Digital voice unit in production

Digital voice unit in production

Codec2 digital voice developer, David Rowe VK5DGR, has announced that the first batch of 100 SM1000s are being built in China right now and shipping may start in late March

The SM1000 is an a embedded hardware product that allows you to run FreeDV without a PC. Just plug it into your SSB or FM radio, and you now have Digital Voice (DV).

Introducing the SM1000 Smart Mic
http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?p=3125

SM1000 Part 10 – First Over the Air Tests
http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?p=3846









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According to the folks at Flexradio they will also be adding FreeDV to future versions of SmartSDR.
The production of VK5DGR's board along with the work by Flex means we might see more DV activity on HF.

 

Doubt it. Too little too late.

The number of hams pushing back against computers is growing everyday and I'm proud to say I'm one of them. A few years ago, I had to hang my head in shame for operating a Galaxy 5, Swan 270B, Swan 400, HT32 and my old Halli SR-2000. The SR2000 was given to me for free 10 years ago during a hamfest because the guy didn't want to carry it back to his truck. Just sold it last month for far more than any flex. Old analog junk rig prices are going crazy and out of sight. Most hams just getting tired of the "Rig 'o the month" club I guess.

Yes there will be activity - the same old small groups will be involved and praise this mode like all others to high heaven. But for most of us - ssb is good enuff. Even better with the old rigs that glowed with those crazy Vacuu-Fets.

The greatest activiy will be on shortwave broadcasting ... as a free alternative to that pricey DRM. Expect to see a number of testing as various companies try it over the air. Wonder how well music sounds over it?....

K5BIZ www.bandconditions.com


Speak of the devil - just fnished reading AR News-line - looks like the VOA has already started doing this with other ham modes... Codec2 tests coming soon no doubt...

 

I'm glad you are enjoying boat anchors. They certainly have their place in amateur radio.

I don't quite understand your comment that many hams are pushing back against computers. Yes, some of us prefer knobs and buttons over a "soft" interface but that doesn't mean computers don't have a place in the modern shack.

SSB may be "good enough" but Digital Voice has merits worth investigating.

I think this announcement is a great step forward.

 

What are these 'merits' of HF DV?

Certainly not an enabler of longer range weak signal DX.

As for casual "rag chewing" I don't hear any improvements either. The audible qualities heard on the demo video on the linked web page are far inferior to any analog ESSB or even a good AM QSO. (Especially when using an SDR)

The HF DV clip is plagued with drop outs, which could be seen as a fair trade off with static crashes and selective fading of an analog transmission, although I prefer the latter over the former.

But even when the DV signal is steady its relatively low bit-rate reproduces a sound that is thin, tinny, with a warbly echo and terrible tone equalization. After some initial hoopla, HF SWBC with DRM, which does have better quality, seems to have stalled if not retreated.

I encourage amateur experimentation, that's what we do, but without any solid benefit arising, seems to me that HF DV is destined to be just another passing curiosity.

73 de John - WØPV

 

Wasn't something similar once said about sideband?

 

Computers in the Ham Shack are NOT going away

Really ?
Have you been in another hams shack lately. Click on the Random button and count how many hams have computer monitors in their shack.
Computers are part of many many ham's logging and digital modes. Even Model 28 teletypes were the start of computers in the ham shack.

 

I am not the right person to answer this question. You have to do your own research and decide for yourself, but in my mind HF DV is simply another digital mode like RTTY, PSK or any other.

I will say that as the hobby and the industry moves more and more towards SDR technoogy, Digital Voice is a natural evolution.
Just look at every public service radio service, DRM, DStar, FDMDV, DMR, etc. The point is the world is digital and that is not going to change. Ham Radio can either move forward or ignore technology and die.

 

I get your analogy - I became a ham when SSB was still sometimes referred to as the "Donald Duck" of modes.

Back in the day there was a lot of whining within some of the ham community about adopting HF SSB over AM. Primarily because it sounded goofy, especially on the relatively unstable drifty hard-to-tune adapted AM gear of the times.

Sideband technology was relatively complicated, product detectors, phasing or xtal filters; more difficult to homebrew and new good commercial gear was expensive.

But on proper gear there was no denying the merits of SSB, especially for weak signal long distance comms; smaller bandwidth, greater power efficiency, etc etc etc.

So much so that even Gen. Curtis LeMay, KØGRL et al, commander of USAF-SAC, demanded SSB mode become standard equipment for intercontinental aircraft. (using top-of-the-line Collins gear, of course)

Sure, SSB can still sound bad if done wrong, as I am sure can DV can be improved. Thus experiments should continue. But even if the quality is improved, how does adopting DV advance HF amateur communications state-of-the-art?

73 de John - WØPV

 

Well here are few ideas that you might consider.

- Because your call sign is embedded in every transmission, automatic DX spotting would be created.
- Automatic propagation information and maps could be made available.
- How about being able to look at your panadapter and see call signs associated with every signal on the band.
- How about automatically being notified if your friend is on the band and frequency they are on.

I could go on and on but because the signal and user information is digital, this presents a number of opportunities.

I also think as the technology improves the bandwidth and signal recovery will improve. According to the FreeDV site
"Communications should be readable down to 2 dB S/N, and long-distance contacts are reported using 1-2 watts power."

Even though SSB is the standard mode on HF there are still people using AM and even as DV grows SSB will still be around.

 

Honestly, pushing back against computers, is this a joke? If not, I get its not for you but how does one feel the need to slam down something they are not interested in? It hurts you somehow that this is being done?
Wow, thats all I can say about post like that, just WOW......

 

Thanks for your response. I expected that secondary non-audio data "piggybacking" on a DV signal would be sited as an advantage. Those are interesting cool gimmicks. Similar those offered by the digital audio modes promulgated to supplant NBFM for use on VHF-UHF.

But, first things first, that other data is not of a lot of use if the primary audio doesn't get sufficiently decoded or is of such poor quality to be unpleasant listening. Delays, drop-outs, echoes; ish!

"Communications should be readable ... etc " is a nice fuzzy claim I haven't seen or heard much evidence to back it up yet, especially not on HF. On the contrary, for VHF applications I have heard many reports indicating in practice a decrease in range for point-to-point or repeaters when the same transmitters and antennas are using digital voice modulation.

From my experiences, on HF, SNR threshold is not the only measure to conquer for establishing useable communications. At skywave distances, ionosphere propagation, with its disturbances, ie, polar path aurora, plays havoc with signals. For example PSK can be unusable even with relatively good signal strength.

What about adjacent channel interference, how will DV respond to a crowded band with many overlapping signals? This is one of the reasons aircraft communications steadfastly remains using amplitude modulation (AM + carrier local, SSB international). Because if multiple users should "double", transmit together, a listener can often by ear determine the situation and still discern useful information.

Sorry for being so skeptical on this - I love digital modes; don't want to go back to analog recorded music, television, or hard-wired telephones. I use Baudot RTTY, PSK, SSTV, even some JT-65 on HF. But amateur HF DV, mmmm, no, not yet for me; and please don't QRM my SSB QSO with it (quack-quack ;-)

73 de John - WØPV

 

Also from what i have read, far less band width is used with a digital signal also....

 

I hope it copes better than the digital television signal I receive which suffers horrendously under adverse weather conditions.

 

I tend to be an early adopter of technology sometimes with unfortunate results but DV seems to be future technology that I will and others should consider embracing. The early digital modes were by comparison slow and difficult to integrate into existing stations but not so today. I use all modes at different times and for different reasons and I suspect DV will be the same, another tool in the box for communications. Perhaps one day SSB goes the way of AM but so what, I still can use AM today and I will still be able to use SSB in the future in spite of DV's acceptance.

As for computers I have a distinct love - hate relationship with what is now an essential part of my station. I have a Drake C line that can go on the air for something different but most of my operating requires that my computer be up and running. It may not be for everybody, but I suspect it is for many.