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Any mode, anywhere
No drivers required! Device drivers are already included in your operating system – Windows, Linux or Mac OSX, 32 or 64 bit.
* The guaranteed coverage of the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ is from 150kHz to 1.9GHz, and there is a gap in coverage between 240MHz and 420MHz.
Great news, this device will give a step forward for SDR hobbist.
Btw there is a license for the hardware/firmware? are you planning release it to the public?
Hello Cristian.
Thanks for your note.
Currently there are no plans to release the detailed hardware deisgn or firmware: this is largely because it’s tied to an NDA agreement on one of the devices that we’ve used which is commonly used in mass market set top boxes and TV dongles. The benefit of using such a device is that it significantlly reduces unit cost due to its high integration of several parts including RF and IF VGAs, RF & IF filters, mixer, mixer, fractional-N PLL, low phase noise reference oscillator and VCO. The down side is that for hardware and firmware tinkerers, the IP and anything that would aid reverse engineering is not allowed by the NDA.
All is not lost however as the programming interface for the host to talk to the deviceis open.
Howard
That is great news Howard,
Have you managed to do any tests on the gain stability?
Mike
Hi Mike
We are currently optimising out of band strong signal handling and intermod performance particularly with the internal reference at the moment which currently looks like a small rework job of a high pass filter onto the front end.
We’ll be limiting the gain parameter settings of the device to sensible values: for example, taking the tuner’s LNA anything over 20dB has no benefit.
Howard
Looking forward to placing my order so I can add support to Pebble (http://sites.google.com/site/pebblesdr/home)
Hi Howard,
How is the high pass filter modification going?
Thanks.
Hi Mike
I have a number of different filters I’m testing. I also need to do a little more tweeking to the tuner settings. It’s that last 5% of the design that takes 95% of the time! Everything from the USB interface to the mixer in the tuner are solid as a rock now. It’s now a matter of tweaking the the front end. We fixed sensitivity several weeks ago now. It’s now IMD and out of band strong signal handling we’ve turned our attention to. As with any wide band device there are compromises. The tuner has band pass filters on its front end for UHF and above, but on VHF is uses low pass filters and that’s predominently where we are concentrating efforts.
Howard
Waiting to order!
Dear Howard,
Since I have not found how to post the questions directly to you, I am using Shankar’s message to get in, sorry for that!
I am member of the management board of the SwissATV association (ATV=Amateur TV) and interested to order 5 Funcube Dongle Pro to experiment applications in analogue and digital TV.
I would appreciate if you could put me on your list.
73’s Pierre-André/HB9AZN
Hi Pierre.
Thanks for your note. I’ll be limiting numbers to two per person to start with. For ATV, remember that the unit’s passband is 96kHz. I can let you know where to solder wires if you want a wider bandwidth to an external ADC…
Howard
Hi Howard,
thank you for your reply.
For the beginning, if I can get two for our Association, it is fine.
About the bandwidth, we are now transmitting digital TV signals with about 1,5 MHz in QPSK (1.024 Msy/s). Therefore, it will be very interesting to try to extend the bandwidth with an external DAC as you said!
73’s
Pierre-André/HB9AZN
Hi Pierre-André
To whet you appetite…
Howard
Hi Howard,
it is indeed becoming more and more exciting!
I guess IC2 corresponds to the E4000 RF-Tuner and the signals at C6-C7 those to be connected to an external DAC?
73’s Pierre-André
Pierre-André,
IC2 is the ADC. For the best SNR, you should use short length differential connections.
I recommend that you take the connections to the right of C6-9 on the tuner side, and AC couple all four connections. Output load is 15k ohm so keep the lead lengths very short and use buffer amps for your ADC as necessary. Also remember to take care of biasing for you ADC!
Howard
Hi Howard,
thanks a lot for your suggestion regarding the connection of an external ADC. Once we have the hardware and the schematic, it will be an excellent project for our association to extend the passband for DATV.
Best 73’s
Pierre-André/HB9AZN
This is a really interesting project. Not only for satellite reception but for all experimentation with amateur radio SDR in general. Personally I see a great potential to use it with a converter for reception at the microwave bands, where SDR is essential to decode very weak signals.
There are some SDR receivers available for amateurs today, but most of them are very expensive and are not suitable for the experimenter who wants an open SW interface.
Do you think it is possible to tap the LO signal and use it for transmission? (With external TX-mixers of course)
What is the step size of the PLL?
73s
Hello Daniel.
The LO signal is trapped within the tuner chip I’m afraid.
The PLL step size varies depending on the frequency. Up at 2GHz, it’s 187.5Hz. At 64MHz it’s 7.8125Hz.
The VCO always operates in the low to mid GHz. There is then a programmable divider applied to produce the LO.
Note that the FCD’s current HID API firmware only allows resolution of 1kHz anyway, although I’m considering changing that.
For SDR, generally this isn’t a problem as you use your host software’s NCO to fine tune.
Howard
Thanks for this info. Such a small step size is great, I hope you enable it in the firmware.
I would also like to add the comment that most SDR receivers designs only focus on shortwave, which is often too low as first IF for microwave converters. With your dongle one could go for 144 or 432, which are common IF frequencies, of obvious reasons.
Maybe it could be worth while to experiment with a tuned pick-up coil placed directly at the chip to extract the LO electromagnetically at e.g. 144 MHz and amplify it for TX use. But signal-to-noise ratio might be too bad for this.
I’ve read the article in AMSAT-DL journal today, I can’t await to place my order!
Does the dongle come with a manual? Will it work with a long wire antenna?
Regards,
Ray Boyle,
Stockport
Hello Ray
Thanks for your message.
I am in the process of writing a manual, and it will be published on this website. If you’ve used SDR before such as a Softrock, it’s fairly self explanatary. If not, you’ll need a quick tutorial on it and this is in the manual.
It’ll work on a long wire, but in general for VHF and above, there are other better alternatives, but it depends on what you’re trying to achieve with it.
Discones are wide band antennas, but compromise on gain. Band specific antennas are by their very nature optimised for narrow band(s) but will tend to have better gain.
Howard
do yo plan to build some more ?
I miss last ones
cheers Enric
Hello Enric
Around mid January if my new manufacturer’s boards come out OK.
Howard
Hallo dear Howard,
my PAYPAL document show 129,25 GBP to Hanlincrest: is this correct?
Which is the better performant SOFTWARE for FCD? Only LINRAD?
My notebook have already WINRAD installed, is this OK?
Thanks and 73 de Paolo I1VPJ
Hello Paolo
Yes that sounds right for the EU.
If Winrad supports a standard soundcard for its I/Q, then Winrad should be OK. I personally use SpectraVue, but I know others are using programs such as WRPlus, which I believe is a Winrad variant.
Howard
Hi Howard!
The batch of 20th february was run out in less then 2 minutes! Cool!
Too bad for me. I was to late. (only a few min’s)
Are you planning a next batch? and do you know when this batch will be sold?
With kind regards,
Rick, PE2AAB
Hello Rick
Assuming I receive the PCBs from the assembler, it should be in the next ten days.
Howard
Being the third Greek who received the FUNcube Dongle with serial number #506, I would like to congratulate the developing team for the excellent work.