Re: [IRCA] FlexRadio SDRs

[Guy Atkins <dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Randy,

As Nick mentioned I did indeed run a blog for a couple of years that
focused on the FlexRadio SDR as a MW and tropical bands DXing receiver.
The FlexRadio product at the time was the SDR-1000.

As a first generation SDR it was a groundbreaking transceiver, but fell
short in many areas for "our" kind of usage. The software itself (PowerSDR)
was very amateur radio oriented and the transceiver had strange quirks such
as large carriers and images that would appear outside of the ham bands (in
mediumwave and long wave frequencies for instance. I ended up repackaging
the unit with custom high and low pass filters to eliminate the problem and
added other goodies like a Griffin Powermate tuning knob, and the Atlas &
Janus I/Q boards from the HPSDR project, headed up at the time by
Quicksilver SDR designer Phil Covington. Photos of the highly modified
FlexRadio SDR-1000 can be seen here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114798392023680237679/SDR1000HPSDRBoardsCustomEnclosure

FlexRadio transceivers have moved far beyond the early SDR-1000, but I'm
unfamiliar with their current products since I moved on to the Perseus SDR
in 2007 (and transitioned my FlexRadio blog to one for Perseus for three
years after that). The SDR-1000's architecture required a separate PC sound
card to operate, unlike the Perseus approach. The sound card was the key to
its performance; high quality external sound cards from firms like Edirol
or M-Audio were needed to get the lowest noise floor and the best dynamic
range with the FlexRadio. Perhaps current FlexRadio transceivers no longer
require a separate sound card.

Keep in mind that if you go with FlexRadio that the vast majority of users
are hams, and you won't get a lot of support and feedback if you have
issues with the rig when using it as a MW or broadcast bands receiver. That
was another reason I moved to the more MW/SWL friendly Perseus SDR... the
user community is more broad based than just ham radio operators.

73,

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA
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