{"id":7037,"date":"2013-08-12T12:03:51","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T16:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2013-08-12T13:11:51","modified_gmt":"2013-08-12T17:11:51","slug":"jeff-designs-an-sdr-go-kit-around-the-softrock-ensemble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/jeff-designs-an-sdr-go-kit-around-the-softrock-ensemble\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff designs an SDR “Go Kit” around the Softrock Ensemble"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SoftrockGoKit1\"<\/a>Jeffrey Fritz (WB1AAL) contacted me with details about his SDR (Software Defined Radio) “Go Kit” and has kindly allowed me to post it.<\/p>\n

Jeff writes:<\/p>\n

As a reader of the SWLing blog, I know that you are very interested in SDR. And you probably know that a “Go Kit” is a portable ham radio system in a case that can be moved at a moment’s notice and set up at another moment’s notice virtually anywhere.<\/p>\n

I have a VHF Go Kit made up for emergency events. It is complete with waterproof carrying case, Aden PCS-7000H two-meter transceiver, a Kenwood VHF tuner, a Kenwood SW-100 VHF SWR bridge and two antennas (a 2-meter J-pole made out of twin lead and a two meter mag mount.) But what if there is a need to monitor the HF bands during the same event?<\/p>\n

Now that I own a Flex-1500 SDR transceiver, the Softrock Ensemble SDR receiver that I bought a while ago has become somewhat redundant. It is still a serviceable radio and works fine, but it can’t hold a candle to the amazing Flex-1500. While I could turn it into a panadapter or sell it on eBay, eHam, etc., I had a better idea.<\/p>\n

To monitor the HF ham bands, I could use something like my Grundig G3 shortwave radio in my Go Kit. While it is portable, battery operated and will tune LSB and USB, listening to SSB or even CW in an emergency situation with the G3 can be a bit of a chore. (Think of the old boat anchors with their main tuning and fine tuning band spread dials, but now make both dials tiny and you’ll get the idea.) Instead, why not build a 12-volt battery supply with common, easy to obtain batteries? I could connect it to the Softrock Ensemble and then via a USB audio interface to a battery powered laptop. Add a pair of headphones and we are in business.<\/p>\n

That is just what I’ve done.<\/p>\n

I’ve attached some photos of my most recent project–done this past weekend actually. [Check out photos above and below<\/em>] It’s an SDR Go Kit. One of the attached photos shows the laptop and the Softrock Ensemble SDR receiving 40-meter band SSB while entirely being operated on battery power. There is no power switch. You simply pull the DC jack out of the Softrock Ensemble SDR radio when it isn’t in use. Simple as it gets! The other photo shows the battery pack built into a (ahem!) Preparation H Pad holder pack. (Now, I am not saying who used this!)<\/p>\n

Ah but what will battery life be like with 8 C cells in series driving the receiver? It’s too soon to say because I just put it together an hour ago. But here’s a guess:<\/p>\n

\"SoftrockGoKit2\"<\/a>The Softrock Ensemble draws 18 mA at 12.6 volts (my measurement.) An Alkaline ‘C’ battery can supply up to 8,000 mAh, so doing some math and assuming fresh batteries, the battery pack should run the radio for roughly 400 hours. (Hopefully my math is correct!) If so, then I think that the laptop batteries will give out long before the life span of the C Cell is reached!<\/p>\n

73,<\/p>\n

Jeff, WB1AAL<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jeff, this is an excellent use for the Softrock Ensemble. I imagine it will run for a very long time drawing only 18 mA. I have a “Go Kit” for QRP ham radio purposes and one for SWLing during travels. You’ve inspired me to piece together a proper receiver “Go Kit” to be used in case of emergencies.<\/p>\n

Readers:<\/strong> If you have a project, like Jeff, that you’d like to share on the SWLing Post, feel free to contact me<\/a> with details!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeffrey Fritz (WB1AAL) contacted me with details about his SDR (Software Defined Radio) “Go Kit” and has kindly allowed me to post it. Jeff writes: As a reader of the SWLing blog, I know that you are very interested in SDR. And you probably know that a “Go Kit” is a portable ham radio system […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,627,344,553,139,26,43,158,5],"tags":[2082,4103,2080,2081],"class_list":["post-7037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-how-to","category-kits","category-preparedness","category-radio-modifications","category-radios","category-shortwave-radio","category-software-defined-radio","category-swlers","tag-jeff-fritz-wb1aal","tag-preparedness","tag-softrock-ensemble","tag-softrock-ensemble-go-kit"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-1Pv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2693,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/studio-1-software-defined-radio-will-give-your-perseus-a-resizable-interface\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":0},"title":"Studio 1 Software Defined Radio will give your Perseus a resizable interface","author":"Thomas","date":"February 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the major complaints I hear regarding the benchmark\u00a0Microtelecom 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Studio1Screen-300x221.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15938,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/now-online-a-new-websdr-in-iran\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":1},"title":"Now Online: A New WebSDR in Iran","author":"Thomas","date":"December 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post contributor, Mehdi, has informed me that his ham radio club (EP2C) has just put a WebSDR online in Iran--perhaps the first in this part of the world. Mehdi notes some of the details about the receiver: [The WebSDR\u00a0is]\u00a0installed and operated by our amateur club: EP2C (www.ep2c.ir) [Perhaps]\u00a0the first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WebSDR-Iran-Waterfall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WebSDR-Iran-Waterfall.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WebSDR-Iran-Waterfall.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WebSDR-Iran-Waterfall.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6861,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/using-the-rtl2832u-20-sdr-for-hf-trunk-tracker-scanning\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":2},"title":"Using the RTL2832U $20 SDR for HF & trunk-tracker scanning?","author":"Thomas","date":"July 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to our post on inexpensive SDRs based on the\u00a0RTL2832U, Jeff Benedict writes: Here's a website that has a lot of info on cheap SDR gear. \u00a0They have a write-up on an external board which adds HF capabilities. \u00a0I have one but haven't done anything with it yet. http:\/\/www.hamradioscience.com\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DE_DVB_T_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DE_DVB_T_1-300x228.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6842,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/a-very-inexpensive-software-defined-radio-based-on-the-rtl2832u\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":3},"title":"A very inexpensive Software Defined Radio based on the RTL2832U","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Benn (AK4AV)\u00a0for passing along this article from the IEEE which describes how a $20 USB digital TV antenna tuner can be transformed into an impressive, flexible software defined radio: http:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/geek-life\/hands-on\/a-40-softwaredefined-radio The article incldes the following embedded video from the IEEE: Here is another informative video via YouTube:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DE_DVB_T_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DE_DVB_T_1-300x228.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33644,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/qrp-labs-announces-the-qsx-transceiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":4},"title":"QRP Labs Announces The QSX Transceiver","author":"Thomas","date":"August 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton (WB9FLW), who writes: QRP Labs has just announced the QSX an All-Band All-Mode Transceiver Kit that should be available later this year. The Target price for the 10 Band Model is $150, also available will be a 40 Meter version for $75.00.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20919,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/the-rtl-sdr-v-3-dongle-on-shortwave-gary-details-setup-and-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":7037,"position":5},"title":"The RTL-SDR V.3 dongle on shortwave: Gary details setup and reviews","author":"Thomas","date":"August 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Gary Wise (W4EEY), for the following review of the RTL-SDR dongle: Based on your blog post on the Version 3 release of the RTL-SDR dongle I had to buy one. I ordered mine from Amazon for $25, and it came in two days. I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}