DRM readout to ID stations, songs, etc

I meant RDS, and while we're at it, why not have a little memory button which
would remember a song title when you press it, for later review?

Pete KE9OA said ---


My employer has given me the go ahead to design a new product. If there is
enough interest, I will design a new MW receiver for the market. What would
you be more interested in.....................


Tabletop with large knobs and enough weight , not some tiny 5-ounce radio that
slides all over the desk when you push a button.

Real knobs and buttons, no stupid menu driven radio. I want a radio, not a
computer.
No stupid clock.

Sideband selectable synchronous detector. If not, then SSB capability with
ANALOG fine tuning for manual ECSS.

Actually, analog manual fine tuning would be a good idea regardless, unless the
digital tuner could be tuned in 1 hz steps.

Passband tuning.

A REALLY GOOD noise blanker.

Tunable notch filter.

AGC off/fast/med/slow

A real illuminated S-meter

Really good audio. Not hissy, muddy, or weak.

Filters: 10/6/4/3 khz

Radio should NOT radiate any noise into my loop antenna nearby on the desk.
Digital displays can radiate horrendous noise if not designed correctly.

Both coax and "wire" antenna inputs.

IF output port.

Line out.

If it's a portable with internal ferrite rod antenna, provide a switch to
disengage internal antenna when using an external antenna.

Would be very nice if it received longwave (LW, VLF) too. If so, would require
SSB or CW and a narrow filter for DXing beacons.

Presets would be nice, but not necessary.

Don't care if digital display isn't fancy, only need LEDs for frequency as long
as other functions are indicated by knob positions.

Hint: Think JRC NRD-515 for style and ergonomics.

Behold, Radioman390 signaled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

I would prefer a table radio like a Tivoli or old KLH21


Ceratinly some DRM capability, or a place to add a plug-in card which
could be either DRM, C-QUAM stereo, or the digital AM (IBOC or Kahn?).

Depending on how the digital standard goes, at least the RF could be
constant.

10/9 khz tuning (US vs Euro)

Noise blanker

An input for a loop antenna

An input with DC phantom power for an outdoor active antenna

Maybe an antenna switch to switch between lop and other antenna, or two
loops.

Good tone controls

Perhaps something like the old Scott DYNAURAL circuit which shaped the
flatness of the audio depending on signal strength, or something like
Worcester's AM circuit which made the IF passband narrower as the signal
strength decreased.

Good speaker!

I agree with everything here, except I would make the IF selection
manual. Most purists want to be in control of their machine and will
likely open the box and manually modify it....if buy it at all.

IF BW of 2.5KHz 6KHz and 10KHz per side band for itelligibillity through
audio quality.

Good crystal or mechanical filters too, not crappy ceramic thingies, as
they are certainly not flat in their passband and would require manual
audio EQ to compensate for the midrange hump.

Oh and please, as a former serviceman, paste the schematic on the inside
of the box like the old days :-)

--
Gregg
*Perhaps it's useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
Visit the GeeK Zone - http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Pete
For layout of the knobs and controls take a look at the old Bearcat DX-1000
and refine that ergonomically. A front panel engineered properly wouldn't
require a manual on how to operate it. If you can make it portable so much
the better but include a bnc for a 50 ohm antenna. If its portable make it
so it can be installed in some kind of enclosure that makes it a desktop
unit. While your designing why not make the desk top with plug in modules
that can be upgraded with options and shrink that design to one board for a
somewhat less feature rich portable. I'll bet there's a market if you can
make the price right. Options would include ocxo, vlf, filters, synch det,
uhf conv, scannning, more memories, 10 Hz readout, then 1 hz
readout...spectrum scope, timer, etc. A person should be able to afford the
stripped down unit and listen and then as budget permits add the desired
modules. Repairs would be module swaps.
Best of luck in doing it.
73
hank wd5jfr
"Pete KE9OA" wrote in message
...
My employer has given me the go ahead to design a new product. If there is
enough interest, I will design a new MW receiver for the market. What
would
you be more interested in......................a small table top type, or
a
portable?
Performance wise, I am talking about something like that of an AOR7030.
I don't think that I would be inplementing Sync Detection, but a couple of
I.F. bandwidths could be possible. Definitely, double conversion, and
digital readout, with good audio quality.
Would you want any presets? How about target price? Do you want a built
in
antenna, or external antenna only? High and low impedance antenna inputs?
How about a built in tunable preselector?
E-mail me directly, and we will see what happens. Any of you who have
built
any of me receivers know what I am talking about...............I plan to
take the design to the next couple of steps up in performance.

Pete

Forgot to add: analog - dial's and knobs (perhaps double with a vacuum
flourescent display, but no LED's). Push-button-digital is for teens.
Serious audiophool's use dials and knobs ;-)

--
Gregg
*Perhaps it's useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
Visit the GeeK Zone - http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Dale Parfitt wrote:
Kent wrote:
If you do a hot MW receiver for about $150, I will place the first order!

and you had to ask, Pete! Just build it- they will come.

I actually aimed him at $150 believing it will be considerably higher.
We want features that might not fit into a $150 retail price. Still,
give this enough goodies and purchase time is defined by how fast I
save my milk money.

--
"Here, Outlook Express, run this program." "Okay, stranger."

Hi Ron,
This is supposed to be a budget unit..............I can design
all of those things into the unit, but it probably wouldn't be too cheap!
Ron Hardin wrote in message
...
Must have synch detection and selectable sideband. No serious MW
program listening is possible without it - the adjacent channel
shares spectrum with one sideband of the channel you're tuned to.

SSB upper and lower, and enough stability to hold the right
frequency for hours.
I believe that we are talking about a 50 dollar TCXO here.

DSB reception (3dB better than SSB) with suppressed carrier notch,
to kill off slow carrier beats against multiple stations. The R8B
in SSB mode does this but gets only half the S/N that DSB would give.

(SSB and DSB for when there's more than one carrier present - the
pumping of the net carrier anti-pumps the detected audio, making it
unlistenable. Notching out the carrier(s) and just supplying
an internal stable one solves the pumping problem. The sidebands
do not pump by themselves, just the former reference carrier.)

Serious brick wall passband, to kill off an adjacent channel local
modulating the AGC on you.

We've already got that.

Huge dynamic range; MW locals require it if you're going to suppress
them.

I am shooting for 5 volts of RF, before overload sets in. This way, very
long wires can be used. My present design already has better dynamic range
than my Drake R7.

Audio notch filters against various hets from computer terminals
that the neighbors have.
--
Ron Hardin


Thanks for the input, Ron!

Pete

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

You do have some good ideas, and I am listening. A DX switch won't be
necessary; we will have a great dynamic range. The tunable preselector seems
to be a good thing. I will be pricing Type 61 ferrite rod stock tomorrow.
We were even talking about having some sort of band scanning spectrum
display, but right now, that is in the air. I will be bringing in one of my
own units tomorrow, and we will launch off from there.

Pete

Diverd4777 wrote in message
...

Hi Pete:

- Just my choices...

Portable over Small table top;
Double conversion would be a must.
Presets would be invaluable; I have them on the Sangean 606A and the
Sangean
DT110
Built in antenna with external port.
DX - Local switch.. ?? always have it on DX..
OR

Tunable pre selector that wou't confuse the average shopper..

( focus group used here ?? ; talk to marketing)

Loop antenna add-ons for DX'ing or distant stations.
extra speaker plug ins for Stereo FM ??
Definitly Digital readout
Small, ( 3 inch?) ported speaker
Knob type Tone controls

Target price.. Dunno, competitive with others in the field..


In article ,
"Pete
KE9OA" writes:


My employer has given me the go ahead to design a new product. If there
is
enough interest, I will design a new MW receiver for the market. What
would
you be more interested in......................a small table top type, or
a
portable?
Performance wise, I am talking about something like that of an AOR7030.
I don't think that I would be inplementing Sync Detection, but a couple
of
I.F. bandwidths could be possible. Definitely, double conversion, and
digital readout, with good audio quality.
Would you want any presets? How about target price? Do you want a built
in
antenna, or external antenna only? High and low impedance antenna
inputs?
How about a built in tunable preselector?
E-mail me directly, and we will see what happens. Any of you who have
built
any of me receivers know what I am talking about...............I plan to
take the design to the next couple of steps up in performance.

Pete

We were toying with the idea of electronic pots; my boss likes that idea.
About that RF gain control...........I believe that you might want that, so
that the AGC can be disabled, so that low frequency hets won't modulate the
AGC bus. That can be compensated to an extent, by using a fast attach, slow
release type of AGC.
Clifton T. Sharp Jr. wrote in message
...
Diverd4777 wrote:
Portable over Small table top;

Even if it's a somewhat large portable.

Double conversion would be a must.
Presets would be invaluable; I have them on the Sangean 606A and the
Sangean
DT110
Built in antenna with external port.
DX - Local switch.. ?? always have it on DX..

Far better: RF gain control.

Loop antenna add-ons for DX'ing or distant stations.
extra speaker plug ins for Stereo FM ??

Not much stereo FM on the MW band.

Definitly Digital readout
Small, ( 3 inch?) ported speaker

He said he wanted good audio quality.

Knob type Tone controls

Pots get noisy. I wouldn't mind electronic controls.

Target price.. Dunno, competitive with others in the field..

This is not gonna be cheap.

--
"Here, Outlook Express, run this program." "Okay, stranger."

Behold, Pete KE9OA signaled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

You do have some good ideas, and I am listening. A DX switch won't be
necessary; we will have a great dynamic range.

Am I to assume then that you plan a double-balanced diode ring mixer?

--
Gregg
*Perhaps it's useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
Visit the GeeK Zone - http://geek.scorpiorising.ca