looking for info for a friend

[planefixer]

hey every one i got a friend who is looking to have a radio set up with a labtop computer or thats what he asked me so if any one can point out what he needs ill pass on the info

thanks yall

 

[KM3F]

Need a lot more info as to what radio, does he have a ham ticket, what bands, why computer control etc.
There are number of radios and a few programs to control them by remote over the internet.
A lot of possabilities once this basic info is known.

 

[Mudfoot]

Does he want a radio that can be programmed via a computer? Or does he want a radio that is controlled via a computer?

 

[planefixer]

well its for his dad who is ill and as far as i know he has a ham lic but dont know what radio he has but he is looking for control via computer thanks

 

[Highland Ranger]

If he already has a radio it will be matter of looking up the radio and finding out from the manufacturer literature whether it supports computer control, and then what hardware and software is required to make it happen.

If he is starting from scratch with no existing radio then research SDR on the web. Software Defined Radio. Start here: Software-defined radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can do everything from inexpensive ($100) wide band receivers (see this thread for a head start: http://www.worldwidedx.com/general-ham-radio-discussion/153172-amazing-cheap-sdr-receiver.html) to full on super duper transceivers ($500 to $5000+) like: FlexRadio Systems - Software Defined Radios ::: FlexRadio Systems or WiNRADiO Communications - The future of radio..

Lots to chose from. Not all plug and play especially the lower cost equipment but all good.

Good luck, hope it all works out.