[Premium-Rx] better receivers.

Wed Feb 2 09:29:55 EST 2005

Just think if they could provide new software and hardware in the form of
standard 
modules. Replace the module then down load the software and you have a new
radio.
I suppose not a good business plan but sounds cool. fc

-----Original Message-----
From: Cecil Acuff [mailto:chacuff at cableone.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:22 AM
To: Carcia, Francis A HS; Premium-Rx (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.

I agree with the flash upgrade notion.  At least Ten-Tec got that part right

as opposed to the best efforts from Japan.  I recently purchased an Icom 756

Pro II.  We've seen it go from the Pro to the II and now the III.  The 
platform should have been flash upgradeable to future feature sets...of 
course the exception being architectural changes which I think has been the 
case on some of the Icom model changes.  But for what the things cost the 
changes are taking place too fast for the market that it's aimed for to keep

up.  I would much prefer to be able to upgrade the DSP and operating system 
software with new and improved features to the basic platform than to have 
to sell and re-purchase every 2 or 3 years to pick up a few new features.

Just my thoughts...

Cecil....
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carcia, Francis A HS" <francis.carcia at hs.utc.com>
To: "Premium-Rx (E-mail)" <premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 7:21 AM
Subject: RE: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.

> hi,
> Things change so fast that there is no profit in supporting old hardware. 
> It
> sells
> cheap in the first place. I would like the radio all in one box with an
> ability to down load different software or remote control. I found this
> problem when I bought a MOT
> DSP eval board to play with a DSP demodulator. Two years later it is off 
> MOT
> radar.
> It was a cool project and learning tool. Another option is a radio that 
> has
> a standard bus that would accept new features like a sound card or video
> interface. Say an Industrial Tempest computer with a radio front panel.
> Split the case in two sections.
> one side for RF and the other for the pikuter. Put a nice display on the
> front panel
> with a key pad volume control and a nice opto encoder off a NCI machine 
> with
> nice
> knobs. My homebrew RX has modules that can be upgraded one at a time.   fc
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: w3jn [mailto:w3jn at direcway.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 7:17 PM
> To: Premium-Radio
> Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.
>
>
> Make that a third.
>
> I've learned the hard way that an instrument dependent upon PC control is
> soon obsolete.  The special card (ISA, PCI, etc) that goes in the PC and
> will only talk with certain versions of Windows will render the whole
> instrument useless when it craps out, or you can't buy PCs with <insert 
> bus
> standard here>, or you can't buy that version of Windows anymore, etc. 
> And
> good luck getting any assistance from the manufacturer.  They plan on
> supporting equipment for a year or two tops.  They can't even purchase
> replacement parts in many cases.
>
> We've had a thread on amfone.net on this subject:
> http://amfone.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3742
>
> In my professional life, I still use receivers that were designed and made
> over 30 years ago, while much newer ones are essentially useless due to 
> the
> proprietary A/D board dying, or the special laptop controller crapping 
> out,
> etc.  Newer/faster/better for a WHILE, to be sure - but I find it
> interesting that receivers getting on 70 years old such as the HRO are
> really yet to be obsolete.  They are still eminently usable, they are 
> easily
>
> repairable, and they really aren't THAT far behind the most modern DSP pie
> pan box.  No way could I justify spending $500-1000 that will be 
> essentially
>
> useless in about 5 years - and even if not useless, it would be hopelessly
> overtaken by even newer/faster/better radios.
>
> I learned to hate PC and mouse control of receivers after using the
> Rockwell/Collins 95S controller program.  Wonderful radio if they'd put a
> front panel on it.
>
> 73 John
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cecil Acuff" <chacuff at cableone.net>
> To: "Michael O'Beirne" <michaelob at tiscali.co.uk>; "Premium-Radio"
> <premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 5:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.
>
>
>>I second Michaels thoughts....I'm a hands on radio guy.  I like lots of
>>knobs, buttons, displays\meters and a large weighted flywheel tuning knob.
>>As long as that is the interface I can live with all the high tech DSP or
>>whatever technology behind the front panel.  The PC based or web based
>>radio interface leaves me cold.  No interest at all!  Of course that's
>>probably not the wave of the future but that's OK I'll just continue to 
>>use
>
>>the best of the old stuff.
>>
>> Cecil...
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Michael O'Beirne" <michaelob at tiscali.co.uk>
>> To: "Premium-Radio" <premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 3:01 PM
>> Subject: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.
>>
>>
>> Evening folks,
>>
>> I have read some of the recent offerings on newer and better radios.  I 
>> am
>
>> afraid to say, in best Irish manner, include me out of this new mania for
>> radios controlled entirely by the PC. If it hasn't got a robust 19 inch
>> panel, a decent handsome layout, big chunky knobs and, essentially, a
>> super smooth flywheel-weighted tuning knob, then I'm not interested.
>>
>> I do very much approve of Steve Stutman's thoughts on Swiss ball 
>> bearings.
>
>> You'll find some in the gearbox of the Plessey PR155 (and with incredible
>> skew cut gears as well) and don't think of the cost!!!
>>
>> No gents, when the radio is reduced to a PC buried deep inside the PC 
>> with
>
>> linear predictive encoded speech (ie some Oriental voice) and Lord knows
>> what else, why bother with HF, cut off the antenna and just use the Web.
>>
>> For me the fun is the unpredictability of the medium and using super high
>> quality radio in a form that is pleasing to me.  That's why all the awful
>> black rice boxes are best passed by on the other side.
>>
>> 73s to all,
>> Michael O'Beirne
>> G8MOB
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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> ----
>>
>>
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