John Smith wrote:
Decades have brought us moon landing, mars landings,masers, lasers, lets,
fets, mosfets, computers, etc...

But the shape of radio equip. has remained virtually stagnant.

One "innovation" would be to just copy what the IBM clone has taught us.

Build a radio of "cards." Just like the computer, a standard case which you
can plugin various power supplies, frontend board "cards", intermediate
board "cards", buffer amp board "cards", IF board "cards", audio board
"cards", xmitter board "cards", final amp board "cards", etc.... I think
you get the pic

One radio case can/could virtually be any radio you can imagine.... new
design in a frontend? Plug in a new front end "card", new audio offering?
Plug in a new audio board "card."

Someone really should get off a dead duff somewhere and DO IT!!!!

Kinda makes ya wonder why not? Doesn't it?

You can get a software defined radio. Front end, and pipe it into your
computer, and there ya go! Ten Tec also manufactured the Pegasus a few
years back, close to what you are thinking of.

Personally, I don't think that the PC computer paradigm is any way to
go. It's just how PC's evolved. Despite years of progress, plug and play
is not universal, and just another PC promise.

- Mike KB3EIA -