It's all about the Software

Hi all.
You know what it's like. You look at all the specs, read all the reviews you can find, check out all the software, and if you're like me, you end up more confused than when you started. I know that the Elad is about 3 times the price of the Hermes but is it any better in the real world? Whatever one I end up with will be used mostly computer controlled for WSPR and occasionally FT8. My radio work is all computer, I don't use voice, and if I get the elad I probably won't use the knobs. Putting the Hermes together won't be a problem, plugging in the Elad won't be a problem. Learning how to use the software for either of them won't be a problem. I do have a problem with my memory but then so do most people at 74 years old. So what's it to be, Elad FDM-Duo or Hermes Lite 2 ?
Help me decide
Colin MM5AGM

mm5agm wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2024 12:55 pm I know that the Elad is about 3 times the price of the Hermes but is it any better in the real world? So what's it to be, Elad FDM-Duo or Hermes Lite 2 ?
Help me decide
Colin MM5AGM

Colin, I have HL2 and simply cannot fault it, even more so given the low price. They are two somewhat different beasts. I think by far the main differences I can think of (if you put aside the fact the Elad can be operated "standalone" and the standard HL2 cannot) are:

(1) Sampling bandwidth of the HL2 is max 384kHz and for the Elad I think (not 100% sure on this) it can operate with up to about 6MHz bandwidth when running just one RX. You say you will be running WSPR and FT8. I don't see any reason why you would need wide sampling bandwidths to do this? So no, on this feature it makes no odds. Anyway, 384 kHz covers full width of nearly every HF amateur band.

(2) Elad covers 6m band natively. HL2 stops at 32MHz so to reach 6m you would need to use a transverter. The HL2 works brilliantly with transverters (has split feed RX/TX with dedicated low power output) but they may not be your thing? I run HL2 with transverters for 6m/4m/2m/70cm (so far). In fact I've got one HL2 to run on HF and one for use with the transverters.

(3) Elad is 16 bit. HL2 is 12 bit. However, I can honestly say in several years of ownership I've simply never found the HL2 lacking in this respect. It seems to take just anything the bands can throw at it in terms of strong signal handling. Due to much increased atmospheric noise floors on HF the practical dynamic ranges required are much less at HF than at VHF/UHF during a contest for example. Even so, I've also had no issues with transverters at VHF. However, to be fair I've not tried it sitting next door to a 1kW contest station!

So TBH, assuming the lack of 6m is not a deal breaker then for me it would a no-brainer to choose the HL2. Save your money and put it towards making or buying a linear amp to hang on the end if higher power is your thing. For the spare cash you could get something like an RM Italy HLA150 which gives a nice clean 80W out with the HL2 and dead easy to set up. I now use the HL2 to drive an LDMOS 600W linear. Works fine also.

Lastly (but very much not least) I should mention that HL2 interfaces beautifully with SDR Console, but then again I think also SDRC is great with the Elad too, so probably nothing to choose between them here, except to say SDRC is a superb companion for either. Just also to say I run many digi modes on SDRC with the HL2 and all works seamlessly with third-party software like WSJT-X, Log4OM, FL-Digi, N1MM, SDC (CW/RTTY/PSK skimmer) etc. etc. etc. HL2 also may be easier to get going on CW than the Elad as it has a dedicated CW Key input which again works well with SDRC. Not sure if the Elad has this or not?

Hope it helps.

73

Max

That helps a lot. Many thanks Max.
Colin MM5AGM

mm5agm wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 8:47 am That helps a lot. Many thanks Max.
Colin MM5AGM

One thing I forgot to add is that, for RX only, the HL2 has a neat trick up its sleeve, although I've never personally used it. With other SDR software (unfortunately not SDRC), and using a custom firmware (or gateware to be precise..... takes about 10 seconds to swap it over) the HL2 can operate 10 bands simultaneously anywhere between 500kHz and 32 MHz, so in theory you can, for example, skim every HF ham band on FT8 simultaneously. I think those bands are "only" 192kHz wide..... still huge amount more than needed for data modes! As I say it's not for me as I'm a "one band at a time" sort of person, but it can be done and many people do this. Great as a propagation monitor. If you wanted to use this facility you might look at Spark SDR as a software alternative.

However, I strongly stand by the fact that SDRC is by far the most polished and usable software for the HL2. For some reason many HL2 users seem to get steered on to Thetis (special version) or Quisk or Spark SDR and with Thetis in particular there seem to be endless questions from people struggling to get it going. SDRC can be pretty much download and "go" in about a two minutes on any Windows PC and as a daily "go to" for standard single band ham operations, IMHO SDRC is streets ahead of any of the others other than the specialised multi-RX operation I mentioned above.

Just regarding the 12 bit issue, you might want to read this post by Jiri Culak on the Hermes Lite Group. His findings echo my own, i.e. no issues:

https://groups.google.com/g/hermes-lite ... 5hLqieAAAJ

Hermes Lite 2 Wiki pretty much covers everything:

https://github.com/softerhardware/Hermes-Lite2/wiki

73

Max