Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] A couple of questions on VrAR5000Source

[Eric Blossom]

On Sun, Apr 27, 2003 at 10:03:25PM +0100, Ian Wraith wrote:
> Hello
>      I am just writing a quick class to allow me to tune my AOR3000
> receiver from within GnuRadio. This is easy enough and I am basing it
> on the code in the VrAR5000Source class. Having looked at that code I
> have a couple of questions ..
> 
> 1) What is the purpose of VrGuppiSource which VrAR5000Source is linked
> to ?

Whoever designed that piece of code (we inherited it), decided to
link the tuning of the front end to their high speed A/D card.
GuppiSource was the driver for an experimental A/D card that was built
at MIT.

My suggestion is that instead of tying the A/D source and the control
of the RF front end (in your case the AR5000) together, that they be
kept separate.

After a bit more thought, the best way to handle the control of the
AR5000 is probably using the hamlib library at http://www.hamlib.org.
They list AR5000 as in development. 

In this case, we'd be using hamlib to control the external RF front
end (radio).  Note that Stephane Fillod is also working on using
hamlib to control GNU Radio.  These two ideas are not in conflict.

> 2) Forgive this rather basic question as I am unused to Unix programming
> but why doesn't VrAR5000Source set the serial port communications
> parameters when it opens the serial port ? Am I correct in suspecting
> that to do this would require the program to run from root ?

Yep, the code ought to set all the serial port parameters.

Again, I suggest hamlib, they've already handled this.

> 
> Thanks
> 
> Ian

Eric