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Software-Defined Radio: the Apple I of Broadcast?

Posted by Soulskill on from the will-it-sell-for-hundreds-of-thousands-in-35-years dept.

benfrog writes "A company called Per Vices has introduced software-defined radio gear that Ars Technica is comparing to the Apple I. Why? Because software radio can broadcast and receive nearly any radio signal on nearly any frequency at the same time, and thus could 'revolutionize wireless.' The Per Vices Phi is one of the first devices aimed at the mass hobbyist market to take advantage of this technology."

3 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Very little to do with broadcast by icebike · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The game changer here would be in the Cell Phone industry which can substitute a single radio chip to do all the protocols, wifi, cellular, bluetooth, as well as mix and match them at will. New air protocols could be invented over night without waiting for expensive chip developments. Its a cost reduction path as well as a device longevity path.

    Although it sounds wonderful when your cell phone is stuck on CDMA or your Bluetooth lacks all the latest capabilities, there are still problems of having an infinite number of antennas available (yes, we already have software defined antennas) in a small place.

    There will still have to be frequency restrictions imposed in the hardware itself because the FCC can't afford to allow Joe Random Programmer bringing down jumbo jets. But within authorized bands the ability to use new methods without waiting for the next chip means that we can build a replacement for entire infrastructures much more quickly, while maintaining existing technology for as long as we need it.

    Somewhere in this world there are still 029 card punches in use. I suspect we will keep some of our current stuff long after it should be scrapped.

    --
    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  2. Only half of the widget... by Worchaa · · Score: 5, Insightful
    FTFA: "It could record FM radio and digital television signals, read RFID chips, track ship locations, or do radio astronomy. In principle it could perform all of these functions simultaneously."

    Nice try, but no. At least not in a practical sense and certainly not as a mobile rig.

    Software Defined Radios are sweet but still dependent on a Physically Defined Antenna. I can see loads of wonderful uses for a broadband, frequency-agile SDR. Actually, I use them often as a Ham radio operator and they are extremely cool. However, there's still the problem of the pesky antenna. You can fudge quite a bit on a receiving antenna, not so much with a transmitting antenna (or a single transceiver antenna), and the engineers out there are very talented and clever at coming up with better designs... but it always tends to come down to the antenna.

    My point is that advances in SDR tech is fantastic, but they're not-- nor do I ever see them becoming-- a magic box. What I think they WILL do is streamline production. One super SDR can be dropped into a number of application-specific boxes.

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    - Marching Band: It's not just for breakfast anymore
  3. Re:News Release by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's receive only, and the quality isn't magic by any means; but you can get an RTL2832-based DVB-T dongle for ~$20 and be on your merry way.

    (And, indeed, this does seem to have spurred greater interest among people who weren't in for a USRP; but were interested. The fact that SDR involves substantially more nontrivial math than many arduino projects probably limits the mass appeal some, though.)