Kristoff, my "Hackerspace" DallasMakerSpace.org is working on an open source
hardware solution called DSMART, I have previously mentioned it.
Also the company I work for does nothing but manufacture small electronic
things as its sole business. We have a pick and place machine and the whole
9 yards.
This is why I am involved in this group, because there is lots of great
talent here. (particularly at things the make my head hurt like FFTS and
such.)
Our goal is to merge the existing technology in current smartphones with
amateur radio, and make it completely open source.
We want to make a modular portable radio with a touch interface and a few
buttons running on a linux kernel that has removable VFO cards (just like
you have PCI cards in a computer)
That way, someone else can design a VFO card for a band and protocol that
suits them/licensing ect.
We are starting on the portable one first and the will move to a mobile/car
sized one then to a base station/tower rig.
I contacted the hamcell guys earlier today when I found out about them, and
they appear to have a radio platform close to working.
Regards,
Mike Eber KD5QLN
From: Kristoff Bonne [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 2:35 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Freetel-codec2] VHF modem for codec2
Hi David,
I personaly like to stay away from the "let's build some special box
ourself" idea.
We have seen in some other projects what happens when hams start making
their own board: which they then have to get into manufactor, buy cases to
add to them, set up websites, handle shipping, etc.
That's not something hams are very good at. Manufactoring companies can do
that much better and -if the design is open hardware- even add their own
changes to make manufactoring better.
There are now a couple of boards out there that provide quite some
processing-power, are hardware extendable and are open source hardware and
open source software.
I think of -say- the beaglebone (http://beagleboard.org/bone) or the chipkit
(http://www.chipkit.cc/ <http://www.chipkit.org/forum/> ).
The beaglebone is based on an ARM. The chipkit on a PIC32/MIPS.
Perhaps there are even other boards out there. Why not a Raspi with an
extension board?
The big advantage of these boards is that they already exist and are already
available in sufficiant large quantities.
I think it probably makes more sence to only make a "shield" (or whatever
they are called for these devices) to handle interfacing to the radio or
microphone; but limit ourselfs to that.
If the shield is licened with a open source hardware licence that do allow
commercial companies to make them; you have best of both world:
on one side, individual hams who want to make it themselfs can do so. On the
other hand, manufactoring companies who are interested in selling big
quantities can also do so and -even- change the design to better suit their
production enviroment.
We hams should focus on what we do best: develop and experiment.
Also, find somebody to make an open source 3D design of a case to be put on
thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/)
Centralised manufactoring by some company who then has to ship it out via
parcel-services that blow million tons of CO2 into the air every year is so
20th century! :-)
Just grap an open source 3D design from the net and ask anybody who has a 3D
printer to make one for you. (almost any hackerspace has these things
thesedays!!!)
So, instead of looking for "what processor to use". I would prefer to look
for "what ready to use and already available board can be used for this?"
73
Kristoff - ON1ARF
On 21-05-12 14:17, David Rowe wrote:
Hi James,
The need for just such a box has been discussed at the Hamvention, and
we also dreamed up the microphone form factor. It would need a patch
cable or jumper system to interface with the various mic/spkr and PTT
standards.
Inside we would need some sort of 32 bit processor, but perhaps not a
full Linux machine.
It would make (open source) Digital Voice available on any legacy HF SSB
or VHF FM radio without a PC, and be completely open and hackable.
Major work between where are today and that is a fixed point port of
Codec 2. I've got some thoughts on how I can delegate that work more
effectively, e.g. automated unit tests that will show pass/fail on any
modified code.
Cheers,
David
On Mon, 2012-05-21 at 08:07 -0400, James Hall wrote:
You know, if we use stuff meant for cellphones like
very miniaturized ARM processors then it should be possible to make a
codec2 mic for HT/mobile radios. Such a mic for an HT would need it's
own battery but for many mobile radios could run off of provided
power. I'm also, slowly, trying to figure out the Remote Control
protocol for older Kenwood TM-xx1 radios so something could be
produced that could be more tightly integrated into those radios.
Kinda like the newer Kenwood D710 APRS head that can be used to
upgrade one of their newer radios (What is it, DM71a?)
James
N9XLC
On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 11:52 PM, Bruce Perens <mailto:[email protected]>
<[email protected]>
wrote:
On 05/20/2012 08:04 PM, Matthew Pitts wrote:
> Bruce,
>
> Being able to use an existing transceiver to use a new mode
is something a lot of hams are willing to do; in fact, I've
seen numerous comments on various lists that indicate it's a
lot more common than we think.
Well, sure. But putting an SSB operator on PSK, WSPR, or
Codec2 brings
previously-unavailable functionality to the radio. If you want
to do
that with VHF/UHF hams, give them a way to convert their FM
HTs to
Codec2 (like our HF modem, over an FM audio channel). That is
adding
real functionality, even if it's not running our system as
well as we
potentially can.
Thanks
Bruce
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Live Security Virtual Conference
Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security
and
threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond.
Discussions
will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest
in malware
threats.
http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/
_______________________________________________
Freetel-codec2 mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freetel-codec2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Live Security Virtual Conference
Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and
threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions
will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware
threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/
_______________________________________________ Freetel-codec2 mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freetel-codec2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Live Security Virtual Conference
Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and
threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions
will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware
threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/
_______________________________________________
Freetel-codec2 mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freetel-codec2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live Security Virtual Conference
Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and
threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions
will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware
threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/
_______________________________________________
Freetel-codec2 mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freetel-codec2
