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| ts590s [2026/06/11 13:49] – [IF Panadaptor Tap] admin | ts590s [2026/06/11 15:24] (current) – [Oscillator Upgrade] admin |
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| ==== IF Panadaptor Tap ==== | ==== IF Panadaptor Tap ==== |
| Adding an IF panadaptor tap is one of my favorite things to do to HF rigs. I prefer IF taps to Rx taps as the SDR can see what the radio is seeing through its filters, and the SDR benefits from the performance of these filters as well. Some people want to be able to see the entirety of HF on a panadapter, and for them, using an Rx tap is fine. It's good to have options! | Adding an panadaptor tap is one of my favorite things to do to HF rigs. I usually prefer IF taps to Rx taps, but on the TS-590S this is a challenge because the radio does both upconversion and downconversion, and there are two IF tap points. On Mark W7MLG's page on adding an SDR panadaptor to the TS-590S [[https://sites.google.com/site/marksts590smods/|here]], he mentions the availability of CN101 for an Rx tap before the RF amplifier, or CN201, which also makes use of the band pass filters. That's my preference, so I'll also be using CN201. |
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| The IF can be tapped directly, but I like to use a Hi-Z tap board with integral filtering and Rx-On, Tx-Off switching. These are readily available and inexpensive. | |
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| Two examples: | Two examples: |
| * SiTime [[https://www.sitime.com/products/mhz-oscillators/digitally-controlled-oscillators/sit3521|Si3521]] - this is not sold as a TCXO, but is a TCXO per its functional description. SiTime only states a stability of 20PPM, but I'm still interested in playing with one. The evaluation board is prohibitively expensive, so I may spin my own board if I wish to proceed further. | * SiTime [[https://www.sitime.com/products/mhz-oscillators/digitally-controlled-oscillators/sit3521|Si3521]] - this is not sold as a TCXO, but is a TCXO per its functional description. SiTime only states a stability of 20PPM, but I'm still interested in playing with one. The evaluation board is prohibitively expensive, so I may spin my own board if I wish to proceed further. |
| * Jason Milldrum NT7S has done a lot of research, development, and testing into the application of a Silicon Labs [[https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/Si5351.pdf|Si5351A]] coupled with a 25MHz TCXO. This is a $2 part that could be coupled with a $2 TCXO. With appropriate filtering this could be a strong contender, and there is already a baseline of using this combination in amateur radio projects that demand high stability. Lots of posts on his blog under "Si5351A" - https://nt7s.com/?s=Si5351A | * Jason Milldrum NT7S has done a lot of research, development, and testing into the application of a Silicon Labs [[https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/Si5351.pdf|Si5351A]] coupled with a 25MHz TCXO. This is a $2 part that could be coupled with a $2 TCXO. With appropriate filtering this could be a strong contender, and there is already a baseline of using this combination in amateur radio projects that demand high stability. Lots of posts on his blog under "Si5351A" - https://nt7s.com/?s=Si5351A |
| | * The MS5351M exists as a Chinese clone of the Si5351A, and has been used favorably by QRP Labs, who also did a great write up on it. Interestingly, in his tests it demonstrated notably better phase noise characteristics than the Si5351A. Their write up can be found [[https://qrp-labs.com/synth/ms5351m.html|here]]. |
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| === Existing XO Analysis === | === Existing XO Analysis === |
