On 03/25/21 12:50, Edson W. R. Pereira wrote:
I have an old IC-821 that recently started having CPU issues and am not sure I will be able to fix it. I am in the process of rewiring the dual PA and front-ends to my PlutoSDR.
With the present availability of SDRs like PlutoSDR, LimeSDR, BladeSDR, etc., it is much easier to use them to receive (and generate) signals, but they lack good filtering and adequate RF power. It would be nice if we could have some commercial solutions.
73, Edson PY2SDR
Hello Edson,
It seems that an outboard filtering "box", with the appropriate band-select signals from the SDR, would be a good solution.
It could incorporate RF amplifiers, too, to get the signal up to at least 5W. At that point, a conventional external PA could bring the signal level up to 100W or whatever the user chooses.
While I like the ADALM-PLUTO, I don't like the USB interface. USB is finicky even under ideal circumstances. I would much prefer a GigE interface into the Zynq inside that box. It could then be placed anywhere on the network, ideally with PoE so that a separate power supply would not be required.
The design is open-source, so it could be done.
--- Zach N0ZGO