Quest's For WinRadio G305 Owners

[BOBRR]

Hello,

Pretty much have my mind made up to get a WinRadio G305.
Just have to convince the wife now.

Have a JRC NRD 545 now, which I really like.
Anyone have one also, that they can compare the G305 to ?

Have the following questions:

a. I guess the first one should be for those having one now:
Like it ? Caveats ?
What don't you like ? etc. ?

b. Do you have the Professional Demod. with it ? Suggest getting ?

c. The lack apparently of two separate antenna inputs, one for the HF, and one for the vhf/uhf, really
is hard to fathom. I can convince myself to spend the $ for the receiver, but another $200 for their
"Combiner" really disturbs me.
What are you folks using, and how are you handling this "problem" ?
Just a bunch of antenna switches, or...?

d. Any problems using with a 64 Bit OS ? With Vista ?

e. Any problems, like I've read a little, with their virtual sound card and a 64 bit OS ?

BTW: where did you purchase it ? Any discounts avail., or suggestions as to where to get it,
where not to get it, etc. ?

Any thoughts in general on the G305 would be most appreciated.

Regards,
Bob

 

[datainmotion]

Resurrection

I'd like to resurrect this thread as I too, am looking at getting a G305e with the Advanced Digital Suite Upgrade, the Advanced Trunking Option and the APCO P25 Decoder.

Any owners like to give us their thoughts?

 

[KC1UA]

This thread will help a great deal IMHO if you haven't seen it yet. I'm a "former" owner.

http://forums.radioreference.com/all-other-receivers/85965-winradio-now-offers-apco-p25-decoder.html

 

[Token]

Any thoughts in general on the G305 would be most appreciated.

Well, my first general thought on the G305 (either e or i) is that it is not an SDR.

T!

 

[ka3jjz]

Not so, according to the Winradio website...

WiNRADiO WR-G305e Receiver

73 Mike

 

[datainmotion]

This thread will help a great deal IMHO if you haven't seen it yet. I'm a "former" owner.

http://forums.radioreference.com/all-other-receivers/85965-winradio-now-offers-apco-p25-decoder.html

Scott,

Thank you very much for that link. 3 pages later and I think I'll be reconsidering that purchase. I already have an SDR-IQ and am happy with it. Guess I was just hoping I could get those type of features on VHF and UHF as well. Oh well.

In WinRadio's defense, do we suppose they have made any significant changes regarding the issues mentioned in that thread?

Thanks again,

Mike

 

[Token]

Not so, according to the Winradio website...

Mike,

I am familiar with their marketing and advertisement. They call their 303/313/305/315 all "SDR" radios. However if you read the later parts of their description they call them "DSP".

The 303/313/305/315 are no more, and no less, SDR radios than almost any better quality radio made today, but most makers call them "DSP" radios, not SDR, some call it specifically IF DSP. The difference is that with the WinRadios you must adjust the DSP parameters using a computer since it has no front panel, most of the “DSP” radios allow front panel adjustments of the parameters (except for the Kenwood TS-2000B model, it has computer only adjustment because it has no front panel), although many others also allow computer adjustment when a computer is attached to the radio.

This WinRadio series of radios are a traditional supertheterodyne double conversion design using DSP as the detector/demodulator. The 303/313/305/315 all use a DSP to process the signal in the last IF. Radios have been doing this for more than 10 years. In the case of the WinRadio rigs they do this at a 12 kHz IF, their 2nd IF in a double conversion scheme (1st IF of 45 MHz for 303/313 and 109.65 MHz for 305/315).

Examples of other radios that do exactly this same thing and are NOT called SDR:
Kenwood TS-2000, DSP at 12 kHz 2nd IF
Kenwood TS-590, DSP at 24 kHz 2nd IF
Yaesu FT-450, DSP at 24 kHz 2nd IF
Yaesu FT-950, DSP at 30 kHz 3rd IF
Yaesu FT-2000, DSP at 30 kHz 3rd IF
Yaesu FT-5000, DSP at 30 kHz (3rd IF for RX B, 2nd IF for RX A)
Yaesu FT-9000, DSP at 30 kHz 3rd IF
Icom IC-7000, DSP at 2nd IF, unk freq
Icom IC-7200, DSP at 15.625 kHz 3rd IF
Icom IC-7600, DSP at 36 kHz, 2nd IF
Icom IC-7700, DSP at 36 kHz, 2nd IF
Icom IC-7800, DSP at 36 kHz, 2nd IF
Icom IC-9100, DSP at 36 kHz, 2nd or 3rd IF, depending on mode and band

WinRadio is leveraging the term SDR to differentiate their product from other brands. They can get away with it because many people have thought of their radios as SDR for years, even before the 3xx series came out. People often confuse Software Defined Radio with Software Controlled Radio.

I guess the real question becomes are WinRadio 3XX series actually SDR? Or are other makers not using the term when they could?

I would say that an honest SDR has no IF at all and uses no mixer. However, then that would preclude several radios today considered SDRs, such as the SoftRock series, because the hardware to support such a definition has not been readily available until recently.

T!

 

[KI4UCJ]

T,
Would the Icom PCR-2500 be a SDR radio?
Thanks,
Walter

 

[Token]

T,
Would the Icom PCR-2500 be a SDR radio?
Thanks,
Walter

All of the radios I responded with, including the WinRadio G3XX series, are somewhat arguably SDR. It is my opinion (and possibly I should have been more clear about that) they are not "SDR" as they use a DSP at just above audio levels in the 2nd or 3rd (the important part is a "later") IF. In place of a more traditional detector/demodulator, essentially.

However, the PCR-2500 is most definitely not an SDR...even though PopComm included it and its sister PCR-1500 in their "Software-defined Radios" section of their Dec 2010 equipment round-up.

The PCR-2500 is a computer controlled radio (with an option for a front panel control). The DSP in the -2500 (the UT-106, the same DSP offered for several other Icom products) operates at audio level, offering such things as digital noise reduction and notch filtering. If the PCR-2500 is an SDR then so is the Icom R-75, the PCR-1000, and the PCR-1500...they all use the same DSP in exactly the same way.

Computer controlled does not mean software-defined, and that is sometimes hard to drive home.

T!

 

[boaznruth09]

well...i have the winradio g305e with all the fat and fixings...got the professional demodulator...
Advanced digital suite, apco25, worldstation database, digital radio mondiale, and the entire download series....tell ya the truth...I absolutely love this radio. DEFINATELY get the professional demodulator..so very well worth it...
This radio is perfect for one who is ready to retire with so many features and bells and whistles...that you can spend months playing with it...and still have more to discover. It is definitely not a beginners radio, but more of a technician's radio. the capabilities of this radio are very strong, and perhaps i would suggest that if you get this radio, you will never need another radio, as this one does it all, except it it not a handheld...

 

[boaznruth09]

Some excellent features of the radio, include a spectrum sweeper...with color coded min, max and diff settings...very handy when you want to locate new activity quickly.
I tried it out near Newark Airport in NJ, and was able to log so many ACARS messages. that was fascinating in itself. Another great feature, is that you could record the audio, and rerun the audio with different settings. It can even download a weather fax from a satellite. It even has Navtex....as well as a packet radio decoder. it also has a signal conditioner to spruce up weak or enhance signals...then with the signal classifier, it will tell you how that signal is being used ie; silent channel, afsk, tone, noise, or data. There were some really interesting signals i have discovered...that was carrying voice, and without the classifier...you would have never known it. there are 5 different types of squelch which come in handy. The apco25 demodulator is the way to go and certainly the frequency band that will be used in the next major emergency. the DRM demodulator is a bit tricky, but quite interesting to pick up a digital signal half way round the world. with the professional demodulator, you can modify filters and bandwidth and really tweak your signals. there are so many other great things i can say about this radio...but I would reccommend anyone who is serious about their radios...should have one of these on their shelf. One thing I like to use the spectrum sweeper for, is to generate some spec data on home made antennas. you can see the db gains and losses with ease. Definitely a powerhouse.
chuck

 

[majoco]

I'm with Token on this and I have a G303.

Let's call it an "SCR", a software controlled radio. There is not much control of the 'front end' of the receiver, just frequency control, RF AGC and an attenuator. All the rest is done in the computer, bandwidth, demod and "audio AGC" (they call it, I have it turned off.)

 

[majoco]

Deleted - doubled

 

[boaznruth09]

it is quite obvious that token definitely has done his homework. SDR or DSP...call it whatever ya like, but i do like my radio. Do you have the advanced digital suite with your 303? take care.

 

[vince48]

Gentlemen, I have a 305i with professional demodulator available at a reasonable price if anyone is interested.

 

[boaznruth09]

Define reasonable price....

 

[vince48]

$350 you pay UPS. Thanks for inquiring.

vince48

 

[Reece]

I just received my new G305e yesterday with Pro demodulator.
I find that the audio is rather poor compared to my Icom, hard to describe but the sound seems to "snap" at the start of signal reception, have fiddled around with various settings but can't seem to overcome this. I was wondering about buying and installing the serial interface, does anyone know if this would produce better audio?

 

[majoco]

More info please. Are you using it as a scanner or just listening to a single frequency that's intermittant - say the local fire dept? Try using an external speaker if you are using a laptop. I found the squelch on HF was useless and with no RF gain control you cannot reduce the atmospheric background noise so it is not a good radio for say HF aero monitoring. Brilliant for browsing the HF BC bands especially when using JB's StationList or similar.

Unfortunately there are better receivers for the VHF/UHF bands.

I have a small Yaesu VR2 that I use for scanning listening on earbuds - there is a DC shift in the output when scanning stops that produces a "pop" - that is most annoying and very tiring after a while - I put a small capacitor in series with the earbud in the end and that stopped the pop.

 

[Reece]

Hi Martin, I haven't received the discone antenna yet so only going through HF, I haven't tried scanning yet just hand tuning. My setup is on a desktop computer, the noise was a ssb signal and tried a few different stations but still have the same problem, will try to describe it better:
When the signal be it voice, morse etc when it is quiet you can hear the background noise level rise then when the signal starts it produces a "crack", only takes a gap of a second. I have my Icom tuned to the same signal and this problem is not heard on that.
I just wondered if the serial interface using the PC's sound card might eliminate this problem.