RadioBanter - View Single Post - REQ: Any PCI-slot SW cards?

Dave[_18_] · November 29th 08, 02:24 PM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

OM wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:49:37 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Notebook operating time specs are very much a matter of craftsmanship.
The assumption is the backlight is on and you are running some simple
tasks. This is not the same as operating a radio via PC.

...This is true. The biggest drain on battery power isn't the CPU or
the RAM, but the Hard Drive and any USB peripherals. Hence the big
push to go to SSD Drives that consume far less power than your
standard spinning platters. Even then, the most any notebook can be
coaxed to operate hour-wise is about 9 hours, even with tweaks such as
dimming the LCD, setting standbys to 1 min, and even tweaking the CPU
to run slower.

...Hmmm. A USB Keyfob that's a full-feature SWL rig. That would be
taking miniaturization to ridiculous levels, no? :-)

OM
You'd just need a front-end and an IF; the computer could do the rest
in DSP.