The early report on Pegasus by Conrad Weiss - NN6CW is for me a great day
for my kind of amateur radio. Conrad, Thank You for taking the time to
share with us the information you have collected about the new Ten Tec
radio.
I have been operating HF, CW, remote controlled since 1991, my station is
always in a constant state of change as I programmatically in software
create what I want in the way of an HF radio station. My current radio in
the remote station is a TS-570SG which I find to be an excellent radio for
the state of the art prior to this. I really liked when I traded in my
earlier TS-570D radio that the dial lights had only a few minutes of use in
some 18 months, they were only on until I figured out how to turn them off.
I also was pleased that the new owner liked the nice clean front panel
that was under the plastic baggie that Kenwood had shipped it to me in.
The knobs are all bright and clean, they have never been used. That was
in part some of the problem.
Several years ago I wrote a piece in QST about the need for a Front
Panelless Radio, let me create the front panel to fit my interests and
needs. The time has long passed when yacomwood could do anything in the
sort of a front panel that was not a bigger pain to learn to use, part of
it was learning what to not accidentally use, than it was worth, from my
perspective. I used an FT1000 something or other once on a 10GHz EME
station from VE3ONT - for me it was pitiful! All that stuff on the front
panel that made zero contribution to working a guy in Europe with a 10 watt
transmitter and an 8 ft dish.
The Kachina was another step forward in the migration away from the
yacomwood radio model. For CW operators the Kachina has marginal to not
acceptable QSK, and ZL2AN in his column finally found out the reason the CW
sounds funny, the ratio of dash to dots is 4 to 1, not 3 to 1 etc. The
remote control stations set up by N5CQ and N5ZC are wonderful and expensive
examples of remote control. If you do not think remote control is in your
future then you have not yet recognized "The BIG Chill" in amateur radio HF
operation - legal problems with antennas and interference, I know I am very
glad I no longer live in a city, as I see it HF in the city is a difficult
and getting more difficult proposition every day.
Back to the Pegasus. The real value in the Pegasus is the ability to
create a virtual front panel that is highly optimized for YOU. If you only
see your future with the TT supplied software then you are missing a very
large chunk of the potential in this new radio. Let me share with you the
virtual front panel I have for my remote station.
First, I eliminated all those knobs and buttons. The tuning knob for
people with stiff old fingers just is an abomination, remember this is for
me, maybe not for you. I got rid of them all.
Second I built a set of 10 vertical spin buttons and I can get to any
frequency quickly - each button overflows or underflows as is necessary and
drives all the higher ranked digits. Oh why 10 digits? Well I use the
same virtual dial to drive my ICOM PCR-1000 receiver as well. When the
software connects to the Kenwood TS-570GS the top to spin buttons
automagically become invisible. I like a nice consistent virtual dial.
Next I have all the standard controls, except most of them are just a
little different. ALL the other controls, except the RF Gain control, fade
out of the screen after a few minutes of operation. If I don't use them
they go away. Why have them in my face when I am not using them? I like
it when my radio interface is the tuning assembly and the RF gain control
slider! The screen is small, tidy, hides in the corner of my workstation
monitor screen.
You have guessed by now that I choose not to use the Kenwood software for
the TS-570SG, I loaded it once and it looked just like the radio - that was
of no value to me so I dumped it. I don't even have a copy of it left
here, I even erased the diskettes and used them for something else. Is it
possible this is the reason many on this reflector do not see the potential
value in a virtual radio?
IF YOU ARE USING THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED SOFTWARE FOR CONTROLLING YOUR
RADIO, IT IS IN MY OPINION ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT VALUE
USING A COMPUTER TO DRIVE THE RADIO!
I am sure that Ten Tec will make the protocol for the serial interface to
the radio available for the Pegasus. I know that I will have a tiny tiny
control box that will control my future Pegasus in my mobile. A tiny
microcomputer will be inside the box to do the work. It will not have a
screen at all! As a mobile operator it is likely better that I do not look
at a screen, I am sure that my vehicle insurance company will agree. My
frequency readout will be by CW! I will tune with a few buttons, spaced
optimally for my stiff fingers. I will push two of the buttons together
and I will then be able to adjust the audio level, I will push two other
tuning buttons together and I will change the CW sending speed. What I am
sharing with you is that my CW mobile setup will be to meet my needs, done
the way I want it done. This is the real value potential of virtual
radios.
When amateurs built their own equipment they controlled the interface. I
came into amateur radio just at the end of that era - now after 40 years of
putting up with interfaces designed in a factory, one design to fit all
users, I am able to get away and custom make the radio the way I want it.
You can do the same. I will be there will be many tiny companies that
will sell interfaces both real and virtual for the Pegasus radio.
For those who desire a radio with a front panel, Omni 6+ like, go forth and
have fun. I am now grateful that I will have a radio, competently made,
with an excellent service reputation, that I can make into a radio that
fits my needs. Pegasus is exciting, it is one more step along the road to
the future. These are exciting times, I hope that other Ten Tec fans will
come to enjoy a Pegasus as much as I will, this is another step to the new
era for HF radio to be useable by anyone who lives anywhere.
This is another great day....
73
Larry, VA3LK / WA3ZIA
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