[Premium-Rx] Ideal Replacement for Icom R9000

Sun Jan 30 20:33:13 EST 2005

I'm thinking in the digital domain for some new things. 

I'd love to see a receiver that would dump huge chucks of bandwidth directly
to a hard disk after digitization. Huge chunks means entire ham, SW or
broadcast bands and digitization means at least 16 bits. I'd love to see
lower bands (AM broadcast, 160 meters) be directly digitized without
conversion to an IF and today's ADC's can do that easily. If only the
evaluation boards had PCI interfaces - I'd do the anti-aliasing and lowpass
filtering plus any needed amplification, and voila. If anyone knows of a
cheap ADC board that supports PCI or 1394 or other fast interface, I'd like
to hear about it.

The second area I'm very interested in is demodulation. In the audio coding
world, software exists that extracts a desired signal in noise and compares
it to a reference signal. It doesn't work with the S/N ratios we would need,
but some day it will be there. In addition, there's the so-called dynamic
Costas loop where phase and amplitude of the legs is dynamically controlled
to minimize interference in the output. Lastly (similar to what someone
already wrote): given that the interference source is often known (something
on an adjoining frequency), it's modulation could be analyzed (FFT) and used
as an input to the demod process.

Chuck

  _____  

From: premium-rx-bounces at ml.skirrow.org
[mailto:premium-rx-bounces at ml.skirrow.org] On Behalf Of refmon
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 11:38 PM
To: icom at mailman.qth.net; premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org; ic7800 at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Fw: [Premium-Rx] Ideal Replacement for Icom R9000

Hi,

Lots of cool ideas, to be sure--I really like the dual rx's with the
diversity slaving built in.  However, I find that features not directly
related to reception tend to dilute the receiver--that is, the receiver as a
product will begin to suffer as the manufacturer (or buying public) tries to
stuff more gadgets in there.  Such stuff as decoders and TV demods are best
executed in purpose-built form.  As an ex R9000 owner, I never, ever, found
any real use for the ASCII screen and TV viewer-I just used a TV.

'

To make this receiver affordable for the listeners and profitable for the
manuafacturer, the manufacturer should look to reduce their receiver lines
(and various transceiver lines) to levels of commonality---NOT reinvent the
wheel for each model.  Use the same processors, synthesizers, etc.  The
really high-coolness receivers would be optioned sub-models of high end
manually operated receivers...not every receiver would have all the doodads

You might add to your wish list:

reasonably fast processor so the receiver does not bog down PC programs

PC-style kybd/mouse interface with rx's processor for initial and ongoing
configuration

EMI-hardenened chassis penetrations for keypads, displays, and external
connections (also known as shielding)

external reference selectable to 1, 5, or 10MHz

meaningfully variable tuning steps--perhaps % of bandwidth AND selected
discrete step

real remote control system--pro connector(s), full implementation (including
squelch and audio level read/set)

proper cooling and/or ventilation

some facility for GPS-slaved ref & time clock--clock time can be stamped on
remote status reads over the remote system...useful for logging

noise threshold riding squelch/raw signal strength squelch

buffer-memoried audio on SSB so squelch does not up-cut first syllable of
speech

plain old every day AGC or hang AGC with programmable (true counter time)
attack and decay TC's

adaptive noise blanker done in DSP - true analysis of prevailing noise vs
signal

all demodulation modes and bandwidths available at all frequencies-even if
the selection is "illegal"

multiple IF frequency outputs and/or programmable frequency per memory
channel...for example:  freq's of 10KHz, 100KHz, 10.7MHz,  21.4MHz,
160MHz-probably others

optional UHF/EHF detachable tuning head for remoting to/near antenna 

possible tie-in of logic and algorithms for scan/sweep, noise floor, noise
blanker, squelch level aimed at faster scan/sweeps with fewer false stops

"S" meter in microvolts OR dbm...assume 50 ohms, and it's a simple
conversion

a real control package available from manufacturer from day 1--not the
stripped-down, half functional, more grief than it's worth stuff that's been
available to date (not referring to aftermarket sources)

direct protocol interface between receiver and popular printers AND standard
database file layouts on PC or MAC

I don't have all the answers on how some of this would be implemented, but I
do know it can be done for peanuts vs the manufacturer going with the closed
system approach.

regards

John Collins

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Aidehua at aol.com 

To: icom at mailman.qth.net ; premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org ;
ic7800 at yahoogroups.com 

Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 6:00 PM

Subject: [Premium-Rx] Ideal Replacement for Icom R9000

The dream receiver, in my opinion would contain the following:

--Same layout and reception features as the 7800, including 7" Scope with
increased bandwidth (to 500 kHz)

--Wide Range Auto Tuner, designed to work on 1.0 to 30 MHz continuous (4:1
balun on rear)

--Filter bandwidths from 50Hz--16 kHz for HF; 6 KHz--150 kHz for 30-3000 MHz

--Continuous coverage from .05-3000 MHz

--Two Receivers with Diversity reception possible with one knob

--AM Synchronous Detection 

--ISB

--Digital Mode Decoding (incl PSK, FSK, FAX, SSTV, ATV, and the other
digital modes)

--DRM capable

--Stereo Decoding capability (AM/FM)

--Screen capable of TV viewing with TV decoder built-in

--Trunk Tracking capability

--Digital Decoding for 9600 baud

--S Meter in microvolts

--Firmware upgradeable

--Inverted Voice Descrambler

--multiple roofing filters

What more?  This is your chance to dream!  From a technical standpoint, this
is all possible in one box.  Pricepoint about $9K.  There is a niche market
for this, plus the government would certainly consider it.  Your thoughts?

73,

Ed NI6S

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