Having an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer and a function generator that operates from DC to well into microwaves could be very useful. It is probably very expensive to purchase these if they would sell them to you which they wouldn't if they knew what you were going to do with them. I think it would also be useful to have a radio that can receive and transmit anything from DC to microwaves in every type of modulation. It could be used as an alternative relay communication system. It would be helpful to generate all kinds of noise from DC to microwaves at the same time. I think this could all be accomplished with one device I call a Software Defined Universal Electronic Input Output Device.

Software Defined Radio is the latest thing in ham radio so much of the technology already exists. The pictures below is something I've been working on. I bought these parts from tapr.org (Tucson ) I found that website through hpsdr.com. (high performance software defined radio) It consists of a backplane mounted in an aluminum enclosure with a fan and a separate enclosure for an RF front end. The backplane has a standard ATX12v connector for power. It will supply +12v, -12v, +5v, -5v and 3.3v to every board plugged in. You can build whatever you want in each slot.

Software Defined Radio (SDR) uses the latest technology in digital signal processing (DSP). DSP can go two ways, analog to digital and digital to analog. Analog to digital converts any signal to a stream of digital data that can be operated on by a computer. Digital to analog has the computer create the data stream and convert it to an analog signal. This can all be accomplished with a personal computer and a universal electronic device.

Since starting this project I have discovered backplanes are made as a standard part as well as the power supplies that come with them. One supplier is Vector Electronics based in Los Angelos. There are companies that make development kits that come with everything you need. The various engineering societies have produced standards for buses used on backplanes. IEEE, IEC and ANSI. One such standard is a VME bus IEEE 1014. I found a kit at elma.com. Model VITA Type 15 4U Rackmount Desktop.

This is a rough idea of what the RF front end (input circuit) would look like. The original signal would come in on either an antenna or an oscilloscope probe. The original signal would never go through any parts, passive or active. The various factors needed for the computer software (ie frequency, voltage, current etc) would be taken off the original signal bus then turned into digital data. All the digital data would go into a parallel to serial converter and transferred to the PC on the USB serial bus. I figure it doesn't matter what data you transfer, if you don't need it for a particular software application then don't use it.