after reading all the superb reviews I could find on the net, and I can tell you that I am not happy at all with the unit. I do only SSB no data or CW and in this mode the performance is less then good. Modulation, even if on the reviews you read says the oposite, becomes compleately robotic once you activate all the needed filters to lower the noise. The saturation point is too low and once you feed him with some satured audio the performance goes down even more.
Would I suggest the buy of this item? NO not at all unless you would have too much money to waste on a low performance unit. Most of the time it has to be used with your headphones since the sound coming out of the speaker is so bad it becomes uncomprehensible. Most of the time I rather just keep it off since I find it more clear to understand a QSO without it that with it.
I am giving it a 2 because it has worked me out on some ocasion otherwise I would give it a 0. |
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| Bruce C. Kliche |
Rating:      |
2006-09-16 | |
| Great unit--PSK31? |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the unit since 98 or 99 and its abilities never cease to amaze me. I have never regretted the purchase or wished I had some other brand.
Since this review is probably going to be read by current owners, too, I wonder if anyone uses the unit as a computer interface for PSK31? I am thinking of purchasing the upgrade that came out in 2000 and it includes this feature. I suppose owners of newer units may already be using it for this mode.
If so, how do you like it?
73, Bruce, KG0LH |
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| K1FPV |
Rating:      |
2006-08-23 | |
| Excellent ! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I purchased my first DSP-599zx 5 years ago, and was so impressed, I ordered a second one a year later for another receiver. It takes an older radio and almost brings it up to the modern standards many new receivers have. It is ideal while listening on 6 meters on the calling frequency of 50.125 MHz. With the noise reduction set at the minimum level, it totally quiets background noise yet does not produce aliasing or distortion like some DSP boxes. On CW, it is the "Cat's Meow!" Way to go Timewave! |
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| K0CRX |
Rating:      |
2006-06-10 | |
| Works like magic! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Using the RTTY function, I can copy RTTY sigs that are absolutely buried in QRM. The filter will pull sigs out of the mud that are absolutely not copyable (or, even hearable) without it. It is a magical piece of RTTY gear! |
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| KE7GSK |
Rating:      |
2006-04-30 | |
| Very Pleased |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I'm doing something I normally don't do and that's write a review only a few weeks into owning the product.
I purchased this DSP-599zx for three specific reasons.
1. Turn my Icom R8500 into a DSP-AF rig. After owning two quality DSP rigs, I've been spoiled with their abiilty to significantly reduce background noise. The DSP-599zx has a very good Noise Reduction system.
2. To enhance the meager filter choices the R8500 has. This was done in spades. I have more filters now than I know what to do with.
3. To allow the R8500 to have the ability to decode CTCSS tones. Failed miserably. I obviously didn't read enough, even though I thought I had. Version 5 of the DSP-599zx no longer has CTCSS. Why they took it away I do not know.
Finally, other things I like about the DSP-599zx
1. A fantastic Heterodyne Eliminator, in fact better than my DSP transceivers.
2. Having the window to view what your doing is a very nice feature.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this Timewave product. Even my disappointment over the lack of a CTCSS decoder cannot overshadow how nice this unit is. This is a pricey accessory but it has breathed new life into my radio and for me, that was worth the money. |
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| KJ4SLP |
Rating:      |
2005-07-25 | |
| A great accessory |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I'm not a ham but a dedicated SWL of many years. I did a fair bit of research before choosing the DSP-599, which I currently use with a Drake R8B. I must say that it lives up to my expectations in every respect.
First a word about the build quality: It is built like a tank, inside and out. Yes, the shafts for the optoencoders have a bit of wobble in them. Perhaps in time that wobble will wear out the bushings in the encoders though no one I've ever spoken to has heard of that happening. In the meantime, if you are willing to discard an incredibly useful tool because of some wobbly shafts, let that be your loss.
If there is a problem with this device, it is that the designers have succumbed to the drive to make everything as small as possible. The buttons are a bit tiny for my big fingers but that isn't the real problem. The issue is the amount of function shifting that one has to do to change settings. The learning curve is not all that steep but you spend time button-punching when you would rather be listening. I'd be happier if the panel were a tad bigger and there were fewer shared controls.
As with most DSP gear, too much aggression in the filters leaves you with "oatmeal voice"...soft and mushy. Beyond that, the various functions respond differently to different signals, meaning that oftentimes you can get the best result by trial and error.
There's no doubt that this little gem can make signals readable that otherwise would be buried in the noise floor. It works as well as any IF DSP that I have used, including the DSP on the mighty Ten-Tec 340.
Is it overpriced? Yeah, probably, though it wasn't at the time it was introduced. But then, it is a specialty item so I suppose that is forgiveable. Is it getting long in the tooth? Yeah, by computer technology standards it is an antique...and one can accomplish only so much with firmware upgrades. But it still works beautifully and no one else comes close so don't worry about obsolescence, just buy and enjoy. |
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| G0FVT |
Rating:     |
2005-06-18 | |
| Magical at notching tones! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I must admit that I have not had this unit for long, use it with my FT1000D, still learning to drive it, I feed it with audio from the fixed level output on the back of the radio (the stereo jack in the middle) I have moved the internal jumpers of the timewave to operate with a hi impedance input. I have found the auto-notching of carriers simply amazing, the reduction of random noise is impressive but I am still exploring the unit and learning to drive it.
It looks very smart but the optoencoder spindles are a wee bit wobbly feeling, the flexibility of filtering is tremendous and overall I am impressed so far, mine is running the version 4 firmware still so is not bang up to date, the two tone test promises to be useful for amplifier testing, a useful facilty of the unit.
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| AF4KK |
Rating:     |
2004-10-04 | |
| An excellent unit! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The Timewave 599zx DSP unit is truly an echeivement (sp?) in DSP technology! I've so far used it in voice, CW and SSTV applications and it clears up QRM very, very well! It also does so without that typical "robotic" sound so many DSP's add to the audio these days! (Unless you set the aggression level too high and then it creeps in). The only reason I didn't give this unit a "5" was because of the rather small LCD display. Otherwise, it's a great unit to buy!
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| K7VO |
Rating:      |
2004-05-27 | |
| Truly outstanding audio DSP. Works wonders! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I took a Timewave DSP-599zx in trade for an old Amp Supply antenna tuner at the FrostFest in Richmond. I didn't expect much despite the high price. Was I ever in for a pleasant surprise!
I previously owned the JPS NIR-12 and the NIR-10 before that. My experience was that the NIR-12 could really help pull a signal out of the noise and reduce background noise to make listening to the lower HF bands less fatiguing, but... if i tried to do too much with it (filter heavily in different ways) I ended up with weird sounding digital products that were just plain annoying.
The DSP-599zx is the only audio DSP I've found where I can turn on everything and anything I need and set the filtering as aggressively as I want and have the audio still sound good or even excellent. The net result is that I can pull out signals that I otherwise could not work and I can separate out adjacent channel QRM and hear just the station I want most all of the time.
Yes, it shines on CW, but it is also very effective for SSB work. The auto notch will remove most heterodynes and tones. If it doesn't do quite what you want on multiple tones the manual notch combines with the ability to adjust the audio passband frequencies at either end to allow most any and all offending noise to be eliminated. The random noise filter, if used at a "9" (most aggressive) setting cleans up almost all background noise and static. Only the loudest static crashes get through. The AGC feature also works extremely well. Best of all, I can use these all in combination without problems. The DSP-599zx also provides filtering designed for AM use, ideal for the SWLer.
The knobs and buttons are inferior? You have got to be kidding me! Mine are just fine, thankyouverymuch. I've complained about the fit and finish of some MFJ gear, but not the Timewave.
AF DSP isn't any good? I beg to differ. A well designed IF DSP is certainly better. $300 more won't get me that. More like $1500 more. I use my DSP-599zx with older QRP gear (i.e. Kenwood TS-430V, NCG 7/21/50) and it makes operating and copying the stations I work just so much easier.
I can't recommend this DSP highly enough. |
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