The PSSST is on "hackaday"
Yes! The PSSST has "street creds" as it has been recognized by a well-read blog post. To The Tribes (BITX, TIA, EMRFD, Nano VNA and Facebook groups) it is posted there without having a link to one of your Tribes. OMG, somebody went around the Tribal system of group recognition.
But there is a huge problem with our hobby, and that is how we view things and worst of all what we have become.
So far there are two comments on "hackaday" there may be more by now. I suspicion that the two posters belong to The Tribes (BITX, TIA, EMRFD, Nano VNA or Facebook groups) as this is what they posted.
Later Input as there now are over 6 comments and one in particular has me scratching my head. The commenter denigrated the design as using musty old parts and the PC Board with squares was like doing brain surgery with a rusty spoon. But the clincher was that I did not use an accessible design. I don't know what that means and likely he doesn't either!
You can do all the software tricks you want and include ports or WiFi to make software changes but even the IC7300 and FTdx101F have some analog devices in the loop to generate RF, amplify it and send it into the ether. Like on the front end are some DBM's with a post mixer amp that has a high intercept point and considered a strong amplifier.
The Arduino and Si5351 are devices with accessible design features. So, is he a man talking like a man with nothing to say? When you know stuff, you can do stuff. But when you don't know stuff, you can only make stupid comments like accessible design.
One post in essence took to task the project because "it has MORE than 7 transistors" if you count what is inside the Arduino, Si5351 and the LM-380.
Well counter to that, I can respond by saying let's make it 10 transistors as I substitute a J310 FET VFO (at 5 MHZ) for the LO, another 2N2222A as a 9 MHz BFO and use a TIP32 as an audio amp stage. That is 10 transistors! BUT now there would be the criticism that it did not use the latest technology and the audio is weak!
The second post complained that it is painful to have to listen to a radio without AGC.
Well, this poster likely has never used at Bitx20 or for that matter really sat in front of a PSSST and just listened. True it does not have AGC; but so, do a lot of other radios lack this feature. Mind you it can be added; but just adds a lot more hardware to the project.
None of the negative comments reflected on the Steerable approach, nor that it really only uses 7 discrete devices, yet has a superb frequency readout and a very stable LO.
What have we become in that the only comments that can be made are negative! They completely overlook that indeed someone not using The Tribes (BITX, ITA, EMRFD, Nano VNA or Facebook groups) has a working radio employing really innovative concepts?
This begs the question "Have these several posters really ever built anything or is their sole goal to find something trivial that can be "festered' upon within their Tribes? Is their goal to denigrate what I consider "true homebrew". OK you guys, let us see your SSB Transceiver designs?
If they are hams, may their coax get shorted!
73's
Pete N6QW