Tag Archives: SDR

The Icom IC-7610 transceiver: a few details emerge

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who shares the following post from Icom UK:

The IC-7610 (Source: Icom UK)

Icom Inc. has released more details about the launch of the IC-7610 HF/50MHz SDR Transceiver and its target price. Icom plans to release this high performance HF SDR transceiver around late May with the product being rolled out across the globe in the following months. We expect that the IC-7610 should be available in the UK early Summer with a suggested retail target price of £2,999.99 ex.VAT. Please note that this target price and UK availability may be subject to change.

We expect demand to be huge for this product. Indeed many back orders are already on our system. So if you want to be one of the first customers in the UK to own one of these eagerly awaited radios, please contact your Icom Amateur radio dealer who will be able to put you in their order books.

More about the IC-7610 HF/50 MHz 100 W SDR transceiver

Following on from the technology incorporated into the IC-7300, the IC-7610 adopts the same RF direct sampling system for signal processing. By converting the analogue signal directly to a digital signal and processing it within the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), it provides improved transmission phase noise and excellent RMDR of 105 dB (at 1 kHz detuning).

The IC-7610 will have two independent receivers, enabling simultaneous reception of two frequencies in different bands/different modes.

The IC-7610 will also feature high-speed, high-resolution performance. The real-time spectrum scope supports different bands and a dual display that can monitor different modes. It will also have a waterfall display function that displays received signals in time sequence. The DIGI-SEL unit will be available to both the main side and the sub side of the receiver. In addition, the IC-7610 adopts a large 7-inch full-colour touch screen panel.

Main features include:

• Further evolved RF direct sampling method.
• Excellent RMDR: 105 dB realized.
• Dual watch function can receive simultaneously in different bands and different modes.
• DIGI-SEL unit that eliminates excessively strong signals is installed in the main and sub of the receiving section.
• High-speed real-time spectrum scope and waterfall display function.
• 7-inch full-colour touch panel, outstanding operation and visibility

As mentioned earlier, demand is going to be enormous for this model, so get into contact with your authorised Icom Amateur radio dealer today.

Click here to read this full post at Icom UK.

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Photo of the new Elad FDM-S3

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who shares the following photos that were originally posted by Alberto (I2PHD) on the Elad email reflector. Alberto noted:

“Here it is…. shown for the first time today at the Montichiari Ham Fest. Price TBD….”

Many thanks, Rafman, for the tip!

We’ll continue to post FDM-S3 updates as they become available. I will also plan to review the FDM-S3 when it hits the market.

Click here to view the Elad website.

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pantronX Titus II quick update

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who notes:

I just received a status update on the pantronX Titus II portable SDR from Mike, their chief engineer.

Mike said the self-contained SDR portable will include “SoapySDR as the interface to make it much easier to roll your own SDR app.” Here’s some info about SoapySDR:

https://github.com/pothosware/SoapySDR/wiki

Mike also said, “To be 100% truthful, our biggest push right now is for the international MW & SW broadcasters. They want to go DRM digital is the worst way!”

You might want to share this news with SWLing Post readers.

Thank you for the update, Ed! Click here to view the pantronX website.

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The new Elad FDM-S3 SDR: screenshot of the entire FM broadcast band

Click to enlarge.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who shares this tip via the Elad Yahoo Group where Elad engineer Franco writes:

Today I can show new hardware capabilities of FDM-S3:

24.576 MHz I/Q stream and you can see the whole 88-108MHz FM Band sampled.

The FDM-S3 is equipped of USB-3 controller…

Here a screenshot:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uxlfi…/FDM-S3_FM_BAND_24MHZ_1.png
new info will come in next weeks.

73, Franco IU3ADL

Wow–the entire FM broadcast band! I bet recording that would burn through a 1 TB hard drive in no time! Can’t wait to try it!

As SWLing Post readers know, I love the FDM-S2. Very happy to hear the FDM-S3 is in the works.

We’ll post updates from Elad as they’re released. Follow the tag: FDM-S3

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FM Notch Filter for SDRPlay RSP1

RF filters are used (as the name implies) to filter/remove the frequencies you are not interested in and/or let frequencies you want pass . They come in lots of types. For example a band-pass filter lets the signals in a frequency range to pass through it and rejects/attenuates other frequencies. The opposite of band-pass filter is a band-reject or band-stop filter (also called a notch filter) which rejects/attenuates signals in a specific range and lets other frequencies get through the filter. Lots of different filters are used in SDRs and traditional radios. For example AM low-pass filters (only let frequencies lower than 1.7MHZ or so pass) or band-pass filters for various ham radio bands.

One of the popular use cases for a notch filter is in the FM broadcast range (88-108 MHZ in most parts of the world)

When you live near a powerful transmitter, it can affect the operation of your receiver in other near frequencies (or overload your receiver’s front-end), but I didn’t want the notch filter for this reason. I’ve got a SDRPlay RSP1 (among many other SDRs) which due to its architecture, has some images of FM band in the UHF range (for example in 330-350 MHZ). In fact they’re the images of the product of LO harmonics and FM frequencies.

You can temporarily move/shift the frequency by changing the LO frequency which does not remove them, but moves them around.

Another method to remove these images is using a band-stop filter.

This is the filter I’m using (Thanks to my friend Amirhosein Hasanpur who designed and built it):

Here you can see the effect of using a FM notch filter on my SDRPlay RSP1:

FM, without filter:

FM, with filter:

UHF (images) without filter:

UHF (images) with filter:

Here’s a link to a Zip file containing the PCB (in Protel), schematics (pdf) and S Parameters (pdf):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l98kylrofohgqxf/SWLing.zip?dl=0

Note: Like any other SDR test/review, the results depend on lots of different parameters (various gain values, LNA, antenna, software, etc). These pictures are captured with the same conditions just to show the effectiveness of this filter and your milage will definitely vary, but expect a similar outcome. If you live close to a powerful transmitter or use LNAs, you will receive some signals, even when using the filter.

Final note: this issue is solved in the newer version of SDRPlay (RSP2) : it has software-selectable notch filters for FM and MW broadcast frequencies.

Mehdi Asgari, the author of this post, is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Mehdi lives in Tehran and is an active member of the EP2C amateur radio club.

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A quick view of my shack in Oxford, UK & recent transatlantic medium wave DX

Someone recently described my shack in Oxford as ‘an impressive mess’…. and that really is just about the most positive comment I’ve ever received regarding my listening post! So, my apologies for displaying the mess in public, but in response to having been asked many times by subscribers to Oxford Shortwave Log to ‘share my shack’, here it is, well most of it at least, in all it’s unadulterated glory.

 

The primary reason however for this post is to share my most recent transatlantic medium wave catches using the brilliant Elad FDM DUO and Wellbrook ALA1530 magnetic loop antenna. This excellent combination continues to pull in really nice DX, although not so much very recently as propagation has been fairly rubbish. However, since early to mid December, the dynamic duo have managed to pull in a number of transatlantic medium wave signals, including Radio Rebelde, Cuba on (670 and 710 kHz), KVNS Texas, CHIN Radio, Toronto, WFED Washington DC, WWNN Health and Wealth Radio, Pompano Beach, Florida, and huge signals from WMEX Boston and WWKB Buffalo, New York. Embedded reception videos and text links follow below and in the mean time, I wish you all great DX!


Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

Click to watch on YouTube

 

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

 

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HDSDR version 2.76: updates and additions

Many thanks to Light Coder at HDSDR who notes a recent update to HDSDR:

HDSDR bugfix release 2.76 just went online.
There are also some minor additions.
See http://hdsdr.de/wnew.html

Think it’s worth to have a look into the keyboard shortcuts:
http://www.hdsdr.de/hdsdr_keyboard_shortcuts.htm

Many thanks! HDSDR is a great (free!) SDR app–happy to hear about this recent update including keyboard shortcuts.

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