[Premium-Rx] SDR radios: RFSpace, WinRadio & Flex Radio

[Terry O'Laughlin]

>For other options in a software-defined receiver, check out the g303i or the
>newer g313i from Winradio http://www.winradio.com/home/g313i.htm or the
>SDR-1000  from Flex Radio: http://www.flex-radio.com/


I was not familiar with either one of these radios so I took some time to 
read through the literature and recommended articles.  I have not tried 
either the WinRadio or the Flex Radio.  They both appear to be 
mixer-oscillator conversion radios that put the ADC in an IF frequency 
range.  The RFSpace SDR-14 converts the whole 0-30 MHz spectrum into 
digital data directly from the incoming RF.  The SpectraVue software can 
display 4 MHz of spectrum right out of the box but it can be configured to 
display all 30 MHz (shown in screen shots on the website).  Neither of the 
other two radios appear to be able to do this.

The graphic analysis tools I saw on SpectraVue with my friend's SDR-14 blew 
away anything I saw on either WinRadio or Flex Radio's websites.  He put up 
a 1 MHz slice of the 20 meter ham band and you could see the dots and 
dashes of dozens of individual Morse code signals scroll out on the 
waterfall display.  The resolution was incredible.  Similarly, the AM 
signals in the SWBC bands scroll out like multiple modulation envelope 
displays running simultaneously.   It was awesome.  He put up an L band 
military satellite (using the 10.7 MHz out on an ICOM R-7000) and you could 
see all the data subbands and clusters of similar digital data 
signals.  I'm surprised the SDR-14 is not export restricted.

I've owned a lot of WJ surveillance gear for spectral monitoring and 
analysis (see my website http://watkins-johnson.terryo.org).  Nothing 
prepared me for way information graphically leapt out from the SpectraVue 
waterfall display.  There many unidentified frequency agile signals that 
I've never noticed on any other display.  Even the basic spectrum analyzer 
display had more information at better resolution than anything I've owned 
or seen.

I'm not ready to plunk down a grand for one of these boxes.  I'll need a 
couple more hours of playing with it before I would part with that kind of 
money.  I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone with a WinRadio g313i 
or Flex Radio SDR-1000.

Best,
Terry O'