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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
NR1SS Rating: 2001-09-02
Save your Money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I gave it a two and here's my experience. Presales (John) and TechQueries (Kevin) are great. Spoke on the phone with them and they are both friendly and helpful. No doubt these guys know what they are talking about. Now for the execution... First of all the Knobs SUCK. They are not concentric, not finished well, nor are they held on w/ a set screw -- just friction. The quality of the knobs is a disappointment. However, nothing compared to the two optical encoders used for low-pass and hi-pass tuning. The lateral shaft movement is unacceptable. Just too frikkin loose. That coupled w/ the knob will give you an out of round sloppy visual along w/ a the feel of a cheap, loose "pot". Not a pleasant experience. The unit does perform well electrically. It shines on CW. It's similar to a very narrow filter (adjustable BW and centre freq) but without the ringing and the seashell hollow sound of op-amp filters. It's not really a contender, IMO, for QRP work on battery or solar because it draws about 1A. The LCD screen is very nice giving mode and status info. Not much you can do about the current draw because of the fast processor, I imagine. I didn't open it to checkout the construction so I've no comment on the quality of the fab, internal construction, etc. I would like to see the bypass LED amber instead of Green and the Gain LED Green instead of Amber. Probably easy to change LEDs, along with the knobs, and the Optical Encoders but why should I have to? I was disappointed with this purchase and returned it. In summary, I looks like economic factors are driving poor quality and lack of attention to detail at Timewave. I'm not ready to spend $400 on this AF DSP compromise.
W2VD Rating: 2001-08-07
Does a good job Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My 599zx does as good a job as an audio DSP can. It's very helpful with CW reception in my noisy environment. While it can help with voice reception, the unit really shines on CW. This product works well, but can not solve every problem. I would buy it again, and would recommend it to others.
KG4DKY Rating: 2001-07-05
Awsome Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just hooked up my new timewave 599zx and it was everything I had hoped for in a dsp .I installed it with my ft 840 and what a diference. I could Hear signals I never could hear before. Worth every penny! If you Need One this is the one to buy
WB7QXU Rating: 2001-06-23
Great DSP Unit. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got mine when they first came out. I was skeptical but Ron at HRO in San Diego had just got the first one in. I bought it on the spot, never regreted it. It brought RTTY Sigs that were not there to life. It get rids of those tunner uppers with tone wipes them out. Nice to bring the filtering down to just where I want it. It really cuts the noise down a Significant very noticable factor. It really make a difference even on my newer 706. A must. Drive a larger external speaker real well.
K9FTB Rating: 2001-04-11
Expensive but WOW !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my version 5.0 599zx a few days ago. I did some research and asked lots of questions since the cost was high compared to some other units. The QST product review was very favorable as was the QTH reflector.

I was amazed at the effectiveness on hetrodynes - push the switch - and BAM their gone! The random noise function is excellent as well, although it didn't seem to eliminate as much QRN as I had hoped.

The CW and SSB filtering really are tremendous - signals (CW) simply disappear or appear! I can see solid copy in difficult conditions will be a breeze from now on.

I haven't tried RTTY or PSK31 yet, but I expect the same excellent results there as well.

I'd recommend and buy this unit again!! It's a once in a liftime purchase given the price, but the effectiveness is certainly warrants the cost.
WA5EML Rating: 2001-02-19
Fine equipment Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I use it with an old Atlas 210x. The features I use most are the upper and lower skirt to control the bandpass for CW and SSB. The random noise button helps bring up weak signals by lowering the noise floor. Before buying it, I could not imagine how this box could be worth what it cost -- It's fine, one of the best pieces of gear I own. It is firmware upgradeable. I just put Ver. 5.0 in mine several few months back. I have tried others - This is the best!
WB6BIG Rating: 2000-11-19
CW & RTTY great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use it for CW and RTTY contesting with Writelog. It's rare that I hear a signal I can't copy. It makes RTTY tuning a breeze. Just added the 5.0 upgrade with no trouble.
KI0MB Rating: 1999-11-22
Great Product & Great Support Time Owned: unknown months.
This is a great product! I have used it in several contests, CW, RTTY, and SSB, and find this unit has helped in all of them. Signals really pop up like they claim...I had a problem when I first bought the unit, but it was fixed in 5 minutes. The tech support was great! They took all the time "I" needed to fix it. Just a loose connection. Ever since, this has become a product I will not ham without.
KF9LI Rating: 1999-10-11
Excellent narrow filter Time Owned: unknown months.
It really makes the signals 'jump' out of the noise. The random noise reduction button takes out alot of the static. Makes copying stations easier. I use it mostly for CW and RTTY, and it really makes a noticable improvement. If you need a DSP filter, Get the 599zx, you won't be disappointed.