On 2/1/21 4:48 PM, Steve Kristoff wrote:
Don't you also need a computer to plug the SDR dongle into? If so, is the computer, dongle, LNA, FT-818 combo a portable station as you'd have with two HTs and an Arrow antenna? Or at this point are you referring to an in-shack type station with tower mounted antennas?
Hello Steve,
You do need something to plug the SDR dongle into, and most of the time that's a laptop or desktop PC. However, for the brave:
https://www.electronicsforu.com/electronics-projects/software-defined-radio-...
You might even be able to scrounge a phone (sans SIM card) from someone who is on the cell-phone upgrade treadmill. You know the one: it's thinner, sleeker, has more battery, uses the 5G rays right into your eyeballs for better resolution, etc. :-)
I've used a Mac and a *NIX (FreeBSD, Linux, etc.) as SDR platforms. I typically use Gqrx, but I've been looking for something more lightweight.
On the LNA front, I've used homebrew LNAs -- and learned a lot about how not to build a LNA. However, LNA4ALL is a good solution if your dongle doesn't already have an LNA built in (like the FCDP+).
--- Zach N0ZGO