"Hackaday" mod to be lambasted in RR

[p1879]

This is today's new heresy:

Easy Modifications For Inexpensive Radios

Over the past decade or so, amateur radio operators have benefited from an influx of inexpensive radios based around a much simpler design than what was typically commercially available, bringing t…

hackaday.com

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The best mod is done with a 15 pound sledge hammer.

 

[MTS2000des]

The best mod is done with a 15 pound sledge hammer.

I think death by fire is better. Watch this fetid turd flame out.

 

[WRQS621]

Looks like my next radio

 

[AB5ID]

Does anyone know where it can actually make power, and no, over the entire spectrum all at once is not a good answer.

 

[krokus]

Does anyone know where it can actually make power, and no, over the entire spectrum all at once is not a good answer.

When you put a nail through the battery pack.

 

[p1879]

The comments in the "Hackaday" rag lead me to think some of the interest in this toxic radio is for using it as an ultra-cheap scanner. The fact it can do AM mode UHF/VHF aircraft comms--reputedly very poorly--seems very attractive for some.

 

[rescuecomm]

Look down - sneer down from the greatest ham bashing appliance operators in creation.

 

[marcotor]

Amazing how a few seem to get so butthurt by comments made by random people on the internet. If you don't like the opinion, why ask for it when you already know the result?

 

[mancow]

A guy did a long video and ran out through some analysis. It ended up he found out to be very clean RF wise.

 

[rescuecomm]

Perhaps it is the fact that a multiband radio capable of 10M, 6M, 2M, 220mhz, 440mhz, and 902mhz can be produced. That is, affordable by regular people working regular jobs who can't justify $10,000 for a Thales, Harris, or Motorola top tier units.

 

[pcunite]

Everything will be SDR (system on a chip) someday. Radios will be more durable, allow for smaller packaging, and as noted, allow for multi-band reception like what the BK4818 chip provides. With fast enough onboard processing, selectivity can be better than we have it now. I don't know about transmit, but improvements in reception are welcome.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Everything will be SDR (system on a chip) someday. Radios will be more durable, allow for smaller packaging, and as noted, allow for multi-band reception like what the BK4818 chip provides. With fast enough onboard processing, selectivity can be better than we have it now. I don't know about transmit, but improvements in reception are welcome.

If radios continue to be designed to a throwaway $30 price point they will continue to be lacking in receiver out of band rejection and intermodulation performance. You cannot fix OOB and IMD interference performance in software, being "digital" helps nothing. It is physics.

 

[R8000]

Perhaps it is the fact that a multiband radio capable of 10M, 6M, 2M, 220mhz, 440mhz, and 902mhz can be produced. That is, affordable by regular people working regular jobs who can't justify $10,000 for a Thales, Harris, or Motorola top tier units.

If you are looking for a 10M, 6M, 2M, 220mhz, 440mhz and 902mhz radio, why would you shop Thales, Harris or Motorola top tier units?
Those manufactures don't make amateur radios and have no interest in doing so. Perhaps you should reach out to radio manufactures that make ham radios to make such a unit.

 

[mancow]

A guy did a long video and ran out through some analysis. It ended up he found out to be very clean RF wise.

I should have been more clear. It was decently clean in its intended band ranges. Out of band it's trash.

 

[Ubbe]

A guy did a long video and ran out through some analysis. It ended up he found out to be very clean RF wise.

But the initial test done show a spectrum that when transmitting at 27MHz using 228uW it was then 2000 times higher at the spikes at 109Mhz and 136MHz. But it probably doesn't operate within its proper power range when using microwatt.

As an example against using this for actual communications, consider the following chart for transmission power for a transmission at 27.254MHz:

• 27.254MHz -> 228 microwatts
• 54 Mhz -> 2.4 milliwatts
• 81 Mhz -> 230 milliwatts
• 109 Mhz -> 558 milliwatts
• 136 Mhz -> 412 milliwatts
• 163 Mhz -> 122 milliwatts
• 190 Mhz -> 14.8 milliwatts
• 218 Mhz -> 2 milliwatts
• And finally, on 245 Mhz -> 2.6 milliwatts.

/Ubbe