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Universal Radio Grabber: the USRP
Nethemas the Great writes "The Universal Software Radio Peripheral or USRP created by Matt Ettus and Eric Blossom gives a new perspective on the radio spectrum, as in just about all of it from DC to 2.9Ghz. With the right software and daughterboards, their USRPs can capture FM, read GPS, decode HDTV, transmit over emergency bands, track peoples movement via their mobile phones, and much, much more. With prices starting at just $550 this new toy is accessible by most anyone."
Aren't radio transmitters/receivers legally required to not be able to access certain bands without proper licenses?
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Imagine a not-quite-Beowulf cluster of these -- your own homebrewed VLA. It'll receive in the "waterhole band", and VLBI ain't too hard to figure out. Set up enough ground stations and switch between them as-needed to compensate for what you're viewing and the rotation of the Earth, and you've got a fulltime radio telescope with a dish effectively as large as the earth, whenever you want it...
Open source radio astronomy anyone?
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Sorry, GPS location requirements don't rely on the timing on the board, all of the timing and position is derived from the received signal. You need to be able to receive 3 or more satellites for a fix. There are several folks working on GPS receive applications for the USRP right now.
Dave