Rick et all:
>I would like to know if it is feasible to operate the Pegasus radio
>remotely over phone lines, where one line would be for TX/RX audio,
>and the other line would be for the digital link between the computer
>and the radio, using modems. I am aware that the Kachina can do this
>(actually using only 1 phone line) but the cost of the Kachina radio
>plus the remote stuff is 3X the cost of the Pegasus. I would especially
>be interested in hearing from anyone who is actually doing this now.
Answer: Yes and No. For those who have seen this before please pass
onwards for those who have not here we go.
Yes it is conceptually possible to operate the Pegasus radio under remote
control conditions. I have already done so and in fact am doing so as I
write this. BUT and there is a big BUT.
Doing so with the use of two telephone lines is better than trying to do it
with one line. The one line solution is pretty gruesome from two
perspectives.
First the Audio quality/bandwidth is constrained a little more than most
CW/SSB operators want and secondly the dynamic range of the audio channel,
is severely constrained.
Your second and most severe constraint is the amount of time latency that
two PC's in effect in series connected by the telephone line and the second
one talking to the radio will introduce to what ever you are trying to do.
Your greatest concern should be if you hear anyone talking about remote
control software such as PC Anywhere, Carbon Copy 32 or any of these other
programs that would let you run the factory software or any other software
UNDER the remote control program. You will NOT like the results. The
latency, the time from when you push a key down on the local keyboard until
the command reaches the remote end and the screen update at the remote end
is propagated back to your local screen WILL DRIVE YOU NUTS.
I now have over 10 years of full time remote control HF operation with a
station dedicated to CW activity and my constant concern is LATENCY and how
to manage this issue.
I can put it very simply, anyone who recommends software that runs under a
remote control program on a PC for the operation of an amateur radio station
in remote control mode has never done it.
If you want to have some fun, just take an extra PC and put it in series
with a main PC (connect them via serial ports) and some simple software and
then try to tune the radio over the PC channel! If you want to understand
what is going on you can go into control theory of damped systems, under
damped and over damped systems and you will see what is happening. A second
simulation is to take a two foot long rubber band and fasten it to the main
knob of your HF radio and then pull it tight and put another knob on the end
of the band. If you work hard on reducing the friction you will take 20
minutes to give up, without the friction reduction effort, you will give up
in a minute or two.
The developers of the Pegasus at the last minute did make at least one
change before introduction that is a big PLUS for remote operation, they
have the SWR reporting on a continuous basis. The lack of an internal and
computer controllable antenna tuner is a big NEGATIVE for the Pegasus. Go
to the archive for this reflector and see all the problems some had when
depending on the final AMP to cope with high SWR operation. There is a
company making an after market automatic antenna tuner DGH or something like
that. The control microprocessor inside this product has a serial port BUT
there does not seem to be any serial port control provisions in the product.
So CAN it be done over the phone line, YES it can. Can it be done with
software available on the market today, NO it can not be operated well and
in a satisfactory manner in a practical sense.
There is only one radio that has an internal antenna tuner and is a fair to
good CW radio, it is the Kenwood TS-570. I have been using one of them
here, now the upgraded model TS-570S(G) for approaching three years. I
listen 90% of the time or more to an FM Link on 443.975 mHz as the audio
receive channel.
Summary, Yes and No is the answer to your questions, from a guy who has been
doing this for over 10 years now.
73
Larry
VA3LK
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