Setting it up as a suitable wspr transmitter seemed quite difficult, until came across some settings. I have been running rocky under winxp for several years. 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. Components are included for all four options and can be assembled at the builders choice.
In the end it was turned out to be a great project, complex but the build instructions are very good so it worked on power up, well not that easy because numerous sound card issues and software experience had to be overcome. Softrock rxtx ensemble hardware and building illruminations. 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. As i use radio to do digimodes, this involves precisely always having a laptop pc available, so depending on it wasnt a problem for me, while. Each stage will begin with a subset of the overall schematic diagram. Currently supports softrock si570 radios, including the rxtx. This kit is a transceiver with 1 watt output, definitely qrp. Here are the schematic, the pcb layout, and the pcb layout mirrored in real size for fabrication. 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.
The softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit provides a 1 watt sdr transceiver that can be built for one of the following four band groups. May 20, 2016 posts about softrock rxtx written by grant mcduling. Project schematic resistor testpoints hairpin, top, or lefthand lead. However, the db9 connector will be installed in a later part of the build. Looking for a cheap hf alternative, i picked up one of the softrock ensemble rxtx kits and spent the last several weeks slowly putting the kit together. Then, i made sure all of the components in the inventory were there. If you have a rxtx then learn receive with hdsdr on this page. The receive functionality is fantastic, even though setting up the software is a nightmare. The ptt circuit is all about connecting the ptt and keyer inputs up to the sdr software via a serial interface. Ham radio kits built radios enclosures ham radio, electronics, kits, softrock radio. This solution utilizes a double sided board, making all possible pins on the atmega168 available and includes an icsp header for easy programming. This is the home page for the detailed builders notes for the softrock rxtx v6. Sr tr line rts pin 7 this will go high when in xmit, low for receive gnd to sr gnd pin 5 there is also support for attaching a keyer and the soft rock tr line to the same serial port. The djx11 was a bit of a surprise since it held up pretty well for a wideband radio.
Unboxing the softrock rxtx amateur radio sdr transceiver kit. The softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit provides a 1 watt sdr transceiver that can be built for one of the following five band groups. Softrock rxtx modification for 2200, 630 and 160 metre operation 20 february 2017 last revised 28 june 2018 roger graves, ve7vv the frequencies that can be selected with a softrock rxtx1 are limited by the division ratio of the si570 clock. Nov, 2011 so, here is the modification that i came up with using parts i had in my junk box. Software defined radio sdr software written in matlab.
Soft rock software has a number of products available, most of which is software, but there is currently also one piece of hardware. In summary, the hardware provides the signal, leaving the computer software to do the heavy lifting. The term softrock is used for the software defined radio sdr system that uses softrock ensemble. The beginners guide to software defined radio rtlsdr duration. Softrockrxtx23 software defined radio 2030m kit radioworld. Tx record so far is 2400km, rx is over 15,000km as reported on. I built mine for 40m, 30m, and 20m but it works very well on both 80 and 60 meters with a little less output.
I just entered these settings and yes, now it works. Ptt circuitry posted on may 17, 2016 by grant mcduling the ptt circuit is all about connecting the ptt and keyer inputs up to the sdr software via a serial interface. A previous post explored the steps involved in building a simple softrock receiver for the 40m amateur radio band. Mic inputs are usually mono, older laptops may only have mono inputs. Softrock v5 this version made a jump forward by allowing a plugin board to hold the crystal oscillator and bandpass filter. Sep 27, 20 softrock ensemble rxtx calibration and rx test. This unit provides all of the hardware necessary to have a softwaredefined radio sdr transceiver that uses a computer soundcard for adc and dac.
Completed softrock ensemble ii sdr receiver kit on air. So it was out with the schematic once more i had become quite familiar with this piece of paper. Using the flex powersdr software for the sdr along with the software by sv1eia for homemade rigs and by adjusting the sound card voltage, the rig puts out a solid 2 watts. In my last post, i described how i ended up finally starting with sdr. Much of the software is available as a free download, and full details to be found in the products section of the site. It features a usb interface which allows setting the frequency and keying the. Splitif is the standard for highperformance transverters on the 50, 70, 144, 222, and 432mhz amateur bands. This board, designed by using the kicad freeware software, is 4. Silabs did create a new version of the si570 chip that can be ordered with a 7ppm temperature stability.
Mar 27, 2012 however, to be fair the softrock ensemble would come pretty close with a little tweaking of the agc, noise blanker, and filters of the hdsdr software. The hdsdr programs is used to process the i and q af signals from the sdr. 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. I have just finished migrating the development version of the permanent site for the softrock40r to my org site, wb5rvz. Softrock, ensemble, rxtx,softrock,lite ii,sdr,softrock, 6m, 4m, 2m, rx. I just had a lot of 2n7000s and thought id save the bs170s in case i ever burnt one in the rxtx. Softrock ensemble rxtx kit built for 403020 meters the first testng done with the unit after building and configuring the software was with wspr weak signal propagation reporter if youre looking for a kit that will help you learn about sdr software defibed radio and possibly up for a challenge with smt components and ics, winding. My name is cecil bayona, my main hobby is ham radio. It is, therefore, important to have the right tools to design the most effective diagrams in this digital era, a schematic drawing software is necessary.
The product photo shows what it should look like once assembled. That being the case, for a long time, they have preferred a desirable means of communication and representing projects. The original designs schematic dates back to december 2009. Introduction this is the home page for the detailed builders notes for the softrock rxtx v6. Softrockrxtx23 software defined radio 2030m kit 2030m bands frequency coverage dependant on crystal frequency modes dependant on software usb, lsb, cw, am, fm, data etc power rating 1w ssbcw, 700mw on data pcb size 88 x 63mm 3. The current focal point for the softrock series is the softrock40 yahoo group this is where you can find out more about the softrock, how to buy one, etc.
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. As luck would have it, i located another pandaboard es on ebay that was a steal of a deal, so instead of odroid as i originally intended for this rig, i have another pandaboard es that is running the new rig. These kits are for working amateur radio hf receivers and transceivers. This has been a work in progress, as the author moved through an actual build.
This is a pretty simple modification that converts a softrock ensemble rxtx sdr rf interface board from commonif rx and tx share the same antenna port to splitif rx and tx have separate ports. Other interest are photography, computer programming, and design of electronic equipment. Please note the socket marked line in on a softrock refers to where it is connected on. Software defined radio sdr is a radio communication system in which the hardware components, such as mixer, amplifiers, and filters are implemented using a computer. So it was out with the schematic once more i had become quite familiar with. They are kitted in batches of 20100 every few weeks and usually sell out within 2448 hours.
By this stage, users were taking the softrock format and applying it to applications other than 40m amateur band, i. Here are the schematic, the pcb layout, and the pcb layout mirrored in real. Powersdr with pi sdr for softrockensemble setup software installation is performed in few steps, first is the official powersdr v2. Kb9yig ships the ensemble rxtx with a couple of spare bs170 fets that can be used in place of the 2n7000. Software for the softrock sdr 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. However, to be fair the softrock ensemble would come pretty close with a little tweaking of the agc, noise blanker, and filters of the hdsdr software. Nov 12, 2011 a few photographs of my latest tinkeringa softrock ensemble rxtx. Almost all of the software products are for risc os computers. I have just finished migrating the development version of the permanent site for the softrock 40r to my org site, wb5rvz. Softrock ensemble rx tx vs alinco djx11 ham radio science. It is a system in which hardware components are replaced with software.
Applications are out there, its just that i couldnt find them. This site has information concerning the softrock software defined radios created and kitted by tony parks kb9yig. Aug 29, 2010 in my last post, i described how i ended up finally starting with sdr. Note that one of the crystals has been replaced by a sustitute smt type as the original one is out of stock. This site is now the officially maintained site for the ensemble rxtx kit. The rxtx ensemble is a sdr transceiver with a 1 w pep max in ssb. Your source for softrock radio kits softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit the softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit provides a 1 watt sdr transceiver that can be built for one of the following five band groups.
Softrock kit supplied with cdrom with builders notes, schematic on pdf and selection of sdr software programs. 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. My interest in sdr was very much started off by the softrock receiver. Enter your email address below and we will notify you as soon as the product is available. Setting up rxtx ensemble rxtx softrock attachment size. Consequently, the builder will always have some parts leftover at the end of the build. The softrock lite ii, the sequel to the sr lite v6. Softrock rxtx23 software defined radio 2030m kit 2030m bands frequency coverage dependant on crystal frequency modes dependant on software usb, lsb, cw, am, fm, data etc power rating 1w ssbcw, 700mw on data pcb size 88 x 63mm 3. This was a small and inexpensive kit initially being sold through the amqrp organisation from kits provided by tony, kb9yig. Well, the filter video was using the softrock lite ii, but the concept is the same. 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.
Rxtx measures the data transfer bandwidth between your computer and multiple servers. Jan 18, 2015 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. A few photographs of my latest tinkeringa softrock ensemble rxtx. Sdr softrock rxtx working with a signal amplifier rm kl203p. After doing this you should be able to get powersdr to switch the rxtx from rx to rx mode when you press the mox button. The softrock rxtx ensemble transceiver kit provides a 1 watt sdr. It is valid for ve3nea rocky as well also described on that site. Choosing a backup generator plus 3 legal house connection options transfer switch and more duration. This site is devoted to the area of software defined radio sdr, more specifically, the softrock series of technology sampler kits and the genesisradio. This kit is an sdr transceiver that follows in the very successful line of rxtx softrocks, the most recent being the rxtx v6.
The first thing i did was to unpack all of the bags and organize the components by category roughly. Setting it up as a suitable wspr transmitter seemed quite. 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. Your source for softrock radio kits built softrock rxtx. My previous two posts are about the softrock rxtx ensemble board, and getting it built. The beauty of sdr software defined radio is all about the visuals. I wanted to change to linux software and decided that. Jan 09, 20 the original designs schematic dates back to december 2009. The manual receive iq adjustment offering an insight to adjusting a sdr transmitter. Id be really happy to have something like flexradios powersdr available for.
Softrock is a term for a software defined radio sdr which consists of three major. The current designs schematic is depicted in the schematic section, below. This is the successor website for the ensemble rxtx, originally documented on the site introduction general info. Introducing softrock ensemble a software defined radio. Schematic diagrams offer a fast way of conveying information on a particular project or process with great ease. This is the successor website for the ensemble rxtx, originally. Not only there were receivers and software available, but even a transceiver. The gfgsr software that i used only goes from 6 to 160 mhz. Free download bho 7db2d5a072414e79b68d6309f01c5231 c program files mcafee virusscan scriptsn. Softrock ensemble rxtx calibration and rx test youtube. It is possible to use linux but i cannot help much with the software side. I have rewired the db9 socket for operation with powersdr.
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