interesting new SDR

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scosgt

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SO the first question that comes to mind is:

Since it is not FCC approved, is it illegal to import into the US?
 

kb1qzh

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There was another sale on the 14th. I was able to get my paypal order through. I can't wait to try it with my netbook
 

datainmotion

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There was another sale on the 14th. I was able to get my paypal order through. I can't wait to try it with my netbook

Make sure to post some of your impressions of it (with screen shots if you can). Thanks!
 

Token

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Back when he sold the first batch I thought about getting one of these. Again when he announced the 14th sale I was seriously thinking about one. But then I realised it brings no capabilities to me that I do not already have and the only reason for me to get one was the new factor. So, I opted to not throw my hat in that ring, and let someone else enjoy it instead.

This kind of thing is the future of radio. Think about the FunCube with the right, currently nonexistant, software behind it, it is an all mode scanner that can also potentially do all unencrypted digital modes. Because of the broad IBW no digital mode I am aware of is technically impossible. And its size is an indicator of where radio is going also. True, it has a wide open front end that is going to have issues, but at VHF/UHF this is typically less of a buzz kill than at HF. It could easily have a better front end, but that would make it a good bit bigger.

T!
 

CalebATC

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That could be a little dangerous.

I couldn't find anything that said it was FCC approved, or that said it did not cover the cellular bands.

Pretty cool though.
 

Token

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That could be a little dangerous.

I couldn't find anything that said it was FCC approved, or that said it did not cover the cellular bands.

Of interest, you as an amateur operator are NOT required to operate or purchase FCC approved equipment, you can use non type accepted equipment legally. However, you are required to know if your equipment is in compliance with regulations. Keep in mind that home brew equipment is built by hams all the time, and none of it is type accepted.

There is NO regulation that says you cannot buy, own, build, or use a radio that is not cell blocked. The regulation says it is illegal to produce and sell them and that if you do own one you cannot legally listen to cell signals.

As near as I can tell, if there is any danger here, it is to the seller. There might, I repeat might, be some issue with "importing" a non type accepted device, but I do not know the details on that.

T!
 
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Sporkupine

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Oh, the heck with FCC approval. Who cares....It's an SDR that costs under $1k! Imagine this little booger plugged into a netbook or a tablet or something...I can't stand up now! If this thing works as advertised, it'll be a thing of beauty.

kb1qzh, I eagerly await your review!
 

Token

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It's an SDR that costs under $1k!

There are several, one could say many, SDRs under $1k, starting from about $45 up. But, it is the only SDR in the price range that I know of, that covers ~ 60 MHz to just under ~ 2 GHz. Of course it does that at the cost of having no coverage below ~50 MHz as well as making some technical compromises.

Let’s keep in mind what this is. It is a very cool little simple device that digitizes a small segment of spectrum (slightly over 80 kHz usable, 96 kHz minus ADC decimation) and has the ability to tune from about 60 MHz to about 2 GHZ with a small gap around 1100-1250 MHz. It has good sensitivity numbers and because it is an SDR and the filters are done in software the co-channel selectivity should be good. Since it does not transfer the data to the PC via audio (as some other low cost SDRs do) the dynamic range should be improved.

However, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, so there are some compromises, as I said above.

It appears the DC bias is pretty hard to totally get rid of (http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/SpectravueConfigurationForFCD.pdf ). Of course SpectraVue has a function called NCO null that might remove this from the display, but most probably all of this means there could be a slight loss of sensitivity around center freq. No big deal, put the demod window off center slightly and you should be good to go.

The band pass filtering on the front end is exceptionally wide, almost to the point of being non-existent. I would bet this means there will be some interesting imaging.

The FunCube is probably meant more for the “tinkerer” or the experimenter rather than the turn on and listen kind of user. If you expect this to take the place of a good multimode superhet covering the same range or a good trunking scanner then you are probably going to be disappointed. But, if you see this as an entry into other than FM modes above 60 MHz it is probably just right. Or if you see it as a dedicated receiver that works great in a specific region once you have tweaked everything it will also probably please the user.

This device truly is ground breaking if the data on the web site is correct (and there is no reason to doubt it, I merely add that for completeness). If you had told me 10 years ago it would exist today I might have thought you needed a drug test. There is not a less expensive way that I know of to get into weak signal modes from VHF/LO up. But, it might not be right for everyone.

If the designer goes forward with larger scale production I could see me having to add one to my selection, just to see what it will do. And I look forward to users reports on how the units function. I expect some buyers will be disappointed because it is not quite what they thought, I also expect other buyers will be ecstatic because it is so versatile.

I also await a hands on review, and hope it comes quickly. Of course, I probably am not as antsy for a review as KB1QZH is to get his hands on it...I bet he can't check the mail often enough...lol

T!
 

kb1qzh

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it just arrived today!!!
hopefully should have some first impressions by thursday.
kb1qzh
 

peepoop

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The next batch goes on sale this Friday 22:00 UTC.

The last set sold out in less than a minute. Set your alarms now...
 

SCPD

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The next batch goes on sale this Friday 22:00 UTC.

The last set sold out in less than a minute. Set your alarms now...

Yep, I am looking at this intensely as I do have the funds available... but as others have said, I don't see a wide use for this... other than just an experiment.

Cost comes out to roughly $173 shipped to the USA.

Here's a short video someone made using their funcube: YouTube - FUNcube Dongle: Out Of The Box test of this highly innovative SDR
 

mtindor

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Got mine, first try. After ensuring that multiple computers were time-synced, I started pressing the Buy Now at 4:58:30. I got two notices saying there were no items unavailable, and then at just about 4:59 I was able to make a purchase. That's one minute before what most of us would see on our computer clocks as 5:00.

So, a word to the wise who missed out this time, in the future start trying to buy a little before 5 PM. And repeat the process as fast as you can until you get a confirmed buy :)

Mike
 
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