Why is software radio useful?

 


The goal of a Software Radio is to implement nearly all components typically found in a radio in software by “getting code as close to the antenna as possible”. This allows for near limitless communications schemes to be implemented on a single radio hardware platform. Additionally, it allows for rapid prototyping by eliminating much of the costs traditionally involved in radio design.

 

Some tasks are unsuitable for software implementation due to their requisite computational complexity or physical constraints, and a tradeoff must be made based on the desired level of system flexibility.

(Patrick Mulligan, 2006)