How does the DSP IF speech processor compare to a true RF processor?
The K3 RF processor works at IF. Essentially you create an SSB signal, using AGC/compression to keep the average signal level reasonably constant. You then apply additional gain to the IF SSB signal which drives the clipper. This gives you “RF clipping” with an adjustable amount of clipping. You then re-filter the resulting signal and convert it to the output frequency. Thus, the K3 has a true RF speech processor. It also has audio compression (“ALC”) and an 8-band TX EQ to tailor the overall response.
