🚀 go-pugleaf

I need all the help I can get, and thanks in advance to everyone for
reading this post...

For my 3rd sophomore project (or possibly my senior project, depending on
when I have sufficient information), I would like to build a computer
controlled radio receiver.  What I would like to build, essentially, is
a scanner-like device that covers the 25 MHz to 1300 MHz spectrum.

(It is not unreasonable, I should think, since many scanners nowadays cover
 the above spectrum)  

Although I understand the theory behind the operation, I do not have any
practical information on how to go about generating the desired frequencies,
how to use PLL's (are they even necessary if given a stable frequency source?),
and -gulp- how to demodulate FM.  (Apparently, there are 'Narrow' and 'Wide'
modes of FM.)

Could someone recommend a good cookbook (if any), magazine articles, or even
offer a hand?  My current goal for the project, basically, is to build a
prioritized, dual tuning scanner that monitors all (interested) channels, 
and will continue to monitor other channels while 'reading' one channel so
that if a channel of a higher priority breaks in, it will go to that one.

Again, thanks in advance.

-- Joseph
. 
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josephc@coil.caltech.edu               ...Just another lost soul in the universe