[TenTec] New Radios in the Future

[Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP]

Lee, you are spot on, but don't hold your breath.
"We consumers" want standards, but the OEMs will try to own us by forcing
their proprietary solutions on us.  
(Think D-Star).

I propose that all OEMs build their radios with an API to N4PY software!

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt am Main)


-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Lee
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2014 7:07 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Radios in the Future

Think you have your finger on it. What would facilitate this even more,
would be if those who designed s_d_r, would adhere to a few common standards
which would make hardware controllers of the type you indicate portable and
interchangeable.
On Oct 31, 2014 4:26 PM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick at dj0ip.de> wrote:

> IMO, the time has come to stop worrying about which "radio".
> It's time to abandon the concept of a radio as being the single stand 
> alone device that gets us on the air.
>
> SDR radios such as FLEX and ANAN  ARE THE FUTURE.
> BUT NOT as stand-alone devices.
> Most of us will have and use an additional "Human Interface Box".
>
> What most of us don't like about the current SDR radios is their human 
> interface.
> ..We want knobs.
> ..Some of us want big knobs.
> ..Some of us want more knobs
> ..Some of us want fewer knobs
>
> The Eagle is a fantastic radio but we can't seem to agree on the knob 
> arrangement for the perfect Eagle.
> WHY MUST WE AGREE ON JUST ONE SOLUTION?
> What if we could have a dozen different solutions to the knob 
> arrangement, but they all control a black box called "Son of Eagle"?
>
> CONSIDER THIS:
>
> In the future there will be multiple companies offering various Human 
> Interfaces.
> Our choice of human interface will be just as important as our choice 
> of SDR radio that goes behind it.
>
> Before I continue, let me explain what I have in mind.
> I'm thinking of things like the Wood Box interface such as their TMate2.
> See:  http://www.woodboxradio.com/tmate2.html
>
> My first impression of the TMate2:  "Nice but too expensive."
> But is it really too expensive?
> It is exactly the knobs that this device has which I like so much in 
> my radios.
>
> Considering its price, the performance of the FLEX 6300 is phenomenal.
> But who wants a radio with no knobs?  I certainly don't.
>
> In the future, that performance level will be available for $1K or 
> even less.
> Couple that with a $300 human interface and we'll have a lovely radio 
> at a reasonable price.
>
> Each of us can choose which human interface we want, with as many 
> knobs as we want, and the radio behind it is a black box engine.  We 
> can swap the SDR black box engine as often as we want, but keeping our 
> own favorite human interface.  Each new radio will have the same look 
> and feel as the old one.
> No new steep learning curve.
>
> Upgrading to newer technology will be cheaper because we don't replace 
> everything.
> We just purchase a new engine.
>
> I believe this will be the ham radio of the future.
>
> This approach will enable each of us to create a radio environment 
> that suits our own personal tastes.
>
> Even though I was one of the ones yelling loudest that real radios 
> have knobs, I'm ready to jump ship as soon as they build solutions like
this.
>
> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec