There are inexpensive (and some not so inexpensive) AM/FM stereo radios
available in stores that sell radios that have a sort of built in video
display.But I think those are different from what you are talking
about.I dont own such a radio as that.
cuhulin

Hi Eric: I am not talking about a signal streghth or SWR meter as most
radio will have. It more like a scope or radar giving pattern
information on the reciving attena. I was wondering if there was a
device that could tell you from which dirrection and pattern the signal
comming from and how.

In the Now Your talking Book, their is a diagram of attenas patterns. I
thought their must be some kind of a device for giving this information.

I've seen too many WW2 movies. LOL!

SR, 73!

Now,

Eric F. Richards wrote:
SR wrote:


I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!



I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.

You can read about my experiences in this thread, using Google news,
starting with this article:

Message-ID:

"Eric F. Richards" wrote:

I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.


There are used Microdyne Spectrum displays floating around E-bay and
other surplus sources but you do not want them for a HF receiver. They
are made for real broadband applications in microwave Telemetry
systems. You would have to do a major redesign on the RF and IF
circuits to convert one to work with a HF radio and the CRT cost well
over $1000, if you can even buy one now that L3-Com dropped the
Microdyne products that supported their spectrum display. They go
cheap, but they are no bargain unless all you want is the CRT and HV
power supply. They require a couple amps on each of the 15 volt power
supplies, and are made to fit in the older receivers as a plug-in, or in
a rack mount accessories tray. They are not intended to be operated
outside of an approved cabinet because the HV power supply is exposed on
the Chassis, and it can kill.


--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

SR wrote:

Hi Eric: I am not talking about a signal streghth or SWR meter as most
radio will have. It more like a scope or radar giving pattern
information on the reciving attena. I was wondering if there was a
device that could tell you from which dirrection and pattern the signal
comming from and how.

No -- that sort of plot can be generated by a sophisticated antenna
system along with an equally sophisticated radio, but to do it
"automagically" would be a little more difficult.

Now, someone could write software to electrically or physically turn a
very directional antenna and generate a signal strength vs. direction
polar plot -- in fact, something similar to that is done on antenna
measuring ranges, but it is non-trivial and you couldn't listen very
well while it did the plot.

No, what I was referring to was a Strength vs. Frequency plot, along
the lines of the two graphs you see in this image:

http://www.dim.com/~efricha/wrdisplay.png



In the Now Your talking Book, their is a diagram of attenas patterns. I
thought their must be some kind of a device for giving this information.

I've seen too many WW2 movies. LOL!

SR, 73!

Now,

Eric F. Richards wrote:
SR wrote:


I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!



I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.

You can read about my experiences in this thread, using Google news,
starting with this article:

Message-ID:





--
Eric F. Richards

"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most
experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in;
we're computer professionals. We cause accidents."
- Nathaniel S. Borenstein

SR wrote:
Is this what you guys are talking about?

http://cgi.ebay.com/HEATHKIT-HO-10-M...cmd ZViewItem


THAT's the Bell & Howell Educ. program scope I built decades ago

The color TV was pretty good !
Yodar