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Reviews For: Timewave DSP-599zx

Category: Filters, Audio: (DSP and others)

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Review Summary For : Timewave DSP-599zx
Reviews: 39MSRP: 399
Description:
DSP noise filter.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.timewave.com/dsp599zx.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15394.5
K5PU Rating: 2003-12-30
I have two! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
What can I say... I obtained one for my IC-751A and loved it so much I picked up a second one for my K2. Yep I know a single unit supports two radios but I just wanted dedicated units for each rig.

For an audio chain DSP unit it really seems like magic sometimes.

As others have mentioned it's a pretty sophisticated, versatile 'feature rich' device and will take a while to master everything this baby can offer.

I really don't understand the complaint about construction quality and knobs, etc. and I hate seeing these 'issues' (alone) affect the overall rating. It's built extremely ruggedly (extruded alum case) and the controls are precision optical encoders. Of course they are going to turn easier than pots!

I've my two units now for oh, couple years and I can easily recommend the Timewave 599ZX.
N1DZ Rating: 2003-10-29
Great for weak signal DX Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own the DSP599zx for over 3 years now. This filter works fantastic for weak signal CW DX. I use it for 2m EME as well as CW on HF. On my TS850S with 270HZ filters it is a great addition. It literally makes an unreadable CW signal readable. With the upgraded e-prom Bi-aural CW and other great improvements are available like using the DSP599 as a pc interface for the digital modes. On SSB I did not notice a great improvement except being able to reduce high pitch noise. The unit is built very sturdy and can take some abuse.
VE2BUG Rating: 2002-11-18
Work good, cheap quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
HI , i receive mine from Radioworld here in Canada.I use it with my JRC NRD-301A .after i play with it all the week end i have to agree with some other ham , the audio result was very good,but im not impress by the construction quality of the product,the knobs are not well finish,they are loose and not concentric.The front panel was not well adjust with the led .I give a 3 because i thing the product wont last long before it need repair. Im thinking to buy an other product,from JPS the NRU-600.
KB9IV Rating: 2002-09-05
Superb Filter!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I couldn't sit by and have some idiots rate this superb add-on filter with there bable about the knobs and such.
The filter is excellent and the knobs are perfect.
How else are you going to add DSP to non-DSP rigs.
I've owned mine for 2 years without fail with brick wall attenuation. No corners cut on this flexiable filter!! I'd rate the 599 at 9/10 if I
could.....buy one no problems. 73 Bill
W0ZPE Rating: 2002-09-05
short and sweet Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It works and it works GOOD!
N3RIK Rating: 2002-08-24
save your money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I did not like this unit and quickly disposed of it via Ebay. For the price I paid it should of been much better built as far as chassis materials and pots go. As for use, it did not impress me, there are limits on what dsp in the audio section of a receiver can do. If you have a lacking transceiver with poor filtering, save your money and use the 300 + bucks towards a transceiver upgrade.
M3SKF Rating: 2002-08-17
we want more Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Use my DSP unit with the Alinco dx70th it works very well,i am most happy with it.This unit seems to work better than internal rig DSP,s its makes a signal real clear.Very well made,looks cool & just does the job.
5R8GQ Rating: 2002-07-18
No DSP in a factory rig even comes close to this! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this unit to use with an older
non-DSP rig, the Kenwood TS-940. (The best rig Kenwood ever built). My problem was the AGC kicking in during contests when other stations were close on both sides, and the desired signal would go down in the mud. Even though the DSP-599ZX was working with the audio signal instead of an IF signal, I can now dig out signals I was unable to copy. It is especially useful for RTTY.
Dual filters can be set for Mark and Space, down to 50hz. The combination of the DSP599ZX and HAL DXP38 HF Modem has allowed me to win SOAB Africa in the 2000 CQWW DX RTTY Contest,
and SOAB Los Angeles Section in the 2001 RTTY Roundup. Not bad considering I was using a 15 year old rig and a vertical antenna for both contests. The Auto Notch is amazing, no DSP in a factory rig comes close.
The manual is excellent, and many filter settings are preset, so you can plug and play. It has two inputs, so you can use it with two rigs at the same time! It also serves as a millivolt meter for those receiver adjustments.
KA3POY Rating: 2002-04-22
invaluable accessory Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have the 599zx with the latest upgrade chip and echo all of the previous positive comments. I bought mine used off ebay but would pay full price with no problem if I had to. Humorously, with dsp you get the new problem of being able to hear stations that you can't work - because they don't hear you as well as you hear them :)

Points of especial importance: 1) the 599zx allows the bandwidth to be narrowed down to 25 herz or less - this is very handy, 2) you can simultaneously have 2 rigs hooked up and switch back and forth with a front panel button, 3) you can sometimes pop up a cw signal from the qrn floor that otherwise would not be copyable at all.

Importantly, remember to ground the rig - I used a phono plug jumper from an used jack in the back with the shield wired to my station ground. If you don't, the dsp unit can pick up stray rf and feed it into the audio on some bands.

73

KA3POY
AL7KC Rating: 2001-11-02
An Advantageous Accessory for Older Rigs Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As a DXer, I've found this unit to be very valuable in removing offending malicious carriers and tuner-uppers when trying to work rare stations, that otherwise were unable to be heard. I now leave the autonotch tone filter on all the time, as I find that it totally removes any carriers, no matter how strong. It made a huge improvement to my state of mind not having my eardrums blasted by people tuning up while trying to copy S-0 signals. The noise reduction will not cure all forms of noise, but I've been able to engage it numerous times and copy phone signals that were unrecognizable before turning on the DSP. Sometimes it is quite impressive to have S-9 noise level and totally mute it! As others noted, DSP is not perfect...you get mushy sounding audio as more processing is added; however, being able to listen to a mushy signal is much better than not being able to copy anything due to noise or QRM. The manual filters that can be engaged in addition to the automatic ones help to overcome "special" problems, like RTTY conveniently showing up on the DX frequency.
I did not feel the issues with the knobs, and the "loose" feeling control issues stated in another review were a detractor. Like any piece of equipment, it has it's own unique feel. I quickly got used to it.
This unit is a good substitute for rig IF filtering, as I have noted by direct comparison that it can give nearly equal results. So, I think for older rigs, it's a great addition. It's been a great outboard accessory to my Drake TR-7. After a demo by another satisfied owner, John, AL7JK, I saw the merit of the additional features available in this unit over the W9GR and DSP-59+ and have not regretted my subsequent purchase. These units are more available on the used market now that more people are upgrading their rigs to newer ones with built-in DSP.