[hpsdr] Pandora

[ke5eup at ke5eup.com]

Again I second the motion to get going with the Ten-Tec. I a fan of the 
black box, it makes people ask questions when they come in my shack. As 
you said the boards are in hand. Systems engineering is great, but my 
way of thinking this is backwards to the "open hardware schema". Those 
folks looking for a factory end consumer enclosure, I sure will and 
probably have come up with great ideas. My concern is getting my boards 
protected in an enclosure that is in 50.00 - 75.00 range. I would much 
rather spend my money on boards and keep the project moving.
This is just my 2 c worth and is in no way meant as inflammatory  or  a 
knock  on others  idea's.

Thanks,
Al
KE5EUP
KCARC,ARRL,TAPR,AMSAT,HPSDR
ARRL WTX ARES EC Callahan County
Races CLO ALT 42-059-D Callahan County



Ben Hall wrote:
> ***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****
>
> Good evening all!
>
> I wanted to reply to all the Pandora e-mails, but came to the conclusion 
> that I'm better off putting all the comments into one e-mail.
>
> Chris Albertson wrote:
>   
>> This comment is likely to be very unpopular but I'll say it...
>>     
>
> That's okay - one of the things that I think makes the HPSDR product so 
> neat and exciting to me is that we've got an open forum of users and 
> soon to be users and we can all make comments and share ideas without 
> regard to popularity.
>
>   
>> I work at an engineering company that specializes in 
>> "systems engineering" that's basically adjusting requirements
>> for subparts and doing iterative re-designs with the goal of making
>> the overall system better.
>>     
>
> I think there are many of here who do similar things for a living.  I'm 
> waist-deep in this sort of process for a turboshaft engine test cell.
>
>   
>> The point is "Why is an $11 part driving the design of a $100
>> box.  Should be the other way around.
>>     
>
> I think Alberto hit the nail on the head - that $11 part probably has 
> $11k of engineering and testing in it.
>
> But, in my opinion, what matters is that Atlas exists.  700 of them are 
> in user's hands.  That's the starting point for Pandora.
>
> If a new Atlas design is made, a case can be worked in parallel with the 
> standard systems-engineering trade-offs.
>
> As HPSDR and the needs of the HPSDR community evolve, the Pandora we're 
> heading towards today may or may not be the right answer down the road.
>
> A BK-959 based case could be a basic enclosure, with something more 
> grand (and more expensive, perhaps) to come.
>
> The BK-959 is industrial, for sure.  I say that with no sadness or 
> shame, and I can also foresee a future drop-in front panel that takes 
> the industrial look away.  Maybe with a touch-screen.  I don't know; the 
> world is ***our*** oyster!  :)  Forward progress with something newer, 
> more grand, and more exciting is no poor reflection on past work.
>
> The BK-959, even with it's warts, is a good starting point that isn't 
> very high-cost.  Let's say in a year we throw them all away and go for 
> the next generation Pandora or even multiple flavors of Pandora.  That 
> $50 won't be wasted, as the enclosure will have given the user good 
> service for a year.
>
> thanks much and 73,
> ben, kd5byb
>
>   

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