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Linux Powers First Handheld Software Radio
An anonymous reader writes "According to this article at LinuxDevices.com, Vanu Technology is demonstrating what it claims represents the world's first handheld 'software radio' using an iPAQ PDA running Linux at a conference in Washington DC today. Vanu apparently has implemented the signal processing functions on the iPAQ's XScale processor, and their software uses POSIX APIs to make it platform independent. Software radios implement multiple radio standards and frequency bands in software, rather than hardware. A standard iPAQ expansion pack houses the radio transceiver."
Ah, but therein lies the rub. this does have useful applications; it's a transceiver, not just a receiver. Thus, you can use this as a packet modem/whatever. Think long range wireless and the like; it'll be a toy for most at first until someone plays with it enough to use everything a good wireless connection can provide.
Marxism is the opiate of dumbasses
... Anyone else have solutions to this dilemma?
I sure do, off-shore production and smuggling operation. If I want to wreak havoc and chaos it is my god given consitiutionally protected right to do so.
Ahem... Excuse me, what I ment to say was that it's only a tool. You know guns don't have special attachments on their sights so you can only shoot in-season game. Hold the user responsible, not the maker or the tool.
Happy Noodle Boy says "F###ing doughnut! Mock me? You fried cyclops!!"
You're looking at this from the wrong level - this thing still has all the hardware to receive RF, the funky thing is that the radio demodulation/modulation et al is programmable. At the band's this is running at, it's not so interesting, but once you get up to 900MHz (and later at 2.4GHz+), you essentially have a device that can communicate with any RF device on its supported bands.
What this means (in the future, with 2.4GHz+ capable devices) is that one device (be it your PDA, mobile phone, PCMCIA card) can be a GSM phone, can be a CDMA phone, can be a 3G phone, can be a CB/commercial/police radio receiver, it could even be used for 802.11b or Bluetooth. The possibilities for software radio are mind boggling. Linux is really irrelevant in the scheme of things, it's essentially just used to bolt the stuff together - it's the underlying technology that is impressive.
For example, with software radio, cell phone manufacturers can make the guts of one phone and sell it in every market in the world. Equipment providers can make one cell phone tower, and use it everywhere. Wanna upgrade to a new standard? No problem. Distribute new software to the handsets and base stations and you're done. Imagine being able to roll out a new protocol to take advantage of just-made-available spectrum instantly.
Your one cell phone could act as a wireless ethernet adaptor, a bluetooth adaptor, an FM radio, an AM radio, a VHF radio, whatever! The promise of this technology is incredible.
Too big to fail? Does that make me to small to succeed?
Yeah - it's called the FCC and includes the process of type acceptance for a manufacturer to sell or even advertise radio equipment.
Anyone can purchase a transmitter or two-way radio and begin transmitting without a license on top of legit communications.
This is an old problem with an old solution. Do a 'net search for "Riley's Hammer" ...
For an example of this in action see fcc.gov
You guys are all missing the point. If you have a software radio you have something that is inherently able to adapt to the spectral environment that it currently "sees". Develop logic that deals with interference, and you've eliminated the concept of management bands and spectrum management agencies. You've essentially automated the process that these agencies seek to fufill, and you've eliminated the politics, lobbying mechanisms and the grip that the old world broadcast industry has on the raw resource that should be essentially free for everyone to use.
Some people may argue that you've taken revenue (licensing) away from central government. That is true. But my belief is that Central Government should be focussing on developing innovative smart technology rather than maintaining archaic processes. Revenue through process rather than red-tape.
Are radiowaves the electromagnetic equivalent of GNU bandwidth?
Check here and here for clue.
somewhere in texas, a village is missing it's idiot