Traditional radio tuners require users to manipulate a capacitor or induction coil so that they can select a specific frequency. Digital displays make it possible to punch in certain values, but those with needle tuners would have to be careful to ensure that they weren’t off frequency when trying to receive certain types of broadcasts. A group of engineers feel that these days are over.
By using 3U VPX SDR devices, they’ve been able to specify frequencies using software instead of hardware controls. Those who work with this kind of technology use digital interfaces to tell circuits to tune themselves to whatever channel someone wants at any given moment. This helps to eliminate almost all of the guesswork with tuning while also dramatically reducing the risk that someone would transmit a message outside of their agreed-upon frequency bands.
Spread spectrum transmissions that have to sprawl out over a wide array of frequencies can leverage the power of computer technology to cut down on the possibility of channel collisions. When digital packets have to be sent more than once due to collisions, the overall throughput of a transmission drops. Software-based randomization systems can drop the number of times this happens by ensuring that each packet is sent on a different channel. Those who operate several different pieces of equipment next to one another will usually get rid of crosstalk and other related problems with this kind of configuration.
Check out a specifications sheet for a 3U VPX SDR module by visiting Epiq Solutions online.
