Question about using EXT CLK instead of GPS
I already have a reference clock source in my shack. Can I use the EXT CLK input to feed the Kiwi a reference signal? Or is EXT CLK for self test purposes only?
Thanks!
K5IUC
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I already have a reference clock source in my shack. Can I use the EXT CLK input to feed the Kiwi a reference signal? Or is EXT CLK for self test purposes only?
Thanks!
K5IUC
Comments
You can use your own ref clock. But it needs to be a frequency that's compatible with the Kiwi's ADC clock, e.g. 66.6xxx MHz. Not a 10 MHz house reference.
Lots of people program a 66.672 MHz output from a Bodnar GPSDO to feed the EXT CLK input. That gives a precise 12 kHz audio sample rate which some people require. Settings for external clock setup are on the admin page, config tab. Including the setting where you disable the Kiwi's GPS clock correction (which makes no sense to enable for almost all external clock situations).
With Kiwi-2 the self test output function is just an additional feature for that connector.
Perfect! Thank you for clearing that up. I did not read closely enough that the self test is an output function of the EXT CLK connector, that makes a lot more sense.
With that, I am going to place my order.