Software Development for Amateur Radio

Amateur radio is a technical hobby in which various practitioners build and operate radio communications equipment including communications satellites. Very few radio amateurs seem to develop their software: the majority build hardware: aerials, radio transmitters, receivers and accessories. The few that write their own software tend to specialise in one area, such as contests, modems for better digital communications, and satellite orbit predictions.

This talk focuses on one aspect, developing software for broadly enhancing amateur radio by developing software in a wide range of topics. As well as describing the software, the talk contrasts some differences between professional and amateur software development.

Amateur radio topics include automating digital teletypewriter communications, orbit predictions in assembly language, creating a contest simulation, satellite tracking, telemetry decode, display and analysis, etc.

Lessons learned include

1. Computers do what you tell them to do, not what you want them to do
2. Table driven software provides flexibility
3. How technology limits the design and capability
4. The need for software test points
5. The benefits of state machines

Dr Kasser turned his hobby into a career. He was a practicing systems engineer, manager, academic, mentor and teacher for 50 years before becoming a coach and mentor. He is:

• A recipient of NASA’s Manned Space Flight Awareness Award (Silver Snoopy) for performing and directing systems engineering and many other awards and commendations.
• The author of seven published books on systems engineering and more than 50 peer reviewed journal and conference publications.
• A Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

He mixes his profession with his hobby and sees many similarities between systems engineering and amateur radio. He is an active amateur radio operator, receiving his first call sign more than 50 years ago. He has a history of experimentation and innovation, including:

• Designing a hardware-based Self Operating Radioteletypwriter Contest Amateur Radio Station (SORCARS) in 1972 and programmed it into LanLink years later. The QSO machine performed unassisted (but not unattended) in the 1990 American Radio Relay League (ARRL) RTTY contest, and did not come last in its section! This was the first and only legal automatic robot contest station in ARRL contests.
• Claiming the first remote computer-controlled station contest operation when he operated W4/G3ZCZ using VOIP via the Internet from Adelaide in the ARRL 2001 SSB Sweepstakes contest.

Registration is free.

Members and visitors are welcome.

For further details contact Don Grigg 8266 3664

IET/IEEE RETIRED ENGINEERS GROUP

Founded in 1980 by IEE SA&NT. Since 2007, a joint initiative with the IEEE SA Section Life Member Affinity Group.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Engineers Australia, 11 Floor, Adelaide, Australia