09/25/2026
It's been a half century since single sideband (SSB) supplanted amplitude
modulation (AM) as the most popular voice mode on HF, due largely to its
spectrum efficiency, occupying roughly half the bandwidth of an AM signal. Now,
there's a new digital voice mode from FreeDV called Radio Autoencoder, or RADE,
that occupies half the bandwidth of an SSB signal and reportedly provides more
natural-sounding speech. According to Amateur Radio Digital Communications
(ARDC), which funded research that advanced RADE's development, "FreeDV RADE
combines machine learning with classical digital signal processing (DSP) and can
operate at signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) as low as -2 dB. Its design also
addresses spectrum use, speech quality, and power efficiency, all important
considerations for voice communications over HF."
Most significantly, ARDC reports that manufacturers are beginning to integrate
the mode directly into their radios, starting with a module that can be
downloaded[1] and installed on certain FlexRadio models. Users of other
transceivers may run the mode through computers connected to their radios. More
details are available from FreeDV[2] and on the ARDC website[3].
[1] https://freedv.org/download/?utm_source=ARRL&utm_campaign=d6577a0d31-EMA
IL_CAMPAIGN_2026_09_24_01_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d6577a0d31-443
773700
[2] https://freedv.org/radio-autoencoder/?utm_source=ARRL&utm_campaign=d6577
a0d31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_09_24_01_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d6577
a0d31-443773700
[3] https://www.ardc.net/freedv-rade-a-new-approach-to-digital-voice-over-hf-now
-integrated-into-popular-radios/?utm_source=ARRL&utm_campaign=d6577a0d31-EMA
IL_CAMPAIGN_2026_09_24_01_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d6577a0d31-443
773700
---
■ Synchronet ■ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBS
|
