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FLEX-6000 Signature Series – Maestro User Guide

23 HOW TO OPERATE DIVERSITY RECEPTION (FLEX-6600(M) AND

6700 ONLY)

Diversity reception is a powerful method for improving the readability of a signal by using two or

more communication channels with different characteristics. Diversity reception is very useful for

aiding reception in weak and fading (QSB) signal conditions. With optimally configured antennas,

weak signal QSB copy can be improved by as much as 75%.

Two common diversity reception methods are space and polarization. These methods use separate

antennas to receive different versions of the same signal. The FLEX-6700 incorporates two fully

independent Spectral Capture Units (SCUs) that allow two separate antennas to be simultaneously

digitized. The analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in the respective SCUs are driven from a single

clock source to provide stable synchronous reception.

Note: Since the FLEX-6500 and FLEX-6300 use a single SCU, they are not capable of diversity

reception.

For best results, antennas should be de-correlated in some way so that fading on one antenna is

likely to be seen as increased signal strength on the other antenna. De-correlation can be

accomplished by using different types of antennas (dipole and vertical), using the same type of

antenna at wide spacing (e.g. multiple wavelengths), or using the same antenna with different

polarizations (horizontal and vertical or right and left). The more de-correlated the antennas the

better, but even small amounts can be beneficial. One interesting example of the application of

circular polarization diversity on HF is discussed in the December 2010 QST article, “Gimme an X,

Gimme an O, What’s that Spell? – Radio.”

The diversity reception implementation provided in Maestro is intended for use only with

headphones. Two Slice Receivers attached to separate antennas are automatically routed to the

left and right ears so that the brain can provide discrimination between the signals. Speakers are

not recommended because they allow the audio signals to combine in the space between the

speakers to cause undesirable peaks and nulls in the sound.

FlexRadio Signature FLEX-6000 Series User Manual

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