Category Archives: Software Defined Radio

List price of Bonito 1102S RadioJet for US

Universal Radio has published the “List Price” of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet at $784.00 US.

This could make the RadioJet a very strong competitor to other SDRs on the market in North America. The list price (not necessarily the final price Universal will announce–which could be lower) is $216 less than that of the Microtelecom Perseus ($999.95 US) and the $116 less than the WinRadio Excalibur ($899.95 US).

After reading Fernando’s review of the RadioJet–where he compared it to the Perseus–this may be one of the best SDR performers for the price. We will be reviewing the Bonito 1102S RadioJet in the near future as well.

To follow all updates of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet, please follow our tag: RadioJet

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Fernando’s review of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet software defined receiver

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The Bonito 1102S RadioJet - Click to Enlarge

SWLing Post reader and fellow SW radio reviewer, Fernando, has apprised us of his review of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet. While his site is in German, which we don’t read or speak here, Google Translate gives us English speakers a fair idea of his findings, and Fernando helps us with the rest.

To summarize, his comparison of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet with his Microtelecom Perseus concludes that the two perform well, running about neck-and-neck–in other words, offer almost identical performance characteristics. There were some differences, though. I outline a few key review points that Fernando was kind enough to clarify for us:

The noise floor between the Perseus and RadioJet is more or less the same, in his tests.
He finds that the Perseus is slightly more sensitive on higher frequencies (above 22Mhz). This comparison is made with the “DX Channel” on the Bonito 1102S RadioJet (a feature only found on the Radiojet–see note below).
Fernando believes the sensitivity and selectivity of both radios to be very similar. He told us that he could not hear a great difference.
The Perseus software is, of course, very stable and mature in comparison with that of the new Radiojet. This is quite typical of new SDR products on the market, as it takes time and user feedback to eliminate bugs and quirks. Fernando expresses his confidence, however, that the software engineers at RadioJet will be quick to respond to patches and upgrades.
Overall, he believes that RadioJet will be able to provide a very stable product in short order.

Since Fernando has been a beta tester for the Bonito 1102S RadioJet, he’s familiar with the company and their attentiveness to feedback, and he’s impressed.

One feature unique to the RadioJet is the “DX Channel.” You can see this in action in a video the company released last year: in essence, when activated on a weak signal, the noise floor drops, and the signal seems to pop out of the static. I asked Fernando about this feature and he told me that, when the DX Channel is activated, the software lowers the IP3+ and increases the sensitivity. This is the default channel or mode on the software.

The normal “RX Channel” is used for strong signals and is better for in-band interference. The DX Channel has a higher IP3+. He mentioned that the software can automatically determine which channel should be used, and auto-switches it for the user. Fernando said that this function works quite well.

Like to hear the difference for yourself? Fernando’s website Fenu-Radio.ch has a page dedicated to audio comparisons between the Perseus and RadioJet. The first 15 seconds of each audio clip feature the Perseus, the second 15 seconds features the RadioJet. Click here to go to the audio page.

By the way–Fernando’s website is most impressive. He has a long list of receiver reviews, comparisons and audio files. I encourage you to spend some time there, whether or not you read German.

Thanks for sharing your review, Fernando!

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Update: ELAD FDM-S1 shipping March 26

WoodBoxRadio will start shipping the new ELAD FDM-S1 SDR this month

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According to WoodBoxRadio, the ELAD FDM-S1 software-defined radio will be shipping this month (March 2012). This is an intriguing SDR and boasts some pretty impressive features–download their spec sheet here. Can’t wait to see how it compares to other popular SDRs.

The FDM-S1 is available at a “special” price of 399 Euro–it can be ordered on their website.

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Studio 1 Software Defined Radio will give your Perseus a resizable interface

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One of the major complaints I hear regarding the benchmark Microtelecom Perseus SDR is that its GUI (graphic user interface) is not resizable or scalable to fit a large monitor at full-screen.

If you’re a Perseus owner and if this is a problem for you, then you need to watch for the release of Studio 1 Software Defined Radio by SDR Applications. Which will boast:

Fully re-sizable windows/interface,
support for multiple sessions
and state of the art visualization, demodulation and filtering

WoodBoxRadio told me that SDR Applications is still finishing off development, but plan to have a bug-free version of their software available at the end of March 2012. They told me that Studio 1 will work with the Microtelecom Perseus, FDM-S1 and the Softrock family of software defined radios (SDRs).

We will stay in touch with WoodBoxRadio and post any updates here on the SWLing Post.

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Test a professional SDR from the comfort of your home–free!

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Though I’ve not yet achieved particularly advanced age, my history in radio certainly started with the analog. The vintage Zenith Transoceanic my great-aunt gave me when I was eight was a wonder to tune, and its ability to extract signals from across the planet captivated me. But there was a certain amount of guesswork in the tuning process. So, when I purchased my first digital portable in 1990, it seemed revolutionary: in a snap, I could punch in a frequency, and there I was (virtually speaking). No guessing required.

Front and back of the SSB LAN-SDR software-defined receiver

The next step in receiver evolution was, of course, Software-Defined Radios–those little boxes that you hook up to your computer that allow you incredible tuning flexibility and which permit amazing receiver performance.

So, you’ve never tried an SDR–? I know a fix for that.

In the course of an email conversation with Willi Paßmann, SDR support for SSB-Electronic, I learned that–simply by downloading a couple of files from their website–you can “test-drive” their high-end SSB LAN-SDR.

First, a brief primer…

Some SDRs–like the SSB LAN-SDR–actually allow you to record and to play back HF spectrum segments.

In a basic example: if I want to record pirate radio stations one evening, but am not sure where they might pop up on the spectrum, I can set my SDR to record, say, an 80 kHz swatch of bandwidth from 6,915 to 6,995 kHz, from, for example, 9:00 pm to midnight.

Later, I can play back and listen to the recording, with full demodulation and tuning capabilities. In other words, during playback, I can literally tune around in the spectrum, using all/any receiver functions of my SDR. It is as though I am listening and tuning, live, in real time, though it may be many hours or days later.

Those of you with SDRs will not be surprised by this remarkable feature, as most likely, you’ve already experimented with this incredible time-bending functionality.

Now, back to SSB-Electronic, and how to test-drive their LAN-SDR receiver. It’s easy, actually:

You download the software that runs the LAN-SDR
You download one (or both) available spectrum recordings

Once you install their software and import the recording, you can literally tune through and use all of the receiver’s features within the spectrum recording. You can listen to the noise floor, test the notch, adjustable filters, DSP, tuning rates–literally experience all the receiver functions in this process.

In my humble opinion, this is perhaps the most convenient and enjoyable way to try out a receiver.

Hopefully, other SDR manufacturers will follow SSB-Electronic’s lead and make their control software and spectrum recodings available online for download and testing.

Happy test-driving!

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