FLDigi: Decode HF Digital modes with no cables and maybe no radio

I heard  a few people talking about a program called FLDigi.  So I thought I would see what it’s all about.

The good news is that FLDigi runs on lots of platforms – FreeBSD™; Linux™, OS X™ and Windows™.  The better news, if you just want to listen/decode the digital modes, is that you might not even need any messy connections between your PC and your radio.  And, if you are really clever, you might not even need a radio.  So, “in the best of all possible worlds”, Dr. Pangloss, you can decode real-time digital activity on the HF bands without even having a radio.  Imagine that!

Note:  This posting is primarily for Amateur Radio folks.  No technical background on digital HF modes is provided

Hands on: Software Defined Radios at your fingertips on the web

Don’t have a SDR of your own?  Why not play with someone elses SDR over the Internet?

After playing with a few of these I get the idea that … why should I buy hardware if I can use these on-demand?  Have you heard of using OPM (Other People’s Money)?  How about OPR? – Using Other People’s Radios.  The audio is clear, the interface is very easy to use.  Never listened to Ham Radio? – here is your chance.

With the popularity of “the cloud” maybe this should be called “SDR in the Cloud” or “SDR Cloud Services”

Go here to access about 20 SDR’s all over the world – http://websdr.org/
(Click on light spots in the activity waterfall to listen)

Check out who’s on now and where – DX-Sherlock

Get the technical scoop on the basics of SDR –
https://frrl.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/the-basics-of-software-defined-radio/

Watch Burt Fishers (K1OIK) review of the FlexRadio 1500
https://frrl.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/burt-fishers-review-of-the-flex-radio-1500/

Burt Fishers Review of the Flex Radio 1500

For all you Amateur Radio folks, Shortwave listeners, experimenters, and fans of Software Defined Radios…

You just can’t stop Burt Fisher, K1OIK.  His risk of $600 on the new Flex Radio 1500 Beta gives you this great review of the radio.  A product like the Flex Radio is more like a piece of test equipment than it is a radio for traditional use.  But as you can see, radio and electronic experimentation combined with digital techniques is alive and well both for those who want to build it and for those who … if you build it, they will come. 

Come see Burt Fishers review:

Here are some other video reviews by Burt Fisher of Software Defined Radios

https://frrl.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/software-defined-radio-review-of-the-flexradio-5000/
https://frrl.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/demo-of-the-flex-5000-software-defined-radio/

For the technically inclined – here’s the nitty-gritty
https://frrl.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/the-basics-of-software-defined-radio/

For everyone else –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio

Here is the FlexRadio 1500 product page –
http://www.flex-radio.com/Products.aspx?topic=F1.5k_features