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Author Topic: Early SDR radios?  (Read 646 times)

N6YWU

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Early SDR radios?
« on: March 14, 2021, 09:57:14 AM »

Which were the earliest models of transceivers or receivers primarily manufactured and marketed for amateur radio use that were SDRs? (e.g. not kits, not DoD or test equipment targeted products)

What year were they first advertised in QST or CQ or announced at Dayton?
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KF5LJW

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2021, 11:46:49 AM »

Not certain but Flex Radio 2003.
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K0CWO

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2021, 02:07:55 PM »

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N2DTS

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2021, 02:42:50 PM »

Flex radio sdr1000, still in use today.
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N6YWU

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2021, 06:52:34 PM »

And how long after 2003 did it take for Icom/Yaesu/Kenwood to catch on and announce their first SDR rigs?
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WB8LBZ

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2021, 07:29:32 PM »

Was the Icom 7300 first? I'm asking because I don't know.

73, Larry  WB8LBZ
El Paso, TX
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K0UA

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2021, 08:35:51 PM »

Was the Icom 7300 first? I'm asking because I don't know.

73, Larry  WB8LBZ
El Paso, TX

I believe that is correct.
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73  James K0UA

N4PY

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2021, 07:21:51 AM »

Tentec Pegasus 1999.
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N6YWU

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2021, 09:19:03 AM »

Tentec Pegasus 1999.

So it appears that Ten-Tec shipped a commercial amateur SDR years before Flex.  According to the QST reviews, it digitally samples the IF signal (so neither a direct sampling or direct conversion SDR) into an Analog Devices DSP.  Anyone know the IF frequency or have a block diagram?
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W6RZ

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2021, 09:42:34 AM »

Anyone know the IF frequency or have a block diagram?

Block diagram can be downloaded from here:

http://www.dk3qn.com/wf00017.htm

If you're including IF DSP rigs as SDR's, then the Kenwood TS-870S predates the Pegasus.
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N6YWU

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2021, 11:07:44 AM »

If you're including IF DSP rigs as SDR's ...

Don't see why not.  IF sampling is halfway between direct sampling (at RF) and direct conversion (to IQ at baseband) SDRs.  All still require some digital processing (which is done at least partially in software in an SDR) to filter and demodulate SSB (etc.) to audio, rather than allowing a completely analog path.

The ones where there is software, but not what I consider SDR, are radio CAT control and digital audio processing of already demodulated audio (which could be done by logic external to the RF radio proper way before (non-DoD) SDRs, e.g. low baud rate software modems on an Apple II et.al.).
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N6YWU

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2021, 11:29:08 AM »

If you're including IF DSP rigs as SDR's, then the Kenwood TS-870S predates the Pegasus.

1996?  Sampling the 4th IF: 11.308 KHz into a Motorola 56002 24-bit audio DSP for filtering+demodulation?  Very nice.

So amateur radio has been using commercial SDRs for a quarter century.
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W6RZ

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #12 on: March 15, 2021, 05:23:54 PM »

1996?  Sampling the 4th IF: 11.308 KHz into a Motorola 56002 24-bit audio DSP for filtering+demodulation?  Very nice.

So amateur radio has been using commercial SDRs for a quarter century.

The QST review was in the February 1996 issue, which due to publishing delays implies the TS-870S was introduced sometime in 1995.

The other early IF DSP rigs introduced at essentially the same time were the Icom IC-775DSP and the Yaesu FT-1000MP.
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AC7CW

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2021, 08:01:35 AM »

I read an article in an engineering magazine, late '80's, wherein a ham walked us through the design of a Tayloe architecture rx using a PGA to do the repetitive motion of FFT to produce what was essentially a self contained SDR receiving way above the HF freq's. I recall that I was stunned by that, had no idea Tayloe existed at all and doing the FFT in a PGA seemed like pure genius. The author, a ham, just walked through the design like it was just another ho-hum day after hours in the lab...
« Last Edit: March 16, 2021, 08:15:18 AM by AC7CW »
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

N6YWU

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Re: Early SDR radios?
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2021, 09:15:58 AM »

I read an article in an engineering magazine, late '80's, wherein a ham walked us through the design of a Tayloe architecture rx using a PGA to do the repetitive motion of FFT to produce what was essentially a self contained SDR receiving way above the HF freq's. I recall that I was stunned by that, had no idea Tayloe existed at all and doing the FFT in a PGA seemed like pure genius. The author, a ham, just walked through the design like it was just another ho-hum day after hours in the lab...

The Tayloe IQ architecture patent wasn't filed until 1998.  Was that magazine article in the late 80's or late 90's?
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