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Current Feature Articles   Nov 20 The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler   Nov 20 Adventure in the Arctic: VO2A Expedition to Labrador   Nov 20 Surfin': More Radio Piracy on the High Seas   Nov 16 Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Fall Magic   Nov 13 Surfin': The Real Pirate Radio   Nov 06 Surfin': Homebrewing Today   Nov 05 DX the Hard Way   Nov 02 ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?   Nov 01 It Seems to Us: It Doesn't Just Happen   Oct 30 Surfin': Mapping Up ARRL Products: Circuit Design (More) Power Supply Handbook -- Gain the knowledge and confidence you need to build and use power supplies. A must have for your bookshelf! Experimental Methods in RF Design -- Immerse yourself in the communications experience by building equipment that contributes to understanding basic concepts and circuits. Discrete-Signal Analysis and Design -- A clear, step-by-step approach to practical uses of discrete-signal analysis and design, especially for communications and radio engineers. Introduction to Radio Frequency Design -- Basic RF concepts (with some related analog subjects) for the amateur or engineer. ARRL's RF Amplifier Classics -- Turn dreams of constructing your first amp or next brick into reality!

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This week's Surfin' anticipates hunting for SDR at the Dayton Hamvention.

The open source High Performance Software Defined Radio project is a worldwide effort by experimenters to build a modular SDR radio system.

With visions of Hara Arena dancing in my head, I am planning my area of concentration at the 2009 ARRL National Convention and Dayton Hamvention® next week. Near the top of my list is software defined radio (SDR).

SDR has always been high on my list ever since I wrote about in my old QST column, "Digital Dimension," back in 1996. And I have been following SDR's emergence as a real force in Amateur Radio during the intervening dozen years (look up "SDR" in the Surfin' index if you are interested in my past coverage of SDR here).

When you think "SDR," FlexRadio, GNU Radio and SoftRock probably come to mind, but as an long-time card-carrying member of TAPR, the open source High Performance Software Defined Radio project is at the top of the list in my mind.

SDR experimenters from around the world are designing and developing the project's SDR hardware and software in bits and pieces. According to the openhpdsr Web site, "The rationale behind the project is to break the overall design up into a number of modules. Each module is designed by an individual or group and connects to other modules using a pre-defined and common bus -- rather like plugging boards into a PC motherboard. This modular approach enables prospective users to incorporate just the modules that interest them as well as designing their own variants if desired."

TAPR has been a big supporter of this project from the start, and the organization's support continues today -- and tomorrow. So be sure to stop at the TAPR's Hamvention booths (455 to 458) to see the project in the flesh. You also might see me there in the flesh, too. You will be impressed with the project. But with me, not so much.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: To communicate with Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, save a tree and send him e-mail instead or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

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