The softrock rx ensemble receiver kit combines the functionality of the. This receiver has been built and tested by tony parks, kb9yig. You will notice that these kits are in very high demand and you may have to be patient. There are some things that i have learned about sdr systems i think all of this is correct, but i will correct it as i learn more. Mutezone writes a performance between the softrock ensemble ii vs the rtl sdr r820t on shortwave. In few hours i collected 42 stations from 19 different dxcc countries. In the first option, the ensemble rx kit provides coverage of ham bands from 16010m, in four different optional super bands each with underlap and overlap within the parameters of. I initially considered the peaberry sdr, but ended up with the softrock ensemble rxtx sdr transceiver kit since i have the. The softrock rx ensemble ii receiver built for hf, 1. Dec 06, 2012 yesterday my softrock rx ensemble ii hf receiver arrived from five dash inc. There are now dozens of software defined radio packages that support the ultra cheap rtl sdr. Please note the socket marked line in on a softrock refers to where it is connected on the computer. The hdsdr programs is used to process the i and q af signals from the sdr.
The softrock rx ensemble receiver kit is essentially the ensemble rx, but has an extra option allowing the user to build the hf or the lf version of the receiver. Softrock, ensemble, rxtx, softrock,lite ii, sdr, softrock, 6m, 4m, 2m, rx, ensemble, softrock, ensemble, ensemble rx ii, sdr 20m, 30m, 40m, 80m, ensemble, rxtx, sdr. The line began with the softrock 40 rx and went through several iterations of receivers. There are now dozens of software defined radio packages that support the ultra cheap rtlsdr. The goal of kc6f sdr is to provide a software defined radio package, intended for radio amateurs hams, that is crossplatform, easy to use, readily customizable and supports a wide range of modulationdemodulation modes. Currently supports softrock si570 radios, including the rxtx. Powersdr with pi sdr for softrockensemble setup software installation is performed in few steps, first is the official powersdr v2. Aug 28, 20 i just started to listen to psk31 signals using my softrock ensemble ii sdr receiver. If you know of a program that is missing please leave. Pretty hip low noise original kit sdr now as an rxtx combo. Softrock rx ensemble ii receiver dream radio youtube. This receiver has a builtin local oscillator based on the silicon labs si570 the same chip used as the local oscillator in the elecraft kx3 and can be tuned anywhere from about 1. I have been listening around the bands, mostly 20m, 40m and wwv. Much of the software is available as a free download, and full details to be found in the products section of the site.
A sound card with stereo linein connector for receive and stereo lineout connector for transmit and a computer running sdr software are required to operate this radio. Just a short video to show the completed softrock ensemble ii software defined receiver kit in operation in the ham shack. The final dialog box gives you the option to launch. I have been playing with a softrock sdr ensemble ii hf receiver for a while and then i read about a european ham, who modded his ft450 to work with his sdr a mercury sdr, not a softrock, so i thought i might follow in his footsteps and do some experimenting. Aug 29, 2010 in my last post, i described how i ended up finally starting with sdr. Built kits are only available in limited quantities as tony has time to build them. The goal of kc6f sdr is to provide a software defined radio package. R390a if output 15 db attenuator 455 khz softrock delta 44 sound card p42800 mhz1g ram delta 44 sound. Two years ago, i built the tony parks softrock ensemble ii software defined radio. Powersdr with pi sdr for softrock ensemble software setup software installation is performed with a provided unified installer containing both the powersdr v2. It is the magic of software that makes for the extraordinarily high.
Oct 09, 2012 softrock rx ensemble ii receiver i put together listening to dream radio on 17. Softrock ensemble rx tx vs alinco djx11 ham radio science. Softrock is a term for a software defined radio sdr which consists of three major. Rtlsdr rtl2832u and software defined radio news and projects.
For details see the softrock lite ii home page, which documents the build of each. Completed softrock ensemble ii sdr receiver kit on. Tx on my softrock ensemble with hdsdr the linux ham. Softrock ensemble rxtx 2e0dfu playing with amateur radio. The surface mount parts were a piece of cake thanks to my hot air smd rework station, but winding the toroid coils were a bit time consuming. X 2 board representing the culmination of a long line of softrock sdr receivers from fivedash, inc. My first installation was on a windows xp system using the hdsdr software. I later progressed to use the sdr radio server software to allow users on the internet to access my tuner. Softrock rxtx ensemble hardware and building illruminations. Aug 12, 2010 i finished building the softrock rx ensemble kit it works. The basic concept is to use the r390a as a high performance front end for a software defined radio sdr if receiver. On this page we will attempt to list, categorize and provide a brief overview of each software program.
Figure 3 the softrock rx ensemble ii receiver from five dash inc. I initially considered the peaberry sdr, but ended up with the softrock ensemble rxtx sdr transceiver kit since i have the required sound card capabilities laying around after my previous synth projects. It was only about 5 miles, scheduled with another local ham, but it was a contact nonetheless. Your source for softrock radio kits built softrock rx ensemble ii hf receiver the softrock rx ensemble ii receiver built for hf, 1. We categorize the programs into general purpose software, single purpose software, research software and software compatible with audio piping. Anyway, choosing a kit i might as well do it the modern way and build a sdr. Powersdr with pi sdr for softrockensemble software setup. Mar 20, 2011 first test of my softrock rx ensemble ii sdr receiver w3drk. Sound card requirements if you do not have a delta 44 or fa66 soundcard, this kit requires one and possibly two soundcards to handle rx tx. Software defined radio sdr software written in matlab. He had a softrock rx ensemble ii available so i snatched that up as soon as i could. Uses a soundcard for adc and dac, and has been around for some time.
Powersdr with pi sdr for softrockensemble software setup software installation is performed with a provided unified installer containing both the powersdr v2. Basic connections for an ensemble, this is the vhf one but hf is the same. Softrock rx receiving equipment northern utah websdr. Softrock, ensemble, rxtx,softrock,lite ii,sdr,softrock, 6m, 4m, 2m, rx, ensemble,softrock, ensemble,ensemble rx ii,sdr 20m, 30m, 40m, 80m, ensemble, rxtx, sdr. Over on youtube user mutezone has posted a video comparing the rtl sdr with upconverter against a softrock ensemble ii software defined radio. I know a guy with a set of drakes and one and feels he has the best of all worlds.
Mic inputs are usually mono, older laptops may only have mono inputs. Any way like most grown men with a new toy i descided to take the day out and build it, the took me about 15 hours in total. Softrock rx ensemble ii sdr kit build transmission1. It features a usb interface which allows setting the frequency and keying the radio for ssb and psk31 transmissions. Welcome to the main soft rock software website, where you will find a variety of software mainly for computers running risc os, such as webchange, waituntil, quicksand, and more. The softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit provides a 1 watt sdr transceiver that can be built for one of the following five band groups. First test of my softrock rx ensemble ii sdr receiver march. The surface mount parts were a piece of cake thanks to my hot air smd rework station, but winding the toroid coils were. There are two softrock receiver types in use on this websdr system. With the free lunch software, sdrsharp, it is the easiest radio to use.
Introducing softrock ensemble a software defined radio. First test of my softrock rx ensemble ii sdr receiver. This firmware is the official supplied firmware in the softrock sdr kits of tony parks that are using a si570 chip from silicon laboratories silabs. The softrock ensemble ii is an sdr dedicated to the hf frequencies and is thus expected to have better performance for that purpose. This, written for the attiny861 and a rxtx enabled four of that chips pins to output a signal for each of the softrock s four bpf ranges while maintaining the ptt and cw function. Naturally a softrock rx fits the bill, and it is also how many suggest beginning the mobo project.
The brief of my project is to build a software defined radio sdr based around a purpose built pc with a high end soundcard and a softrock ensemble rxtx. X 2 board representing the culmination of a long line of softrock sdr receivers from tony parks, kb9yig. Apr 19, 2014 over on youtube user mutezone has posted a video comparing the rtl sdr with upconverter against a softrock ensemble ii software defined radio. Band switching is performed under program control, in conjunction with. Nov 09, 2011 visions of an all mode, all band hf receiver danced around in my head, so back to tonys site. Softrock rx ensemble ii sdr kit build post by fruitloop 25 aug 2010, 00. That is the beauty of using sdr technology is that you get a lot of high end signal processing out of the sdr software, allowing inexpensive radio hardware perform at a much. This kit is a transceiver with 1 watt output, definitely qrp. Mutezone writes a performance between the softrock ensemble ii vs the rtl sdr.
Softrock rx ensemble ii hf receiver build and quisk config. The powersdr for pi sdr unified installer is installing powersdr v2. The spec of the radio pc is as follows intel i54440 3. Dec 28, 2012 this post takes a look at some of the software that can be used with the softrock sdr hardware that is designed for amateur radio use. The rx tx appears it would hold its own against receivers costing more. The softrock ensemble ii is an sdr dedicated to the hf frequencies and is thus. This post takes a look at some of the software that can be used with the softrock sdr hardware that is designed for amateur radio use. The product photo shows what it should look like once assembled. This receiver has a builtin local oscillator based on the silicon labs si570 the.
I know a guy with a set of drakes and one and feels he has the best of all. The antenna is the mp1 inside my office at the 6th floor in the town and the software is hdsdr pic above. A sound card with stereo linein connector and a computer running sdr software are required. Completed softrock ensemble ii sdr receiver kit on air. After taking a look at what was currently for sale at kb9yigs website, i got hooked and now there is a. This is my first software defined radio and im loving it so far. Dec 08, 2012 back in the summer i built a softrock ensemble rxtx from a kit, choosing 10, 12 and 15 metres for transmit. Ensemble rx ii lfhf rx home home bill of materials power supply usb power supply local oscillator and control quadrature clock generator auto band pass filters quadrature sampling detector operational amplifiers comments acronyms inventory revisions as of 12142011 components by stage wb5rvz main website. The softrock rx ensemble iii sdr receiver built for hf, 1. Home bill of materials power supply usb power supply local oscillator and control quadrature clock generator auto band pass filters quadrature sampling detector. Newer laptops often do have stereo inputs a list started further down. A previous post explored the steps involved in building a simple softrock receiver for the 40m amateur radio band 77. Your source for softrock radio kits softrock rx ensemble ii hf receiver kit the softrock rx ensemble ii hf receiver kit includes the components for building the kit for hf, 1.
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