Analog HotSPOT 70cm UHF or 2m VHF 350mW CE

Analog Hotspot

The Analog Hotspot is now in its 3rd generation, featuring a redesigned power stage, improved filtering, and a more robust enclosure. We added additional DC-line filtering to eliminate noise sources, improved the thermal design with a precision-machined aluminium top enclosure (only the bottom plate is plastic), and increased the output power to 26 dBm (~350 mW).

It is a compact and robust analog communications hotspot built around a Raspberry Pi. Choose between the UHF 70 cm version (400–480 MHz) or the VHF 2 m version (134–174 MHz). Thanks to its Wolfson WM8960 DAC/ADC, it runs flawlessly as an EchoLink / SVXLink / AllStar analog hotspot. When paired with AnalogBridge (DVSwitch), it can also bridge into BrandMeister, OpenDMR, and more.
*Currently only an SVXLink Bookworm image is available.

Specs at a Glance

Feature	Specification
Frequency Range	UHF: 400–480 MHz VHF: 134–174 MHz
Output Power	26 dBm (~350 mW)
RX Sensitivity	UHF: −109 dBm @ 12 dB SINAD VHF: −104 dBm @ 12 dB SINAD
Bandwidth	12.5 kHz / 25 kHz
Clock Stability	1 ppm KDS TCXO
Audio Codec	Wolfson WM8960 ADC / 1 W DAC (48 kHz)
Compliance	CE Certified (UHF worst-case spurious −86.23 dBc)
Power with Pi Zero W	~400 mA RX / ~600 mA TX

Included with the Product

• Complete tested device in a precision aluminium enclosure (plastic bottom)
• Preloaded SD card with our latest image
• 2 W terminated indoor antenna (50 Ω)*You can purchase complementary antennas below to extend the hotspot’s range.

Key Features

• ENIG-finished PCB (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold)
• Independent TX/RX frequencies, CTCSS, CDCSS
• Adjustable RX/TX gain levels
• Status LEDs: Signal/Tone, TX/PTT
• Ultra-stable 1 ppm TCXO

Power Consumption with Pi Zero W

• Receive: ~400 mA
• Transmit: ~600 mA

Software

SVXSpot Repository and Image

 

 

 

UHF Version Measurements

All measurements in this section apply to the UHF version. VHF measurements follow in the section below.

Sensitivity Measurements

The 12 dB SINAD sensitivity was determined using a 1 kHz tone FM-modulated at a 2.5 kHz deviation and injected into the receiver. This provides an accurate representation of real-world listening performance, fully aligned with industry-standard SINAD measurement procedures.

Compliance Measurements

Measurements were performed using a calibrated VNA and 26 dB attenuator. The worst-case harmonic observed was the 3rd harmonic at −86.23 dBc, exceeding ETSI EN 300 220 limits by more than 40 dB.

Spectrum analysis shows extremely low spurious energy and clean modulation inside the 12.5 kHz channel. Compared with Kenwood, Icom, and Yaesu, the UHF Hotspot delivers excellent spectral purity.

UHF Spectrum

UHF Harmonics

UHF Channel Power

 

 

 

VHF Version Measurements

Sensitivity Measurements

The 12 dB SINAD sensitivity was determined using a 1 kHz tone FM-modulated at a 2.5 kHz deviation and injected into the receiver. This provides an accurate representation of real-world listening performance.

Compliance Measurements

All VHF compliance tests were performed with a calibrated VNA and a 36 dB precision attenuator. The worst-case harmonic measured was the 2nd harmonic at −53.07 dBc.

The CE RED standard (ETSI EN 300 220) requires spurious components to be at least 43 dB below the carrier for transmitters under 30 dBm. Our VHF model exceeds this by more than 10 dB.

Spectrum analysis reveals very low spurious energy and stable transmission within the 12.5 kHz channel. With its −53.07 dBc harmonic performance, the VHF version ranks among the best devices in its category.

VHF Spectrum

VHF Harmonics

VHF Channel Power