Software Defined Radio

[NEPAKevin]

Looked to see if this had been discussed already but only found one reference and no threads however is there is and I missed it, please delete.

I came across the video below by accident and thought it might be of interest since as long as you have a laptop or similar, this seems like an affordable option prior to getting into dedicated HAM, etc. hardware.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4x7cGALaC8

[ccmdfd]

Interesting.

New to the ham scene myself. But seems to me that for what I believe is now $25 you can get a low-end baofeng which will allow you not only to listen to All of the Bands that that guy did on his computer, but also transmit on the ham bands legally. And according to some things I've read the other bands illegally.

Thanks for sharing

[mtnbkr]

Interesting.

New to the ham scene myself. But seems to me that for what I believe is now $25 you can get a low-end baofeng which will allow you not only to listen to All of the Bands that that guy did on his computer, but also transmit on the ham bands legally. And according to some things I've read the other bands illegally.

Thanks for sharing

You might be able to tune in all the frequencies, but you won't be listening to anything on SSB or CW. Just FM and maybe AM. Very little on HF is FM and not much is AM. It's virtually all SSB, CW, and Digital.

That said, VHF and UHF is mostly FM, so you have that. There is also the traditional shortwave stations, but they're a dying breed.

Chris

[ccmdfd]

You might be able to tune in all the frequencies, but you won't be listening to anything on SSB or CW. Just FM and maybe AM. Very little on HF is FM and not much is AM. It's virtually all SSB, CW, and Digital.

That said, VHF and UHF is mostly FM, so you have that. There is also the traditional shortwave stations, but they're a dying breed.

Chris

Ah, very true.

My mind was stuck in VHF/UHF only mode.

[mtnbkr]

Ah, very true.

My mind was stuck in VHF/UHF only mode.

Gotcha. There is one HT, made by Kenwood, that does decode SSB and CW for receive. It's over $700 though. I came close to buying one until I realized it wasn't much smaller than my KX2 which not only decodes both, but will TRANSMIT on HF bands in SSB, CW, and AM. :D

Chris

[ccmdfd]

Gotcha. There is one HT, made by Kenwood, that does decode SSB and CW for receive. It's over $700 though. I came close to buying one until I realized it wasn't much smaller than my KX2 which not only decodes both, but will TRANSMIT on HF bands in SSB, CW, and AM. :D

Chris

The D74A? I was under the impression that they've been discontinued. I was looking for one as there are a couple of 220 repeaters in my area.

All of the standard stores said there were no more, and the ones on Ebay were starting at North of a grand $. Not paying that!

That KX2 sounds like a great piece of kit! Nice!

[mtnbkr]

The D74A? I was under the impression that they've been discontinued. I was looking for one as there are a couple of 220 repeaters in my area.

All of the standard stores said there were no more, and the ones on Ebay were starting at North of a grand $. Not paying that!

That KX2 sounds like a great piece of kit! Nice!

That's the one. My local HRO had them until recently (as in a week or so ago). I kind of wish I had bought one to flip on eBay.

I love my KX2, it is a perfect fit for my interests.

Chris

[rayrevolver]

Looked to see if this had been discussed already but only found one reference and no threads however is there is and I missed it, please delete.

I came across the video below by accident and thought it might be of interest since as long as you have a laptop or similar, this seems like an affordable option prior to getting into dedicated HAM, etc. hardware.

SDR came up in here, but was a thread drift:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?38499-FCC-banning-FRS-combination-radios-September-30-2019/page11

I did buy the NooElec NESDR and have used it on both my latop and my cellphone (with a USB-C adapter). With the supplied antenna I can listen to AM and FM radio but cannot pickup any of the aviation bands (I am too far from the airport but figured it was worth a shot at $37). At some point I need to buy a real antenna and mount it up on the roof.

Its pretty cool goofing with it although I am in way over my head. At some point I am just going to buy a handheld radio.

Bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Smart-Bundle-R820T2-Based/dp/B01GDN1T4S

[mtnbkr]

I don't have much direct experience with SDR dongles myself (I have used a couple web-based SDRs and my KX2 is an SDR rig itself), but my buddy is a big fan. He has a Nooelec with the transverter that gets him the ham bands. It's receive only, but he's always "spinning the dial" looking for interesting broadcasts, ham traffic, etc.

I'm tempted to buy one every once in a while, but haven't yet. I have 4 amateur rigs already, I don't need another one. :)

Chris