Then next big thing if someone does it will be this.
Beam forming and steering done in DSP.
A radio with built in direction finding algorithm, something like MUSIC or Esprit. Better for most hams would be a SSL DF system. Thats single site location DF. You can get a fix on station just using your own DF antennas rather
than relying on a network of stations. Both models of direction finding will work well with ham operators. It would be nice to DF all the idiots and know exactly what street they are in.
You can read about a good system here
http://www.roke.co.uk/locate/As you can see the only platform that can get close to the capabilities of the above is the new Flex6000. They would have to pay a lot of attention the finer design details like disabling the AGC and using perfectly phase coherent
receivers. These DF systems are a lot of fun to play around with!
The next that I would like to see is that the transceiver have a IONSONDE capability. It would be nice just to trying and work out what the ionosphere is doing by doing the measurements of ionospheric height myself. You would need this capability if you using the above mentioned DF system. Although you can use ionosphere models. There are hams already playing around with HF radar.
The problem is that ham companies are stuck in the rut. Look at the new Kenwood radio all old technology with a new face, a pig with lipstick. We not getting what technology can deliver today like
Direct Sampling /DUC and adaptive predistortion PA's. What we getting is 30 year technology repackaged. You cant even a calibrated S-meter for 10, 000 dollars! This is how backward the ham companies are in
forward and future thinking. Implementing some of the above can be done for a reasonable costs if they actually were sincere about pulling it off.
Anyway keep on dreaming, maybe some new Chinese upstart will show the current ham manufacturers how to do it. They might be afraid of all the ear bashing they get here if they dont stick to producing 40 year old technology in a
new package. They can only seem to sell nostalgic old rubbish like old analog radio dials. Why knows we might soon see a spark transceiver in a carbon fiber case with TFT screen, what the hell its new and very old!
Awfully quiet here these days!
What do you think will be the next big development that will get us all talking again?
New SDR release
Upgrade of so etching existing?
