Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software

[Chuck Hutton <charlesh3@xxxxxxx>]

Softrocks come in two flavors: crystal controlled and with a variable frequency oscillator. The crystal controlled guys have a tuning range dependent on the highest rate your sound card supports: 48 kHz, 96 kHz (normal these days) or 192 kHz (high end cards) centered on the crystal frequency. Cost is about $20 when available.
 
The VFO version has 2 flavors: 1 covers .9 to 30 MHZ and the other .2 to 10 MHz more or less. Cost is about $55 when available.
 
"When available" means when the not-for-profit vendor (Tony Parks, KB9YIG) has kits in stock. He gets a batch of parts, sells a batch of kits and starts over. I believe he's sold over 10,000 of these things and I can see why - they teach people the basics of SDR, you can use some of the big SDR programs with them, they are cheap, and fun to build.
 
I have both crystal and VFO versions and the crystal based "Softrock Ultralight" has heard a handful of TPs from Japan, China, Australia, etc. Not bad for what was $15 at the time.
 
 
Chuck
 
 

 
> Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:31:12 -0800
> From: wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx
> To: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software
> 
> Looks like the Softrock 160m version tunes only 1.8 to 2.0 mHz.
> 
> Russ Edmunds
> 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia 
> Grid FN20id
> <wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>
> FM: Yamaha T-80 & Onkyo T-450RDS w/ APS9B @15'; Grundig G8
> AM:  Modified Sony ICF 2010's barefoot
> 
> 
> --- On Mon, 1/10/11, Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > From: Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software
> > To: "Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America" <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: Monday, January 10, 2011, 3:00 PM
> > If you're willing to do a fair bit of
> > work (and learning and experimenting)
> > yourself, then I suspect you can SDR for peanuts:
> > 
> > http://www.wb5rvz.com/sdr/
> > 
> > http://homepages.wightcable.net/~g4zfq/Si570.htm
> > 
> > This is the Softrock kit, versions of which can cover MW
> > apparently.  I have no
> > experience of these, but the very capable Sdr-radio
> > software can run them (no
> > cost)....prices under $100 for the hardware kits...when
> > available.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > best wishes,
> > 
> > Nick
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Nick Hall-Patch
> > Victoria, BC
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Quoting "HASCALL, DAVID CIV DFAS" <DAVID.HASCALL@xxxxxxxx>:
> > 
> > > Agree - For me $850 may as well be $1000 or
> > $2000.  I have never owned
> > > an expensive rig for any bands that I DX on. 
> > Look at the Sony HD Tuner
> > > for FM DX'ing.  It competes against tuners
> > costing five times as much.
> > > I can justify a $70 purchase but not a $400 one, just
> > to DX the FM band.
> > > Plus, I now have a decent tuner for general
> > listening.    
> > > 
> > > I am hoping that some less expensive SDR units
> > eventually come to the
> > > marketplace.  And when I mean "less expensive,"
> > I'm talking below $250.
> > > Obviously since these are not consumerist offerings,
> > there is no mass
> > > market discounts.  Unless somebody can try to
> > mass market these as
> > > something like "Tivo for radio" or some other way of
> > generating mass
> > > interest beyond DX'ers, the prices will probably stay
> > above $500.
> > > 
> > > 73,
> > > Dave in Indy
> > > 
> > > 
> > > ------------------------------
> > > 
> > > Message: 4
> > > Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 11:44:54 -0800 (PST)
> > > From: Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of
> > America
> > >     <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > Subject: Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software
> > > Message-ID: <950067.37414.qm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> > > 
> > > Thanks Chuck and Nick, although in the one case, we're
> > quibbling over $2
> > > <g>. 
> > > 
> > > Even so, I have trouble justifying $850 though. I
> > don't think I've spent
> > > that much cumulatively over my years in the hobby,
> > considering two
> > > HQ-150's and two ICF 2010's. For the record, I bought
> > my first HQ-150
> > > used in 1969.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Russ Edmunds
> > > 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia  
> > > Grid FN20id
> > > <wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > FM: Yamaha T-80 & Onkyo T-450RDS w/ APS9B @15';
> > Grundig G8
> > > AM:? Modified Sony ICF 2010's barefoot
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --- On Sat, 1/8/11, Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
> > wrote:
> > > 
> > > > From: Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
> > > > Subject: Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software
> > > > To: "Mailing list for the International Radio
> > Club of America"
> > > <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > Date: Saturday, January 8, 2011, 1:50 PM
> > > > Excalibur is $850 at Grove, 
> > > > Russ....http://www.grove-ent.com/excalibur.html???Detailed
> > > > review 
> > > > appeared in DX Monitor just recently...and of
> > course, none
> > > > of the 
> > > > analog receivers covered the full BCB either!?
> > Mine
> > > > cover one channel 
> > > > at a time, and they need a separate audio
> > recorder for that
> > > > channel...
> > > > 
> > > > A bit more later.???This is an interesting
> > > > topic, and I'm surprised 
> > > > how few comments there have been on Mike's post
> > so far.
> > > > 
> > > > best wishes,
> > > > 
> > > > Nick
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > At 15:00 08-01-11, you wrote:
> > > > >I was ( although I didn't say so ) excluding
> > the SDR-IQ
> > > > completely 
> > > > >on account of that very big limitation. If
> > you want to
> > > > cover the 
> > > > >full BCB, it isn't happening today for under
> > a grand so
> > > > far as I know.
> > > > >
> > > > >Russ Edmunds
> > > > >15 mi NNW of Philadelphia
> > > > >Grid FN20id
> > > > ><wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > > >FM: Yamaha T-80 & Onkyo T-450RDS w/ APS9B
> > @15';
> > > > Grundig G8
> > > > >AM:? Modified Sony ICF 2010's barefoot
> > > > >
> > > 
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