In this letter to the editor the author responds to the article “Meet the Hobbyists Behind Today’s Smartest Radios.” Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email [email protected].
I want to thank you for the article on the hobbyists behind the TEF6686 radios.
Even though I am not an ardent long-distance signal listener, I have had an intense interest in SDRs since we developed the HD Radio system in the mid-1990s. The HD Radio project manager, Rick Martinson, was an ardent FM DX’er in his younger years.
USA Digital Radio (USADR), the developer of the HD Radio system in use in the U.S., frequently met with receiver manufacturers during the research and development phase to review the system design and the progress made to date. One of the system’s requirements was the need for a digital-analog tuner, specifically an SDR, to ensure proper frame alignment when transitioning from analog to digital signals.
One of my memories was that the largest manufacturer of car radios told us that SDR radios would never be practical; time proved them wrong.
[Related: “SDRplay Thinks Big With the nRSP-ST”]
Today, I remain a follower of the SDR receivers; however, my only hands-on connection these days is with my SDRplay, although you have piqued my interest in the TEF6686.
Thanks again.
— Glynn Walden
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