Slow CW vs. BPSK. & Computer modes]

[Andre' Kesteloot]

Talbot Andrew wrote:

> >This is all-important. Extremely weak stations require considerable
> >additional work by the 'computer between the ears' to decipher
> >what is signal and what is noise on the screen - just like aural
> >Morse, but visual. This accounts for several extra dB of gain, and
> >however slow you send the Morse, this advantage is still available.
> >It would take a very sophisticated computer to be as good.
>
> NO !  With these modes the computer is not doing anything to aid
> extraction of the signal that could not be done with conventional
> hardware.    The 'several extra dB gain' is just there because more
> noise has been filtered out.  The brain is just looking at amplitude
> changes in this narrow bandwidth and integrating over the signalling
> period (looking at brightness over the length of a dot).
>
> All Spect....  is,  is a bank of narrow filters.   There is nothing in
> theory to stop you making a crystal filter, or a whole bank of them this
> narrow.   For a display mechanism, a chart recorder - multiple pen ones
> are available.    All this technology was available in the 1950s as I'm
> sure those who were around in that era will remember.
>
> All the computer does is make this much simpler and cheaper and
> available to everyone, it is only a filter and display mechanism so
> please can we stop referring to Spect...   as computer modes.   It can
> be done in other ways.
>
> Coherent etc and PSK31 are computer modes,  SPECT..... is not, it is
> only a filter bank and display.
>
> Real computer / DSP modes mean making use of coherent detection and
> error correction - and have nothing to do with the speed of the
> signalling.
>
> There seems to be no appreciation on this newsgroup of the real value of
> coherent detection - that is, having phase information available when
> the signal is decoded and coherently locking to the signal carrier and
> bit  timing.   Simple theory, as I covered in a previous email, shows
> mathematically the considerable theoretical advantage of coherent
> detection over non coherent, there is no dispute about this.
>
> SO unless your ears / eyes can respond to signal phase, is doesn't
> matter how much personal pride says that the brain is a marvelous
> computer, is will never compete against PSK  :
>
> Given the same TOTAL overall signalling speed and comparing like with
> like on the end to end link.
>
> Repeating CW characters time and time again has to be compared with true
> error correction and low data rate signalling.
>
> Computer error correction does the same job as the eye interpreting
> between the dots on Spect...,   and with well chosen codes can do an
> awful lot better.  These optimum codes are only just beginning to appear
> thanks primarily to the huge research effort funded by the mobile phone
> industry, but hopefully Coherent etc will soon make use of them - the
> equations are public information.  The maths is similar, just the
> implementation different.
>
> Coherent etc and PSK31 are computer modes,  Spect... is not.
>
> Andy  G4JNT
>
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