Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software

["HASCALL, DAVID CIV DFAS" <DAVID.HASCALL@xxxxxxxx>]

The Softrock receivers sound ultra cool.  Too bad that someone with some
capital could not get a manufacturer to prototype and ultimately build
it for the masses and put say a $225 price tag (built and tested) on it.
MW DX'ers like myself, would love the Ensemble II option.  Heck even LW
DX'ers and those who chase beacons might use it.

73,
Dave in Indy


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:43:14 -0800
From: Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>
To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America
	<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [IRCA] Testing New SDR software
Message-ID: <1294702994.4d2b999294944@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

-- 
Nick Hall-Patch
Victoria, BC


from http://www.wb5rvz.com/sdr/:  

Ensemble All-Band RX II

The SoftRock RX Ensemble Receiver Kit is essentially the Ensemble RX,
but has an
extra option allowing the user to build the HF or the LF version of the
receiver.

In the first option, the Ensemble RX kit provides coverage of ham bands
from
160-10m, in four different optional "super bands" (each with underlap
and
overlap within the parameters of the associated bandpass filter):

   1. 160m - Continuous coverage from 1.8 to 2.0 MHz
   2. 80m and 40m - Continuous coverage from 3.5 to 7.3 MHz
   3. 30m, 20m, and 17m - Continuous coverage from 10.1 to 18.168 MHz
   4. 15m, 12m, and 10m - Continuous coverage from 21.0 to 29.7 MHz 

In the second option, the Ensemble RX II provides coverage of LF
frequencies
from approximately 160-10m, in four different optional "super bands"
(each with
underlap and overlap within the parameters of the associated bandpass
filter):

   1. Band 0: 1000m - Continuous coverage from 180 kHz to 480 kHz
   2. Band 1: 500m - Continuous coverage from 400 kHz to 800 kHz
   3. Band 2: 250m - Continuous coverage from 800 kHz to 1.6 MHz
   4. Band 3: 160m - Continuous coverage from 1.6 MHz to 3.0 MHz

..............................................................


Quoting Russ Edmunds <wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>:

> 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
> > > > >
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > IRCA mailing list

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