What radio for computer usage

[lurking]

Newbie question...

I want to hook a radio to a computer to decode the data streams from radio modems. I do not want to transmit info on a transciever, but I would like to see PSK31 from the ham side. I would also want to see info from other digital sources used by local sources that are not encrypted.

What radio or type of radio am I looking for?

Thanz for the info...

 

[ka3jjz]

Well, if we stick to HF for the moment - what kind of a budget are we discussing here? You could get by with a portable (even a Grundig YB400 would do) to the near kilobuck radios (the Drake R8 series, the AOR 7030, the various JRC models). There are also a few computer driven alternatives, such as the Ten Tec RX320, the recently discontinued Icom PCR-1000 and Winradio. Somewhere along the line there's the Icom R75, which seems to be a fairly popular choice, given the number of hits I see on the Wiki page Ive constructed for it.

Software for PSK31 is easy and plentiful to find; Digipan is one, MixW another. There's a great many others. The connection required would be nothing more than a good shielded line from whatever radio you use to your soundcard.

Tell you what; there's a section reserved for receiver reviews on both the SWL Listening and Utility Monitoring Wikis. I would also consider getting a book called Passport to World Band Radio from any number of places (Universal Radio in Ohio, for example). That book contains numerous radio reviews (even if the broadcast schedules are now dated....). On the Wiki, you will find a page or two from the RadioIntel website, run by my friend Ulis Fleming N3LU. Take your time and do some research; many radios now even have a dedicated Yahoo reflector (mailing list). When you narrow down your choices, then you can ask questions on such lists before you buy.

Now as to 'local sources' - briefly stated, there are certain Federal guidelines to listening in to digital signals not meant for the public. This is a bone of contention among many hobbyists, but folks do it anyway :.>> They just don't talk about what they see.
There are, however, some formats that are readily accessible to the public for which software is easily obtained - ACARS, for example.
For some signals, a tap into the radio's innards is needed; for things like ACARS, a speaker connection is all that's needed.

Be a bit more specific with your requirements, and there's lots of folks here who can help.

73s Mike

 

[lurking]

I am just wondering what is on the data streams that my scanner picks up on the 850 mhz or so range. Is there a way or is there an interface for radio to computer.

BTW: I already have the book and hadn't really thought of review pages...thanks.

 

[ka3jjz]

Without knowing where you are, it's a tough call to be sure - but I'm betting you're hearing what is known as the control channel of a trunking system. Basically put, this is the channel where all the system housekeeping takes place - everything from getting a radio to talk on the system, keeping track of that radio and other users that are on the system, all at the same time.
There are many scanners now that can listen in on such systems. In addition, there is indeed a way to interface a radio to look at this control channel. One of the more popular ways to go about it is to install a tap into a scanner that samples the audio before it gets to be amplified and shaped at the audio stages - the 'discriminator'. You then feed that audio into either a soundcard utility, or into something that changes the audio into a RS232 signal (it depends on what utility you want to run - some require this, others don't). That item is often referred to as a 'data slicer', and you can build one of these yourself, if you have some skill and solder well (there are schematics here on RR).

73s Mike