947e82c3   
   XPost: rec.radio.shortwave, rec.sport.golf, alt.conspiracy   
   From: HaxxaFunn@gmx.com   
      
   On 12/14/2011 10:37 PM, rrusston@hotmail.com wrote:   
   >   "Modular radio" is indeed possible. Almost all GOOD RF test equipment   
   > and professional grade receivers (Watkins Johnson, Racal etc) are   
   > modular in that each section is a tray or block with a 50 ohm   
   > connectorized input and output. But each module costs more than any   
   > consumer radio.   
   >   
   >   The 10.7 IF module for the IFR 1200 series is basically a fixed   
   > frequency single conversion superhet that has a parts cost of about   
   > thirty dollars, fifteen of which are the connectors and the metal tray   
   > and pan. Last I heard if you were so unfortunate as to need to buy one   
   > it was well in four figures. It is simpler than any AM/FM pocket   
   > 'transistor radio' you can get at Radio SHack and contains no ASICs,   
   > no microprocessor, and no custom coils or hybrids. All the miniature   
   > IF cans are Coilcraft catalog parts.   
   >   
   >   By contrast the total profit in the notebook PC I am typing this on   
   > is probably less than a hundred dollars and that includes that made by   
   > the silicon makers for the chips which constitute nine figure   
   > development budgets. The IF module has a board that could be laid out   
   > in twenty minutes by any competent OrCad operator from a netlist. 10.7   
   > MHz and 455 kHz are trivial to lay out for. The single layer board   
   > probably costs three dollars apiece. he bare board fab in thei   
   > notebook's motherboard is probably considerably more and probably has   
   > eight to twelve layers.   
   >   
   >   The difference? Several Volume is one. Competition is another.   
   >   
   >   Very few people are even INTERESTED in radio outside the broadcast   
   > receiver in their car and the various wireless digital gizmos they   
   > own.  The market is tiny. And that there is tends to be governments   
   > and such, so the businesses that cater to it are spoiled rotten.   
      
   Any mid to high range video card --NVIDIA/ATI/etc. are much more   
   powerful and would be much more expensive, if they were totally   
   proprietary and required all other components in their system to be   
   proprietary and manufactured/sold/marketed by the same corp/company.   
      
   As already stated, manufacturers will fight to maintain the systems as   
   they are, and they will damn well use any scare tactic or manufactured   
   "monster" to cause the status quo to remain untouched and undisturbed.   
   However, the SW hobby will continue to decline, the media available on   
   those declining platforms will continue to decline and be limited, etc.   
      
   Like I say, this will all have to fall, apparently, to a greater low   
   than our eyes are reporting at the present time, before someone will   
   finally stand against the downstream and cause improvements in design   
   and hardware and software ...   
      
   What is happening is obvious, it seems like the only debate is what is   
   responsible and causing it ... however, no matter what debate and   
   arguments are posed, it is quite obvious all the WRONG things are being   
   done at this present time ... but, all the hardware manufactures seem   
   insane, as they keep churning out the same old, same old antiquated crap   
   but expecting a different trend ... all we are seeing are the results of   
   those endeavors ...   
      
   TV has gotten a partial reprieve, and probably will be rather short   
   lived.  The big screen TVs, plasma, then LED has kept the focus off the   
   important question of, "I already have a computer, why don't I just drop   
   in a card, or hook up an external USB dongle, and use my computer as my   
   TV -- the big screen HD monitor can then serve as my computer monitor   
   also?"  If you visit a software engineers home, or hardware engineers   
   home, you are likely to see such systems in use -- it is only for the   
   general public to realize the benefits before they start doing the same ...   
      
   But, those ahead of the curve can, and are, already enjoying this ...   
   perhaps the rest are simply unwilling or unable ... but I'd suggest the   
   TV you buy have digital, HD, S-Video, etc. hookups ...   
      
   Regards,   
   JS   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)