‰  NOW 35 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2013 QST  PAGE 49‰

FIFI SOFTWARE DEFINED RECEIVER THIS LITTLE AND I DO MEAN LITTLE SOFTWARE
DEFINED RECEIVER BEGAN ITS LIFE AS A UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT IN
MESCHEDE, GERMANY.  THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT WAS TO CREATE AN ECONOMICAL
SOFTWARE DEFINED RECEIVER THAT OFFERED LF, MF AND HF CAPABILITY, INCLUDED
ITS OWN SOUND DEVICE AND COULD BE CONNECTED TO A COMPUTER THROUGH A
STANDARD USB CABLE.  SEVERAL ITERATIONS LATER, THE RECEIVER MADE ITS DEBUT
AT THE DEUTSCHE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB DARC FICHTENFIELDDAY RADIO CAMP WHERE
PARTICIPANTS ASSEMBLED THE DEVICE THAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS FIFI FOR
FICHTENFIELDDAY.  FUNKAMATEUR MAGAZINE BEGAN SELLING FIFI THROUGH ITS
ONLINE STORE AND THE LITTLE RADIOS POPULARITY SPREAD FROM THERE.  FIFI
TUNES FROM 200 KHZ TO 30 MHZ WITH RECEIVE MODES DETERMINED BY THE SOFTWARE
YOU HAPPEN TO BE USING.  THE ORIGINAL FIFI WAS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO
OVERLOAD, ESPECIALLY FROM NEARBY BROADCAST STATIONS.  TO HELP REDUCE
OVERLOAD, THEY ADDED A PRESELECTOR ON A SEPARATE PC BOARD WITH A NUMBER OF
MULTIPOLE FILTERS THAT SWITCH IN AND OUT AUTOMATICALLY ACCORDING TO
FREQUENCY.  BOTH BOARDS FIT SNUGLY WITHIN AN ENCLOSURE THAT IS ONLY 3R5 X 2
X 1 INCHES.  IF YOU PURCHASE A FIFI, YOULL HAVE TO ASSEMBLE IT.  NOT TO
WORRY, THOUGH.  ALL THE SURFACE MOUNT COMPONENTS ARE ALREADY SOLDERED ONTO
THE PC BOARDS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ADD A HANDFUL OF CONNECTORS, TWO 12 PIN
‰  END OF 35 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ