The SDR-1000 was designed to be upgradeable, not transportable. If we had originally designed the sound card and PC into the box, you would have been stuck with 16-bit sound and a 1 GHz processor. You would not have been able to upgrade it with the latest audio and PC technology. It would not have even been able to run the latest software. We now have the best 2 kHz spacing third order dynamic range in the industry with the sound card upgrades. There are always tradeoffs.
However, I have run the SDR-1000 mobile with a laptop. I had no problems, except that my antenna blew off the roof when we passed an 18 wheeler. ;>) 73, Gerald Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR FlexRadio Systems Ph: 512-535-5266 Fax: 512-233-5143 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: www.flex-radio.com > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gerald > Capodieci > Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 7:49 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Flexradio] The NonTransportable SDR 1000 (was > Was thisanswered?) > > If your QRP rig works well, look for a small linear that can > be driven with it. I agree the SDR 'as is' is not > transportable. Perhaps some already recommended changes will > solve those issues in the next hardware release. If I take it > mobile, it will be permanently attached never to be moved > again. Mine stays under my desk for now, gets switched on and > off and there it has always worked just fine. > Jerry > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I have, reluctantly, concluded that my SDR 1000, except for > repairs and ECOs, will never again leave my "base" station. Period. > > It just isn't a very good idea. > > The problem is the "Rosanne Rosannadanna" effect -- "It's > always something." Disturbing the cabling on the existing SDR > 100 product leads to problems. Many more than when you move a > traditional rig. > > I am not, I discover, alone in this assessment. I will not > name names (not my story to tell), but I am not the only > owner of this radio who has reached this conclusion by now. > > In Belize, we did a very good job making it all work, but > there were lots of mysteries. Not a little of this is caused > by the ASIO4ALL software we were using with the sound card > (then and, for me, still, the Creative Audigy card), but it > all counts against transportation of the rig. It magnifies > the physical problems. > > The other mystery often had relates to the parallel cable. It > has various unobvious failure modes where it can do things > like trigger "key down" to the CW keyer (rendering CW mode > useless) and a host of other things we all can remember by > scanning this listserver archive. It just seems to never > quite be right the first time I plug it in. Something > happens, I wiggle or reseat, and it eventually goes away. Not > something you want to be doing 3,000 miles from home. > > And, there are also mysteries related to the audio cables, > especially if they are anything but perfectly placed. If they > wiggle out, even a little (and they tend to do this once in a > while), various problems and mysteries result, some > surprisingly subtle. I remember getting added mixing products > all over 80 meters one time. > > I had a great deal of this when I took the SDR mobile to show > off to the students of the North Dakota State University ham > radio club for CQ WW SSB a week or so back. > > Fortunately, none of these things showed up with the students > were in the room. We got it worked out, first. While they > were there, it performed flawlessly and was its usual > impressive self. That part was great! > > But, it also just failed solid the next day (I will never > know why) and me and my partner just packed up the rig and > went home. My heart should have been in my throat (it often > has been at home when these things happen), but somehow, I > just knew it would go away. Plugged it in at home and, after > a glitch or two (parallel port again) it's all been fine. > > Needful changes: > > 1. A "D" shell for the audio cabling. Forget the 1/8 inch plugs. The > D44 card has proven a "D" shell is well accepted and would be > a tighter, more transportable/reliable connection. Yes, we'd > need a short audio cable, but we could then pick between 1/8 > inch and 1/4 inch plugs. > > 2. The poor man's UCB supprted by Flex. Great little gadget. > Might need a few revisions to ensure everyone's parallel > cables fit and a grounded box to surround it (I don't need > that, but I can imagine someone doing so). > > 3. Simple, small, microphone amplifier for the D44 (other > sound cards?). > > 4. My SDR 497/1497 idea. The 497 version would be a 500 > dollar "caboose" > to eliminate the sound card and random parallel cables with > one, screw it down tight, well shielded parallel cable. USB > in the front, of course. > > Anyone know of a good DXpeditioning rig? I've got the > DXpedition bug, even if it is North Dakota or maybe a > lighthouse, I am liking to spend some of my hamming time away > from home. I have a QRP rig for the backpacking piece of it, > I just need a 100/150 watt HF rig that runs off of 12v and is > rugged enough to pack in plane, trains, and automobiles (well > packaged, of course). > > The SDR, regretably, is not going to be that rig. > > > Larry WO0Z > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20061107/d20c0 6df/attachment.html > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com > _______________________________________________ FlexRadio mailing list [email protected] http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
