Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Comparison between GNU Radio and FlexRadio

[Eric Blossom]

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:33:56AM +1300, Ben Hoyt wrote:
> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm going to be doing some research on digital comms on HF bands, and I'm
> having trouble deciding between the GNU Radio and the FlexRadio as a
> platform. The GNU Radio seems more general-purpose, and the FlexRadio more
> ham-oriented but perhaps more ready-to-go.
> 
> So I'm just wondering if there's a comparison between the two somewhere?
> 
> Maybe it'd be a good question for the FAQ: "How does GNU Radio compare to
> other SDRs?"
> 
> Thanks,
> Ben.


One thing to remember when talking about both GNU Radio and FlexRadio
is that they are each a combination of separable software and hardware.

For HF work, FlexRadio has a nice line of HF hardware and they provide
the PowerSDR software that goes with it.  It's possible to talk to
their hardware (last time I checked) using other software.  I'm pretty
sure the linux dttsp stuff can use it.  There's no reason in
particular that GNU Radio doesn't talk to it.  It's just a matter of
programming for somebody that wants the two working together.
Matt's USRP offerings (USRP1, USRP2) don't provide a high-performance
out of the box (narrow band) HF transmitter and receiver.  If you wanted to
experiment with signals wider than say 150kHz, then the USRP* would be
useful.  I think the QSD in the FlexRadio h/w has an upper bandwidth
limit in the neighborhood of 120 kHz.  I'm sure a Flex expert can set
me straight on that part.

Eric