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| PowerSDR screen |
the band that your radio is on. My setup is made up of the LP Pan, EMU 0202 Creative labs external sound card and the PowerSDR software. The pan-adapter gives my QRP station some nice advantages the main one is the ability to see the entire CW segment at one time. I can see a strong station or week station then point and click and I'm there. Before I would be spinning the VFO from on end of the band to the other. I may just miss a station calling CQ and is now waiting for a response but to me its static with no one there and I move on missing this station for his
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| My LP-Pan unit below, new TS-990s |
next CQ call. Also I can flip to 10 meters and look at the pan-adapter to see if there is any action on the band or not....seeing if the band is open in a shorter time as opposed to spinning the VFO over the entire band. If you want to go down the Pan-adapter road at this time there are about 3 ways to do it. You can go all out and purchase a Flex radio system this is by far the most expensive way of going about it. Having said that it comes complete with all that is needed including a rig, processor for software and software all in one package. Or as I did you can order a pan-adapter, sound card and download the free software. Finally there is the stand alone Pan-adapter the only one at this time on the market I know of is the Elecraft P3.
This unit is plug and play there is not need for software or a
computer...the only catch is you need an Elecraft K3. To be fair some
of Icom's rigs come with a band scope. I am not sure how interactive
they are. Also Yaesu has their
DMU-2000 option that gives you more than just a band scope.
There is also some rumors of Kenwood coming out with a new rig.
I have seen some pictures and along side is an Elecraft type stand along plug and play Pan-adapter. Next question that most ham's ask is "how much for this toy" The option I chose I believe is the cheapest...the LP-Pan comes either as a kit or factory built unit. I chose the kit at 200.00. The EMU-0202 ran me 125.00 and the software is well what all hams want to hear....FREE!!! So for about 325.00 you can be in the Pan-adapter world. Oh and one last consideration is the speed of your PC. It is recommended on the LP Pan site the following be used for your PC:
2.8 GHz processor (the more the merrier), preferably Core Duo or Quad.
1 GB RAM (the more the merrier, limited to 3GB on 32-bit systems, which are recommended)
16-bit sound card, preferably not integrated into motherboard. 24-bit preferred (lower noise floor)
48 kHz sound card... 96 or 192 KHz preferred (display width is roughly equal to sampling rate)
Separate video card, or integrated video with sufficient dedicated memory. Most of the SDR applications are video intensive.
So there you have it a pan-adapter setup...Christmas is coming and maybe it might be something you would like under the tree??
JUST WANTED TO ADD A NEW ADDITION TO THE POST I WAS EMAILED BY JOHN AE5X. HE REMINDED ME OF ANOTHER OPTION I NEGLECTED TO INCLUDE IN THE POSTING. THE SOFTROCK AND IT'S A 20.00 KIT!!!! HERE IS A LINK TO GM0ELP'S BLOG DETAILING THE SOFTROCK.
10 comments:
Hello Mike, very handy device. I think I would actually win some contests with such a device. But you forgot to tell you need a radio with IF output. It's worthless if you got a antique radio like me with my Icom 706MK2G. Besides that I think it is expensive, at least for me. 73, Bas
Hi Mike, I like SDR radio´s. I hope one day that a CAT control will work here. 73 Paul
Good afternoon Bas, yes that true I did forget to mention one the most important parts.....the IF output.
Good afternoon Paul, yes I have found mine to be very handy and have put it to good use.
Bas, I think if you get a unit like this:
http://www.crosscountrywireless.net/sdr-4.htm
and put it on a separate antenna, add some freeware that includes CAT, you are there, no need for IF output. Euros 149.
Good morning Casey and thanks for the input and the link.
Interesting link Casey, though you misread. It is 149 GBP. That's still 173 euro ex postage. Probabely cheap for such a device but still a lot of money for me. I got the feeling they will be a lot cheaper next decade. 73, Bas
Here is a link to a list of 44 QSD kits, both Rx and TRx:
http://www.n9vv.com/collected-list-QSD-kits.html
but the next generation of Software Defined Radio is based on the Cellphone Industry Direct Down Conversion/Direct Up Conversion (DDC/DUC) technology. QSD is now more than 10 years in the past.
GL de Ken N9VV
I run my K3 remotely via Internet, and have LP Pan. I access LP Pan on the PC via LogMeIn, so enjoy the benefits of panadapter REMOTELY! Very neat. John, KØIZ
Good afternoon John, thanks for stopping by the blog and taking the time to comment. I have never done any remote work with my radios. It would be nice to setup and giving me the opportunity to access the radios from outside the shack.
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