[Premium-Rx] Ideal Replacement for Icom R9000

Tue Feb 1 01:33:02 EST 2005

Hi,

Presume many on the list have seen:

http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuradio/

Reading associated materials leads me to believe that they are 
written/aimed at an audience which likes confusers and has stumbled upon 
what we used to call radio; as opposed to converse.

It is a simplistic implementation, but I'd rather wrangle RF than bad 
drivers; believe the communal approach will take care of the latter.

So:

Is it a(n) RX with a confuser/IP inside or is it a confuser with I/Q up 
front and maybe even some plain old analog selectivity? Sort of like 
using Cauchy's back in old Fortran days; ne c'est pas?

Personally I believe that the likelihood of Asian radio mfgs selling a 
flexible software intensive product, at present, is sort of like 
expecting Motorola to address the HF QRP market.

In a perfect world the front end IMNSHO would be something like SP-600 
with Swiss ball-bearings providing some fine knob twisting and parameter 
setting.

 From a little reading, it seems to me that the www.flex-radio.com folks 
are closest today to a good implentation.

73,
Steve

Chuck Hutton wrote:

> 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 <mailto:Aidehua at aol.com>
> 
>     *To:* icom at mailman.qth.net <mailto:icom at mailman.qth.net> ;
>     premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org <mailto:premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org> ;
>     ic7800 at yahoogroups.com <mailto: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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> 
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> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
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