Right now, this device is built with two uses in mind:
- Amateur Radio paging system. Something in the lines of a one-way system (for now): a base station made of a CC1101 plus a hefty power amp broadcasts messages over 70cm band to small modules people carry around. The small receivers include an LCD and buttons to display and acknowledge the messages.
- Digimodes interface: the CC1101 can transmit using 2FSK, 4FSK, GFSK, MSK, OOK and flexible ASK (as per the datasheet).I thought it would be interesting to make a small interface linking this module to a PC, and maybe add a small PA to bump up the power up to 7W. I never got into digimodes over UHF, this may be a chance to do so.I think non-amateurs may also use it as long as they don't use a PA and stay in the 433MHz band.
The uses can also be expanded for a more general public, for instance:
- For weather alerts
- For earthquake alerts
- ...?
The following block diagram summarizes the inner configuration of the device:
- First ideas
- Main board design
- PCBs
- Finding a correct name, other uses, parts coming in
- Waffle Modem Computer Interface
- Building the dirtiest UHF antenna
- First prototype
- Small progress for the Interface
- Wow, we were selected in the "Anything Goes" challenge!
- Proof of Concept
Why Waffle you may ask? Well, I like waffles, it's a catchy word, and I've always wanted to name one of my projects after food. My friend @Frédéric Druppel found a matching abbreviation for it: Wireless And Free Format Lite Emitter. Feel free to find another that matches the project's name :)
I think you're on to something. I've wanted a device for years now that would be a dedicated texting device that would utilize packet radio. Something you could solder up using a crystal for single frequency operation. It would be just for local use where I spend 99% of my time and I'd be able to text any of my local ham buddies. I've even thought of where you would emulate the mobile phone network but far scaled down where you could have a computer that would receive and save the packets meant for the other person so when they turn on their device, the text message would be sent to them. If something like this was set up like Echolink, you could have your device anywhere, and it would send and receive texts. I guess APRS is kind of like that , but to my knowledge it doesn't hold messages and wait for you to turn on your radio. Basically what it boils down to, is I'd like to have the utter convenience of mobile phone texting, but over ham radio where it would be free. The major difference between the cell phone networks and ham radio is that cell phones are tracked and ham radio isn't although with the advent of digital radios, the technology is quickly evolving into the convenience of cell phones.