SDR vs. HDR -- Are analog hams Toglodytes, stuck in a rut, resistant to change, and all that ?

 

The above paragraphs appeared in a very good ham radio club magazine.   I had some comments on it which I shared with the author and the editor.  In light of our recent discussion of the ARRL Clean Signal Initiative, I thought that it would be useful for me to post these comments here. 

 

I think the author misses an important point:  The ability of radio amateurs to homebrew their equipment.  I know from experience that it is difficult to homebrew traditional analog SSB equipment

 -- I am running analog SSB gear from two separate 

locations.  But here is the key:   With traditional analog gear,  homebrewing of the gear can be done.  Not so with SDR gear.  

Sure, hams can do their own software (but usually this is limited to the software experts).  I suppose that AI will let people vibe code their own SDR software, but I suspect that most hams will not do this.  Even if they did, software development is a very different activity than is homebrewing of analog hardware.  

And as for the hardware, I suspect that we are rapidly approaching the point where this will come down to the placement of two (maybe one!) chips in their sockets.  One ADC chip, one FPGA chip (programmed by an FPGA expert) and you are essentially done.  Again, you are talking about a device that is radically different from a homebrew SSB analog transceiver. I can build an analog SSB transceiver, I really can't build an SDR transceiver.  

I have problems with your claims that SDR is inherently more sensitive than traditional analog rigs. Maybe if you go FT8, but not with SSB.  As for selectivity, well some of my rigs have homebrew 10 pole crystal filters.  The skirts are very nearly vertical. 

Finally, related to all of the above, is the commercial/SDR  vs. homebrew/analog issue.  If we go down this supposedly superior path, all of the rigs used by "amateur" radio operators will be commercially produced.  They will be much like the Iphone in my pocket.  And amateurs will have as much of an emotional connection to their "rigs" as I do to my Iphone:  ZERO.  

The article portrays the users of analog gear as old Troglodytes, resistant to technological change.  I just don't think this is accurate.  Some of us stick to the older analog gear because it is possible to really understand it, and it is possible to really homebrew it.  That, I think, is very valuable.  

73   Bill  Hi7/N2CQR