[Discuss-gnuradio] USRP News, May 2007

[Matt Ettus]

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USRP News, May 2007
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News Items
1    TVRX Reborn
2    USRP rev 4.2 and 4.3 changes
3    Embedded SBC Kit Available
4    International Shipping Changes
5    Office Closed May 28th - June 8th
6   Mailing List Info

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1   TVRX Reborn

A while ago it was announced that the TVRX had been discontinued and a
MIMO-capable replacement was coming soon.  Unfortunately, an important 
component
in the new design was discontinued by its manufacturer, and we had to 
cancel the
project.  We have reintroduced the old TVRX, at the same old price of 
$100, to fill the
void.

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2   USRP rev 4.2 and 4.3 changes

If you have a rev 4.2 USRP, please note that you should be careful when 
tightening the
standoff on the lower left corner (nearest the power supply and fan.  If 
you tighten it too
much, you can break through the solder mask and cause a short.  If this 
happens, there is
no lasting damage, but the USRP will not function until you remedy the 
situation.

Rev 4.3 does not have the above issue.  Also, the rev 4.3 USRPs have a 
master oscillator
which has a 20 ppm specification, instead of 50 ppm.  This should help 
in applications
where tight frequency tolerances are required.

The currently shipping revision of the USRP is 4.3. 

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3   Embedded SBC Kit Available

We are now selling an Embedded SBC (Single-board computer) Kit.  The kit 
includes
an SBC, ATX power supply, and an 8GB Compact Flash card with Ubuntu and
GNU rado preinstalled on it.  The SBC specs are:

   1.6 GHz Pentium M
   PCI-104 Form factor, with PCI bus
   1 GB DRAM
   USB 2.0, VGA, Audio

You can order the SBC kit from the Ettus Research ordering page,

   http://ettus.com/custom.html

The SBC Kit costs $1400, and may take as long as 3-4 weeks to deliver.  
No enclosure
or USRP is included.  The SBC does NOT fit in the standard USRP enclosure.

Contact address@hidden for more info.


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4   International Shipping Changes

For a while now, we have been using the US Postal Service for 
international shipping.
Due to the large number of lost and significantly delayed packages, we 
have been forced
to switch to UPS for international shipping.  The upside of this is that 
packages should
arrive in 3-5 days rather than 1-3 weeks.  The downside is that even 
though we have
negotiated significant discounts with UPS, shipping will now be a bit 
more expensive. 
Shipping 2 USRPs  could cost as much as $140 depending on the destination.

When you place a credit card order, you will have 2 shipping options:
   International UPS, actual shipping charges billed to your credit card
   International, UPS, FedEx, or DHL, billed to your shipping account

If you choose the first option, you will get 2 charges on your credit 
card when we ship your
order.  The first will be for the merchandise, and the second will be 
for the actual shipping
charges.

If you choose the second option, you must email us with you shipper 
account number.

We hope this will not be a major inconvenience to anybody.  We do 
welcome your
feedback on this issue.


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5    Office Closed May 28th - June 8th

The Ettus Research office will be closed from May 28th through June 
8th.  No orders
will be processed during this time.  Orders placed during this period 
will be shipped
when the office reopens.  We will be answering email, but not the phones.