HNY from Pileup!
HNY from Pileup! We had amazing year with the SunSDR2 PRO transceiver and ColibriDDC receiver. As some of you know we are two hams running this company, SM0MDG and SM0MLZ. We do this out of pure passion, and because our belief that SDR technology will revitalise and grow our hobby.
A few years ago, we met the great team of Expert Electronics and got impressed with their products. Since then we have been dedicated to get these radios to the EU market. This year the SunSDR2 PRO and ColibriDDC where CE marked and easily available for all EU hams through our concept store SunSDR.eu (and a few local dealers).
A few things that exited us in 2015
The SunSDR2 PRO have been successfully used in several contests including CQWW, CQ-160, IARU, ARRL-160, Stew Perry TBDC and many others. There has only been positive feedback from station and operators like R7AB, F6IIT, SK3W and others including our own contest efforts. The SunSDR2 PRO is a sharp performer in the most demanding Single Op and Multi Op contest situations and setups.
EA8FF and ZL3DW reported fantastic RX performance on 2 meters thanks to the very good on board LNA. The SunSDR2 PRO is not only the first (and only?) SDR transceiver to include 2 meter coverage, it is also a very high performance radio for VHF contesting and DXing and its an amazing radio for weak signal work.
RadCom, Funk Amateur and other revivers praise the SunSDR2 in so many ways that is impossible to list them all. If you haven’t yet, you better read these reviews now!
With the ColibriDDC there was a new high performing of SDR receiver for the listening crowd, and with its LAN interface its perfect for remote RX station. With great reviews from RadioUser, FunkAmateur and ZL3DW it compares well with receivers much more expensive. Read the reviews here.
A few things to excite us in 2016
The new MB1, all-in-one HF+6m+2m transceiver with an on board Intel Core i5 PC is entering the market and hitting the airwaves in early 2016. Already the interest is high and two production batches have been sold out by pre-orders. The MB1 is bound to be one of the most talked about transceivers of 2016!
The hardware of SunSDR2 PRO and MB1 supports duplex. Now its time for the control software for these transceivers, ExpertSDR2, to get duplex implemented. Duplex is opening many new possibilities like SO2R (Single Operator 2 Radio) and MO2R (Multi Operator 2 Radio) using only one radio. Other features like pre distortion is also dependent on the ability to listen while transmitting.
More and more hams discover the fantastic benefits of setting up a remote station. ExpertSDR2 is being developed to support remote control of SunSDR transceivers and receivers. This is one of our most requested features and its planned to be available sometime in the first half of 2016.
A Band Pass Filter board is a planned option for the ColibriDDC. The BPF board have specs similar to the band pass filters of the SunSDR2 transceiver. This board will also include a preamp and an attenuation circuit. It is a plugin, user installable with no need for soldering. The export price is estimated to USD 150-200 and the board is planned to be available in the first half of 2016. It will make a great receiver even better!
And finally: FT4JA, the upcoming expedition to Juan de Nova, will be the first major DXpedition to use SDR transceivers. Pileup/SunSDR.eu together with Expert Electronics provides two SunSDR2 PRO transceivers with controllers to FT4JA for experimental use.
HNY from Pileup!
de SM0MDG & SM0MLZ!