Indian Software Defined Amateur Radio Transceiver launched

Indian Software Defined Amateur Radio Transceiver launched

The first Indian Amateur Radio software defined transceiver covering HF and 6 metres has been launched.

Rahul VU3WJM provides this information on the new rig:

'WonderRadio'
The first Indian (commercial) HF+6 meter multiband all mode transceiver. This transceiver is based upon the futuristic SDR (Software Defined Radio) technology and has outstanding specifications. http://www.sdrtec.com/

This transceiver is based on multi part QEX article:
"A Software Defined Radio for the Masses" by Gary Youngblood.

Shipping starts 3rd week of June.

For more information: support@sdrtec.com
For technical information: rahul.srivastava@sdrtec.com

Enjoy & 73
Rahul VU3WJM



SDRTec - WonderRadio spec and pictures http://www.sdrtec.com/







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Biggest problem I see? Why on earth would they choose to use a PARALLEL PORT as control? USB would seem to be the more obvious choice. Parallel is not just on the way out, it's as dead as the 5 1/4" floppy.

 

<<<I'm assuming this is the same one I'm thinking of as there is SUPPOSED to be ONLY ONE at this time.- my apologies if that is NOT the case>>>

I was reading some info on this & it says that it has issues on parts of it - I think it was 6M that would only put out a few mW, even on the 100W model. - The others were minor if I recall correctly. Sorry, I can't recall where I saw it at. (ARRL, google news - maybe?) as I'd like to go back & re-read it. I get reading this stuff & think HMM, interesting & move on, then find I should have bookmarked it just for this reason.

 

USB requires drivers. More work for the developer. Besides, a USB parallel port cost $10 online these days. How much more work would it be for the hardware designer to make the device less flexible (couldn't be used on legacy systems, maybe a large consideration in India)? It's a lot easier to find a USB to parallel port adapter than it is to find a parallel port to USB adapter...

 

Partial kit form considered ?

I believe that's GERALD Youngblood, not Gary who did the QEX article.

The reason why the parallel connection is used is because the design follows Gerald's (Flex Radio) SDR-1000 design and also uses his Power-SDR software which runs off the parallel port. Not a big deal...I have yet to see a new PC without a parallel port. My new laptop has USB and no serial but it still has a parallel port.

It would be nice if this Indian made SDR was available in various kit forms from bare pcb only to pcb + chips only to full kit.


.

 

As good as the device may be, the fact that they're choosing to use a dead (not just dying, dead) interface means I'll never buy one. Parallel ports started disappearing from motherboards well before even serial ports started going away.

Move forward or move backwards. Their direction is obvious...

 

RE: Parallel Port

 

Buy American -- Accept No Imitations -- Flex Radio!

India? Heck, you can buy Gerald's continuously improved design straight from his company in Texas. I have the SDR 1,000 and it's awesome! Flex Radio's SDR 5,000 uses Firewire, and the SDR 1,000 (Legacy) uses parallel port or USB control.

In the July 2008 issue of QST, Rick Lindquist, WW3DE published a very complimentary product review of the FLEX-5000A. Quoting Rick from the article, he said "The FLEX-5000A offers more features and flexibility than virtually any other transceiver I’ve ever seen and possibly any other radio on the market."

Flex Radio 5,000 QST REVIEW


The ARRL lab's measurements confirm that the FLEX-5000A achieves 99 dB two-tone, third order dynamic range and +39 dBm IP3 at @ 2 kHz spacing! This is world class performance. Worthy of note is that PowerSDR v1.12.0 already makes the QST article out of date before the ink has dried on the magazine. Virtually every comment made about the radio in the article has already been addressed in the new release of PowerSDR, including automatic buffer settings by mode and screen resizing. This illustrates the power of the Open Source Software Defined Radio paradigm. We want to assure you that "FlexRadios" will, "just keep getting better and better and better."

http://www.flex-radio.com

..

 

SDR from VU Land

india, heck, yes a small begning may be a more sophesticated model will follow suit from the developer. you cant compare the flex systems costing $5000 to a $300 everymans SDR.

vu3mes
satyan

 

VA3TO says:
"I have yet to see a new PC without a parallel port. My new laptop has USB and no serial but it still has a parallel port."

The Dell Inspiron I got in December caught me off guard. It came with a bunch of USB ports but no parallel port, no serial port. The Keyboard uses USB, so does the mouse. This means I had to switch to Dells optical mouse (but it doesn't get dirty like the roller ball one). Also had to use Dells kbd, but got used to it. Had to get a parallel to USB cable to use the old printer but was only $10. Still need to get some serial adapter to use with the rig interface. My point is, USB is the new standard interface on PCs. One advantage is the incredible speed, memory, and hard drive storage you get for only $300. But yes designers are going to have to accommodate USB interfaces sooner or later.

Rick K2XT

 

I haven't read the FLEX specs yet, but just a glance at the eBay listing for the import product quickly explains the reason ARRL loves this stuff: A maximum receiver bandwidth of 192kHz!!! - depending on sound card.

OK. That, folks, is the ARRL Dream Come True. Why? Now, they can realize their HF-Broadband wet dream.

Imagine IP content from one station consuming a third of an HF band below 10M. And, of course, our friends at SCS, thanks to the FCC's intransigence, can now develop a super-duper 200, 300, 400..."N"- carrier OFDM/TDM or whatever protocol broad bandwidth digital modem they want, as long as its within the useable receiver bandwidth of 192kHz.

Fire away, folks.....

 

What exactly are you on about here? You seem to be misunderstanding.
A 192kHz bandwidth with a spectrum display is a very nice thing to have and is typical of the SDR offerings regardless of source or make these days. What exactly is bad about being able to see all the signals available in a 192kHz swath of your center frequency?

The receiver bandwidth does nothing to change the rules governing transmission and mode bandwidths. What is does do is make it easier to chase down a contact amongst the noise.

 

You apparently don't follow the ARRL and its widebandwidth, high speed digital shenanigans. If you did, you wouldn't have asked.

Sure, its nice to have what amounts to a spectrum analyzer. However, with SDR, no filters FIXED at passbands of less than 9kHz, depending on mode.

With SDR you can have any bandwidth you want for your receiver.

As to regulations, well, the FCC just defeated a Petition for Rulemaking that would have curbed the loophole in the existing regulations that effectively only regulate symbol rate, not bandwidth for digital protocols. So, as long as the symbol rate doesn't exceed 300 Baud, you could have one thousand subcarriers spaced apart on both sides of a center frequency and use up 100kHz of bandwidth in the process.

An SDR receiver (and transmitter) are perfect for what ARRL's Directors established a couple of years ago as a goal: To have broadband, IP content on the HF bands......

73.

 

SDR with obsolete "S"?

Whether or not a majority of PCs in use by the amateur community still have parallel ports, I believe that the decision to use this interface was "penny wise - pound foolish" in the extreme. At the low price point many people would buy the new SDR just to try out a new type of equipment and to see if it was the harbinger of better things to come. Maybe they saved some hardware costs with this design, but if it discourages 90+% of potential purchasers (which is probably the case with US hams), it was a serious mistake. As for requiring "extra programming" to link to the USB drivers this is SDR with a capital "S." And programming for drivers is API based and pretty elementary. As suggested the issues were probably on the hardware side. Still, parallel was a mistake . . . in my case at the very least.

Ken - KJ2U

 

Dude? Not everyone has the cash to throw at a Flex. Chill with the whole "Buy American" malarky. Its just plain silly.