[hpsdr] Current Hardware Platform ?

[Laurence Barker]

As a contribution to a list of projects: 

There's a way to use a "Red Pitaya" board as an SDR. See
http://pavel-demin.github.io/red-pitaya-notes/sdr-transceiver-hpsdr/

That code makes the Red Pitaya emulate a Hermes. It will work with PowerSDR,
or should work with pihpsdr. I don't know about where you live, but in
UK/Europe the Red Pitaya has a cost of approx. $300 equivalent. 

Pavel Demin's code can drive an Alex filter set, but I plan to make my own
signal conditioning board (RF connectors & relays for antenna inputs,
attenuators, buffer amplifiers etc but no filters). It will have the same
software interface as an alex board, so that the PC/RaspberryPi code doesn't
need to be changed. I'm going to use different RF filters from alex: there
are several switched bandpass filter designs around, and several PA kits.
The quickest way to get a set of switched lowpass filters is to buy a Yaesu
or Icom board from ebay as spares from a broken-up transceiver.

I have the advantage that I don't actually operate radios much: my licence
is used more to test stuff than use it to communicate. My desire is to
"dabble" with SDR at the design level. I'm not in a great rush - I'm
expecting this will be a year or so length project. 

No doubt there are lots more options. The newer system FPGA chips like the
Xilinx Zynq in the Red Pitaya allow you, in principle, to have the data
interfacing / main bandwidth reduction code in the FPGA and the final
receiver code in the ARM processor cores on the same chip. An ADC& DAC
board, that then connects to a commercially available FPGA / USB /Ethernet
etc board would be ideal - that latter are mass produced at little cost and
the technology updates often while the former has the "Amateur Radio"
specific element that doesn't need to change often.


Laurence Barker G8NJJ

laurence at nicklebyhouse.co.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: Hpsdr [mailto:hpsdr-bounces at lists.openhpsdr.org] On Behalf Of Joe D.
Sent: 26 March 2017 19:37
To: hpsdr at lists.openhpsdr.org
Subject: [hpsdr] Current Hardware Platform ?

***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****

Forgive me if this is off-topic, but can someone point me to hardware/kits
or references to such the group would recommend for someone just beginning
to experiment with SDR.

Would like this to be the basis for an (eventual) high performance receiver.
A look at the TAPR kits suggests that the page is outdated, and the hpsdr
webpages still talk about Mercury, but even the iquadlabs links for Mercury
do not point an available Mercury kit, but an HF1 board.

What is recommended for just entering the fray? Extensible, high performance
platform, easy to start on (others have been there before).
Joe
AG6QO at AG6QO.#NCA.CA.USA.NOAM



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