Lest anyone get the wrong idea, strictly speaking the Orion is not a
software-defined radio. I remember Scott at Ten Tec reiterating this
point here on the reflector during an early thread on the merits of
software-defined radios where too many folks were equating software
defined radios with the Orion. At the time I also searched everywhere on
the Ten Tec web site, and nowhere found the term "software-defined
radio". We should be very clear on whether we are lumping the Orion
(erroneously) into that broad category called "software-defined radio",
and if so, what exactly we mean by the term "software-defined radio". I
fear that it is quickly being diluted into a meaningless term.
Not every transceiver with DSP and softkeys and downloadable firmware
can be called "software defined". "Software defined" implies a lot of
flexibility that allows the radio to adapt to just about every
foreseeable signal that could possibly be conceived of. That almost
dictates that the architecture be one where the incoming RF is digitized
immediately after the antenna connector, and demodulation is
accomplished by software.
"Software-defined" means, among other things, that if a new mode called,
say, "Polar Modulation with a little PSK58 frequency hopping thrown in
for good measure"-- whatever this is-- is invented this afternoon at
4:00, that we will be able to download new firmware to demodulate this
new mode in our radio. Does this define the Orion? Maybe I'm wrong, but
I don't think necessarily so.
Al W6LX
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