In article , CW wrote:
I could never understand that attitude. It is true that the state of the art
is such that building something as sophisticated as commercial gear is
pretty much out of reach of most amateurs, low tech gear is easier than ever
to build. Station accessories, qrp gear, ect are much simplified by ICs.
Oscillators, amplifiers, regulators, ect are all available in IC form. Just
assemble the blocks. In any case, if one wants to do it completely from
scratch, the components are still readily available.

Who needs that stuff? You can use generic DSP boxes to build modulators
and demodulators. In fact, you can build a complete IF strip with a
combination of software and an inexpensive DSP. Combine that with a front
end of your choice and you have a pretty swanky receiver. Use the same DSP
along with an upconverter stage and an RF amp and you now have a transmitter
too.

Old VCRs and cellphones are an absolute goldmine of nifty RF parts!
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."