[amsat-bb] Re: Need Advice for SDR choice

[Greg D.]

As someone else who owns an ICOM R-7000 receiver, I've never been impressed by its receive specs.  I used mine in the receive chain for AO-40, with a 30" BBQ Grill, Drake 2880 downconverter, and Khune preamp on the roof, and seldom ever got the S-meter to move off the left-hand peg.  Still made plenty of contacts, but it was never arm-chair copy.

I haven't seen the specs on the FCD, but I bet it's the better receiver.  Couldn't possibly be worse...

Greg  KO6TH


> From: w4as at bellsouth.net
> Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 10:07:06 -0500
> To: marklhammond at gmail.com; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Need Advice for SDR choice
> 
> For someone who already owns an Icom R-7000, a $20 Softrock kit with the appropriate crystal for 10.7 MHz, connected to the IF output and a good sound card, will be able to display a 96 kHz bandwidth.  The Softrock in this case would basically be a slave to the R-7000, whatever mode or frequency the R-7000 can use, the Softrock would display on a monitor and output the audio.  A very inexpensive, yet very desirable addition to a station.
> 
> There will soon (in a matter of weeks) be a UHFSDR available, which is a low power TRANSCEIVER, at about the same price as the FCD, however that won't be as simple as a plug and play USB device.
> 
> There is also a $74 Softrock HF 1 watt transceiver available; I have one on my bench which will be my next project.  And there are also inexpensive (under $100) kits for amplifiers with around 20 watts output available from TAPR. 
> 
> Using these inexpensive devices, along with free software such as SDR-Radio (by the same author of Ham Radio Deluxe) is an eye opening experience when compared with many of today's expensive HF rigs.
> 
> There are also 'beta' Softrocks that cover up to 144 MHz. The near future certainly holds a lot of promise for even better inexpensive SDR transceivers.  The FCD looks like a great deal, and I plan to order one when they become available again.
> 
> 73 de Sebastian, W4AS
> 
> 
> On Jan 4, 2011, at 7:21 AM, Mark L. Hammond wrote:
> 
> > I think the most significant difference between the FCD and the Softrocks is FREQUENCY, isn't it?  Are there Softrocks that will do 64-1700 MHz?  
> > 
> > I don't remember for sure, but I thought the Softrocks are good only up to 30 or 50 MHz.  The FCD is from 60-ish to 1.7GHz.   That makes them apples to oranges in comparison.   
> > 
> > So, if I have this right, I would need a Softrock and what---two or three downconverters?--to cover just 2M, 70cm, and 23 cm.  Oh, add a sound card.  That's more than the cost of a FCD shipped to the US...
> > 
> > If you're using an IF of a receiver, you need the receiver!! and the Softrock.  And a sound card.
> > 
> > I have three Softrock kits sitting on the bench right now, for those exact reasons above.  The FCD  is a one piece, plug and play solution for the bands I wanted to work (VHF, UHF).   There really isn't a better option, far as I can tell...
> > 
> > 73,
> > 
> > Mark N8MH 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > At 05:19 AM 1/4/2011 +0000, you wrote:
> >> He could go with a 10.7 MHz fixed IF Softrock for about $30 (with the special crystal) instead of $175 for the FCD and maybe have a chance at getting one sooner than later if he really wanted to use it with the ICOM.
> >> 
> >> A soundcard is needed for a softrock, but I have used a $50 USB one in the past from China no problem if he can't use the built in one (like on a laptop).
> >> 
> >> Fred 
> >> 
> >> Jan 3, 2011 06:26:01 PM, amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org wrote:
> >> 
> >> ===========================================
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >>> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:26:55 -0700
> >>> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> >>> From: vlfiscus at mcn.net
> >>> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Need Advice for SDR choice
> >>> 
> >>> At 06:25 PM 1/2/2011 -0500, marklhammond at gmail.com wrote:
> >>> 
> >>> I'm going to look into SDR.  My Icom r-7100 has an IF out jack I could feed 
> >>> into a unit.
> >>> 
> >> 
> >> That was my first thought too, but R-7000 receiver's IF is at 10.7 MHz and the FCD only goes down to 64 MHz.
> >> 
> >> On the other hand, the R7000's tuning range isn't that different from the FCD, and I bet the FCD has better specs, so why bother with the receiver?
> >> 
> >> Greg  KO6TH
> 
> 
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