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V4 NR Operation vs V3

Lionel
Lionel Member ✭✭✭
in FLEX-6000 Signature Series

Does anyone have data on the v4 NR performance, or even qualitative observations? I'm using a 6400 without any add on, networking and all local and this morning on 75m SSB with the typical noise at 9AM the NR made no significant difference. Adjusting AGC-T made no difference. Preamp at -8. I could bring AGC-t down to silence but weaker stations on the net were not copied. I am antenna noise limited as always on 75.

I recall on v3 I could use the NR slider to near quiet on SSB until distortion set in and still copy weaker stations. What I feel is a step backwards on NR. This was (!) a function I used often. Now NR seems as if the slider if one were to exist would be set very low.

Giving NR time to settle, I'm assuming the noise is being analyzed for best NR. Time makes a very slight difference.

Comments, feedback?

Is it possible for the NR algorithms to be optimized for the 8000 series while in reality the 6000 series cannot use the best algorithms intended for the 8xxx due to processing capacity.

Anyone? Comments?

I may roll back to v3.10 just for better NR.

I don't want to change the subject, I am anyway. I see and hear no differences between v3 v4 other than the disappearing sliders. Anyone? Maybe the changes are bug issues not readily observable.

I've been using Flex SDR from 5000s exclusively and feel quite comfortable observing the performance. Not a newbei.

Answers

  • Russ Ravella
    Russ Ravella Member ✭✭✭
    edited November 8

    I can only provide qualitative comments based on my own limited experience of course. But I'm seeing the v4 NR more effective than the v3 was in general. But how effective it seems to be varies depending on what is specifically going on -exactly as you'd expect. Your 75M after the sun's been up awhile case sounds pretty tough.

    Other's are complaining about the absence of sliders as well but some are saying they're doing side-by-side comparisons and find the new version converges pretty much to the same setting they would have set anyway. Just like always, reports are all over the map.

    I can add that I pony'ed up for the early access just to support Flex (don't really care about having early access per se) and that bought my 6700 the new NRL as well. And it is pretty different and often more effective still. I hesitate to say that though because reports on it are all over the map too.

    What I WILL say is, this is their first pass in a new process they've instantiated that assumes iteration. They're relying on it. They've stated that some of the heavy lifters working on the noise algorithms are experts in the technology but not hams. The idea is to put a best effort attempt out, get feedback and improve accordingly. They're only now getting their first feedback so we should expect things to get better from here.

    The reaction to the sliders being removed has been so great, especially the NR slider you're missing, that it's a good guess it will make a reappearance in the next update (which people seem to think is about a month away for some reason).

    So please provide as detailed feedback as you can to Flex on what you're experiencing. The better job you do at illustrating what you're seeing, the better chance they'll have of thoroughly addressing it. You might consider providing a demo video.

    Your question about 8XXX radios being able to implement all of this more effectively than 6XXX radios is a good one. I wonder that too. I'd assume they can.

    Give them a chance to turn the crank a few times is my opinion. GL Russ KR6W

  • Dan Trainor
    Dan Trainor Member ✭✭✭
    edited November 8

    Russ, very well said. I think if we get some really good "ham experience" oriented real like feedback to the DSP mathematical whizzes, they will be enable to dial it in so well that no user intervention with sliders or anything else will be needed. I firmly believe that. It is will be adaptive and result in optimums per your signal and noise environment. In just takes interation, until it is achieved to satisfaction of most. The challenge will be getting super good feedback, probably in video / audio form and retesting the new results in the other direction to confirm. It will be a progressive evolution over probably several point release to get it optimally dialed in. Which is just fine, imo. 73 Dan WA1QZX

  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭

    Thank you. I've been trying to quantify some of the performance numbers. My test this run was to use FlexMeter to report audio noise with NR ON and OFF.

    NR does work with is setup………but as you can see over a period of one minute the noise level returns to before I turned NR ON. NR is on over the entire one minute. No changes to anything during the test.

    I do consider the possibility that my test is faulty, but I've run it many times this morning with the same result. Read the notes on the chart.

    V4 NR Function 1.jpg

    I don't feel satisfied with the results so I will continue using a different method.

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