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Re: [IRCA] Elad FDM-S2 initial testing

--- Begin Message --- 
With the Perseus I had a similar experience.  Atom-based netbook (MSI Wind) gave me OK record / playback up to 800 kHz bandwidth but it couldn't cut the mustard for 1600 kHz wide captures.  Core i3 or higher: no problem.

Are DXers using any netbook form-factor PC's (screen 10 to 13 inch range) that have i3 or better CPU's?  Seems like that's what you'd really want for backpacking.  Battery life in excess of 4 hours (including the receiver's loading) would be a plus.

Of course you still have to deal with getting an antenna out there, hopefully a directional one.  Roll of skinny wire to stretch on the ground + a matching / isolation transformer might work but grounding still has to come into play.  Directivity would be sketchy at best.  A wire loop is likely better (whether cardioid or figure-of-8 pick-up).  The support structure for that (when trees are lacking) is going to be a bigger impediment to backpacking than the laptop + SDR combo.  Tuned loops, of course, can be quite compact but then you're essentially limited to one frequency at a time (live) DXing instead of wideband capture for later analysis.  Active whips are also compact but they can be "noise getters" if placed within 20 ft. or so of the laptop.  No directivity with those either, although a shore site produces directivity independent of the antenna.  Single stick pattern of my 1240 local demonstrates that:
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WBAS-AM&h=D

(That map shows why Florida, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, etc. bomb in here ... Midwest not so much.)

I would always take a competent ultralight portable in the backpack as well, just in case something with the PC + SDR goes "kerflooey."  No sense to go out there and come back with nothing, especially if considerable flying, driving, biking, or hiking was involved.
 
Mark Connelly, WA1ION
South Yarmouth, MA 


-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
To: Mark Connelly <markwa1ion@xxxxxxx>; irca <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, Mar 7, 2017 10:46 pm
Subject: Re: [IRCA] Elad FDM-S2 initial testing


Thanks Mark.    I generally use considerably less beefylaptops with my Elad FDM-S1, but down at the Atom netbook level, it's astruggle, unless bandwidth is reduced.   Much happier with ani3 core, but not so much battery time, and more weight in thepack.

best wishes,

Nick
 

At 02:00 08-03-17, Mark Connelly wrote:

As noted on the screen shots(top of page):
http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/pictures1/hdsdr_elad_20170220_0500z.jpg

CPU: Intel Core i5-6200U @ 2.30 GHz, RAM: 8082 MB.

Mark Connelly, WA1ION 
South Yarmouth, MA

-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; CapeDX <CapeDX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;badx <badx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Mark Connelly <markwa1ion@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, Mar 7, 2017 12:03 pm
Subject: Re: [IRCA] Elad FDM-S2 initial testing

Thanks for posting this Mark. What were the capabilities of the 
computer used to run the two pieces of software?

The Elads and some of the more recent SDRs are physically quite 
small, so can be used on hiking trips or other travel where not much
luggage can be taken along. But, it's good to be able to use a 
correspondingly small and power sipping computer under suchcircumstances.

best wishes,

Nick




At 18:12 04-03-17, Mark Connelly via IRCA wrote:


>At the end of 2016 I purchased an Elad FDM-S2 which was selling for
>a (discounted $80) price of $495 plus $19.82 shipping from IL.
>
>A few weeks back I did some initial testing of it with both its 
>"native" software (FDM-SW2) and with more familiar /generic HDSDR.
>
>Comments below are probably "kindergarten level" forexperienced 
>FDM-S2 users. Obviously any suggestions that may come forth as a
>result of my observations are welcomed.
>
>First I "live" created a capture file with the FDM-SW2software. It 
>wasn't immediately obvious to me how to schedule captures with that
>software so I then went ahead and created a few captures with 
>HDSDR. The HDSDR scheduling set-up is familiar to me from using it
>in the Perseus version.
>
>When you use HDSDR with Elad, you have to select which external I/O
>DLL file to use.
>
>See:http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/pictures1/hdsdr_select_extio.jpg
>
>I put up two screen shots of HDSDR running the receiver:
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/pictures1/hdsdr_elad_20170220_0400z.jpg
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/pictures1/hdsdr_elad_20170220_0500z.jpg
>
>The first one shows the entire received spectrum, about 400-1800
>kHz, on the spectrum and waterfall plots.
>
>The second one has the spectrum zoomed in on a small range around
>the received frequency (Algeria 549).
>
>What I found interesting is that with HDSDR, I could play back 
>captures made either with the FDM-SW2 program or HDSDR.
>
>FDM-SW2 plays its own captures OK (I'd send it back if it didn't)
>but if I tried to use it to play the files I'd created with HDSDR, I
>got a "crab message" = File Not Reproducible.
>
>See:http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/pictures1/elad_crab_message1.jpg
>
>Here are some audio clips from captures made from the FDM-S2 
>receiver using the HDSDR scheduler.
>
>Spain 1044 (17 FEB @ 2300 UTC)
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/spain-1044_20170217_2300z.mp3
>
>Algeria 549 (20 FEB @ 0400 UTC)
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/algeria-549_20170220_0400z.mp3
>
>Algeria 549 (20 FEB @ 0500 UTC) with "tubby anthem"
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/algeria-549_20170220_0500z_tubby_anthem.mp3
>
>Mauritania 783 (20 FEB @ 0500 UTC) Koranic wailing
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/mauritania-783_20170220_0500z.mp3
>
>UK 1089 (20 FEB @ 0501 UTC)
>http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/audio1/uk-1089_20170220_0501z.mp3
>
>I also have an SDRplay RSP1 acquired in late 2016. I've tuned 
>around the FM band with it some but I have not done file capture or
>AM DX with it yet.
>
>Mark Connelly, WA1ION
>South Yarmouth, MA
>

Nick Hall-Patch
Victoria, BC
Canada 


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