computer science

OpenHPSDR

OpenHPSDR is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenHPSDR rather than just read about it. In short: The OpenHPSDR (High Performance Software Defined Radio) project dates from 2005 when Phil Covington, Phil Harman, and Bill Tracey combined their separate projects to form the HPSDR group. It is built around a modular concept which encourages experimentation with new techniques and devices (e.g.

Key takeaways

OpenHPSDR belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenHPSDR to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenHPSDR from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The OpenHPSDR (High Performance Software Defined Radio) project dates from 2005 when Phil Covington, Phil Harman, and Bill Tracey combined their separate projects to form the HPSDR group. It is built around a modular concept which encourages experimentation with new techniques and devices (e.g. SDR, Envelope Elimination and Restoration) without the need to replace the entire set of boards. The project has expanded from the original group, and several additional people have been involved in recent HPSDR module designs. The core modules of the project are the Atlas passive backplane, the Ozy interface which provides a USB 2.0 data channel between the HPSDR system and the host PC, and the Mercury and Penelope receiver and exciter boards, which use high speed ADCs and DACs for direct conversion of received or transmitted signals in the DC to 55 MHz frequency range. Mercury has attracted wide interest within the HPSDR community as a general-coverage, high performance, HF receiver. It uses a 16-bit 135MSPS analog-to-digital converter that provides performance over the range 0 to 55 MHz comparable to that of a conventional analog HF radio. The receiver will also operate in the VHF and UHF range using either mixer image or alias responses. The host computer uses DSP techniques to process the digital bitstream it receives from the HPSDR system. Currently, the HPSDR hardware has been interfaced with the Flex-Radio PowerSDR Windows-based software, which is licensed under the GPL. As of February, 2011, the following HPSDR modules have been released:

Atlas backplane Magister control board Janus I/Q interface board Mercury Direct Down-conversion receiver LPU linear power supply Pandora enclosure Excalibur frequency reference board PennyWhistle 20 watt RF power amplifier Hercules 100 watt RF power amplifier Metis 1Gigbit (1000T) PC interface board Other modules nearing release include:

Alex RX/TX filter bank Replaced by newer modules:

Ozy USB control board (replaced by Magister) Penelope Direct Up-conversion exciter (replaced by PennyLane, not provided by TAPR but by new commercial organisation) In cooperation with the HPSDR group, TAPR has provided (or will provide) all the modules listed above. Most have been made available as either fully assembled units or as bare circuit boards; a few are available as kits of parts. Several other modules are under development. A web site and Wiki provide further information about the HPSDR projects. . The HPSDR project is open-source for software and uses a combination of licenses for the hardware.

Spin-off hardware There are many complete transceivers that are based on the OpenHPSDR concept:

Anan-10 Anan-100 Anan-100D Anan-200D Anan-7000DLE Anan-8000DLE

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenHPSDR

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenHPSDR claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenHPSDR before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenHPSDR ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenHPSDR

In research: OpenHPSDR appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenHPSDR in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenHPSDR is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amateur radio transceivers, Software-defined radio, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenHPSDR outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenHPSDR in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenHPSDR means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenHPSDR out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenHPSDR in simple terms?

Why does OpenHPSDR matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenHPSDR?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenHPSDR.