Boondock Market

Boondock Echo started as a project to support emergency communications such as the La Habra Heights "Fire Watch".  However, that is a myopic use for such a versatile device. The more we use the Boondock Echos, the more ideas we have for new use cases.  

We now believe there is a large global market for Boondock devices. 

Over the past 30 years, society has grown accustomed to text chat, voicemail, and other services that provide asynchronous support for synchronous communication. There is every reason to believe that commercial and individual radio customers would like that same support.

Anyone who uses a radio will want a Boondock Echo.

Advanced Features

Once the recorded audio is uploaded to a server, "the cloud" provides advanced processing capabilities. Cutting-edge AI technologies can automatically denoise, transcribe, translate, and retransmit audio.  Storing data in the cloud will allow anyone to track the history of transmissions, and time-shift the conversations.

With Boondock Echo, Speech-to-Text, a Translation Service, and Text-to-Speech, an English-speaking person in California with a 1-watt handi-talkie can talk to a French-speaking person in Paris.

Business Model

Boondock Echo Interfaces are one-time long-term investments.  While we expect that most users will want more than one Boondoch Echo interface, we expect the lifespan of each interface to measure between 5-10 years (longer if possible.)  Wherever possible, parts will be interchangeable or user serviceable.  This is an attempt to reduce waste.  It is unlikely that it would ever be possible to find a path to profitability with a product-based model with a ten-year life cycle.   So we won't even try -- Boondock Echos interfaces will be sold just a bit above cost.

The main revenue stream will be the "Software-as-a-Service" (SaaS) model.  Users who purchase a Boondock Echo device or who make their own can run their own server, or they can pay a modest fee per device per month to send their messages to our server for processing.  There, users will enjoy all the advanced features mentioned above and new features as we implement them.  While the code base will be open-source, we believe that most users would rather not spin up their own servers, and would rather be part of a larger supported community than go it alone.

In short, by centralizing the Boondock Servers and offering the service at a modest profit, we will be able to take advantage of economies of scale that make it more economical for users to subscribe to our server than to run their own, especially when personnel costs are taken into consideration.

Planned Features

• Drastically reduce the size of the Boondock Echo interface
  • Battery Backup for stationary interfaces
  • Fully encapsulated inline interface for harsh environments (fire, police, construction, military)
• Simplify the Boondock Echo setup
• Link to a phone using Bluetooth
• Fully offline Boondock Server
• Ability to change Radio frequency remotely
• Analyzing the importance and sentiment of audio
• Relay DTMF codes
• Implement KISS protocol
• Add APRS and digital modes

Manufacturing Boondock Echo

We have already seen several issues with off-the-shelf hardware. The ESP32 Audio kit is excellent, but there is much room for improvement. We would like to make a custom PCB with the right analog and digital components to suit the needs of a Ham Radio.

Here are the things we want to do

1. Design a custom PCB 
2. Pick from available components
3. Design enclosure for injection molding
4. Design custom cables for radio
5. Sample PCB testing 
6. PCB mass manufacture with paneling
7. Mass-manufactured PCB testing ( Bed of nails )
8. PCB components pick and place