From the CR Dream Team on July 4th, 2004

It's a computer...
              it's a radio....
                             it's a ..... 

heeeere is DRone......

...and heeeere is Baby DRone

Congratulations, Yuri! 
Your DR1 looks great!  It's been evident from the expertise displayed in your posts that you are a very knowledgeable guy, but this revelation is icing on the cake--talk about surprise!

I wish you the best with your new project, Yuri!

Walt Maxwell, W2DU
 

K3BU has been dreaming about compact ham radio station that would have top notch specifications, be easy, intuitive to operate, have modular, upgradeable hardware, be software customizable and modifiable as the requirements grow. Up to now, he and others, had to select the best of existing radios and modify and upgrade them for better performance in order to get required performance and competitive edge in contesting.

That elusive "Dream Radio" kept being out of reach, mainly because manufacturers did not understand the needs for high performance radio station design. They had one or another feature or problem, forcing competitive hams to modify them or chose the lesser of the evil. Not anymore!

Our design goals should satisfy most demanding hams, from contesters down to QRPers. Soon, many will be able to enjoy the fruits of K3BU and his CR design Dream Team - the Dream Radio One -  marrying the 48 years of K3BU and other's design and operating experiences into this modular, customizable product based on the best of computer and radio circuitry and software.

Stay tuned!

Key Benefits

• Top notch performance specs and strong signal handling
• Ergonomic design and packaging
• Modular, expandable hardware and features
• Software upgradeable and modifiable by user
• Integration with logging and utility software
• Built in board diagnostics
• Exchange board service
• Very reasonably priced

The Role of Amateur Radio in the New Century
Remarks by Dale N. Hatfield (W0IFO)
Chief, Office on Engineering and Technology
Federal Communications Commission on Software Defined Radios

".....From what I have been told, such radios could have a host of advantages:

• One, they would allow a common radio to accommodate a host of different standards and thereby help alleviate some of the problems that we have had with the creation of different standards in the wireless field.
   

• Two, they would facilitate interoperability among different types of radio systems, when for example, a large number of different emergency groups arrive at the scene of a major disaster.
   
• Three, they would allow a manufacturer to develop different radios but on a common hardware platform. In other words, rather than manufacture and carry in inventory several different radios, the manufacturer could achieve economies of scale in the production of a common hardware platform, but wait until the product is about to be shipped before loading the software to create a specific type of device.
   
• Four, they would allow the end user to update his or her radio simply by getting a software update -- just like an end user gets updated software for a Personal Computer today. In fact, one could even envision a situation where one could get software updates right off of the Internet or over-the-air.
   
• Five, it is possible that a manufacturer could sell a bare-bones hardware platform to which third party providers or end users – including hams -- could supply software to create custom radio systems. Certainly we have seen similar developments in the computer field and in other sectors of the telecommunications industry.
   
• Six, it is even possible to imagine a radio that could adapt its characteristics to fit the interference environment and user needs on a more-or-less real time basis. For example, the radio could maximize its use of bandwidth in areas where the spectrum is not congested while conserving bandwidth or going to more robust modulation in areas where interference is heavy and/or propagation conditions are particularly difficult.

    Indeed, if we can solve some of the difficult regulatory issues involved, it is even possible to envision Software Defined Radios as a means of facilitating a new era of amateur experimentation. One intriguing possibility is that it could enable hams without skills and/or interest in hardware construction to build and experiment with new systems by writing new code. It might also allow the rapid sharing of new modulation techniques and receiver designs through electronic publication of the implementing software. This could stimulate a whole new generation of amateur innovation that not only includes the more spectrally efficient systems I mentioned earlier, but also radios that could adapt to their environment as well.

    In many ways, Software Defined Radios represent a final merger of the radio communications and computer fields. Viewed from that perspective, this technological development even has the potential of attracting back to the hobby some of the people who have shifted their interest to computer technology. Because of this potential to advance the service in fundamental ways, I would urge amateur groups to participate actively in our proceeding."