Re: [TenTec] Open Source for TT firmware

[Martin Ewing <martin@aa6e.net>]

Dick,

It's good for users to understand the provider's point of view.  Thanks for 
that.  Open sourcing high level (C, C++) code running in Linux or Windows is 
easier to think about than specialized firmware.  But hams want to experiment, 
and some of us want to work with radio control & DSP software.

Maybe the way forward is to look at the "API" (application programming 
interface) that TT and other vendors provide us.  Right now, all we get is a 
serial port and analog audio in/out.  The serial port is enough to let you 
remote the slow parts of the front panel, but you can't remote the actual LCD 
panel contents, like the spectrum analyzer display.

"Friendly" vendors like TT or Elecraft should be looking toward a higher speed 
API.  This would not infringe on their IP.  My short list of features -

-Digital signal I/O:  IF and audio, so we could do our own special modulation, 
signal processing, scanning, etc, in software without flakey sound cards.
-Higher speed RF control, so you could implement your own scanning, AFC, what 
have you.  DIY ALC/AGC loops, PSK monitoring, etc.
-Faster remote of front panel, including display, using X11 or similar. (The 
IC-7800 apparently gives you a VGA output, but won't let you merge your own 
computer's data.)
-I really don't like to switch between my computer display and the radio when 
operating, but I like real knobs and buttons! Solution?  Let me put my logging / 
qrz.com window on the xcvr's front panel... Maybe I should quit here!

All this could be done with a platform that looks like the Orion with a little 
more CPU horsepower and your choice of high-speed interface, and the cost should 
be reasonable. It is a logical direction for a company that has already done 
Jupiter/Pegasus.

73- Martin

p.s.  I am using a Linksys WiFi Router that has an embedded Linux system, where 
a keen user can hack in and insert their own code.  It doesn't violate Linksys's 
IP as far as I can see, but it is definitely unsupported.

Dick Green wrote:
> Much as I would love to get a peek at the Orion firmware source code, and
> generally admire the open source movement, I don't think it's feasible or
> realistic in this case. Unlike older generations of transceivers, the
> Orion's firmware is really what defines the radio. The hardware is
> relatively simple. It's the firmware that contains virtually all of Ten
> Tec's Intellectual Property (IP) for this rig, and is the embodiment of what
> I'm sure was a very large investment in research and development.
...

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