Pro/Base models – what’s the difference?

Folks

There will be two FUNcube Dongle models, the Pro version and the Base version.

The Base model is targetted at the education market as a means to encourage science and technology in the classroom by the use of practical Space experimentation. Educational outreach is, after all, the primary motivation of the entire FUNcube project. As such the Base models distributed to bona fide educational organisations will be very much less expensive than the Pro versions.

While the details are yet to be finalised, it is our intention that the entry level Base model will be frequency limited to the ITU Amateur Satellite sub-bands on 145MHz and 435MHz.

The Pro model on the other hand has no frequency limitation beyond the physical device’s abilities. For local distribution in some markets, it may be necessary to restrict the frequency range for local regulatory compliance.

Both the Pro and the Base models can have their firmware upgraded by the user, however Pro firmware will not install correctly on Base models and vice versa. At present, a Base FCD will only be able to be upgraded to a Pro FCD by returning the unit for an upgrade.

Howard