Hi Alberto, Actually the lower performance A/D's (and maybe a lower performance mixer) are to create a continued market for 5Ks.
Obviously there are price points for new boxes at about $800-$900, $1500 - $2500+ and $4500+ In an old style rig how much of the circuitry/performance is different at each price point? Not much I bet, until you get to the high end. If I were doing it I would just change the SW, front panel and a few passive components till I got to the high end. Then slowly retrofit down the product line to maintain market share. Unfortunately our software is open sourced and public domain, there is no front panel and dang few passive components so.. our strategy must be different. The other thing that has to be factored in is the fairly hot computer needed to run PowerSDR. Many, like me, go out and buy a new computer dedicated to the SDR. That means the real cost is the SDR cost + $500-$700 or more. (Putting my behavior where my mouth is, that's actually why I just bought a used 1K instead of a new 5K.) If you toss in a new computer that means that a SDR5K is really about $3000 - $4000. Sure a 5K is a bargain compared to rigs with comparable specs, but now you are talking about a really serious ham. Our SDR5K market is mebbe 50K people world wide divided among 5 other entrenched and competent suppliers. What's needed is at least an entry level SDR at mebbe a total (including new computer) outlay of $1000 - $1500 total with the performance of a $2500 - $3500 rig. Mebbe jigger PowerSDR so a user can start off on an existing moderate performance computer and then up grade to a better computer later with better on the air performance. Here's the strategy that would suite me: 1. Buy entry level $700 -$900 SDR using an existing computer with a "lite" powerSDR, DSP and buffers preset for 1.6Ghz computer (spec modest performance.) 2. As first upgrade, customer adds hot computer for $500 - $1000 goes to a "full" powerSDR and goes head to head with the $2500 to $3500 crowd. 3. Then buy a 5K to go with the hot computer and run with the big $4500+ dogs at a fraction of the cost. Nice thing is the investment spread out over a few years so the wife doesn't go into total shock! Suspect many of the current customers started with a 1K added hot computer and are now upgrading to a 5K. Need that entry level box! Go for it guys! 73's Rob AB7CF On Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:56:00 +0200 Alberto I2PHD <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > My guess is that a > > low end radio appliance radio could be produced just by putting > lower > > quality a/d's in the 5K box (almost 0 R&D) and still have a radio > that > > out performs $1000 to $1500 radios. > > Well, maybe there will be other ways to reduce the manufacturing > costs, but downgrading the AK5394A to something > inferior is not going to save much money. From another group : > > > The quote I got for quantity 10 AK5394A for prototyping the Janus > from the > > US distributor was about $17.00. > > 73 Alberto I2PHD > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio mailing list > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archive Link: > http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ > FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ > > > _______________________________________________ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
