[TenTec] Fw: New Ten Tec - Pegasus LOW BAND!

[Steve Ellington N4LQ]

I don't make a habbit of posting threads from news groups but figured this
may help some folks who missed it.

Steve N4LQ
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv@bellsouth.net>
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.equipment
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: New Ten Tec - Pegasus LOW BAND!


> On Thu, 20 May 1999 12:28:03 -0400, Chuck Murcko
<chuck.murcko@platinum.com> wrote:
> >The 706 fairly compares to neither new Ten Tec rig. I've read the
> >specs on both these rigs, knowing Ten Tec has a track record of actually
> >delivering what they measure, not promise.
>
> True, but have you taken a hard look at the specs for the Pegasus?
> Not so hot are they? I got some hands on time with it at Dayton and
> chatted with the designers. I'd rate its receiver as no better than the
> IC-706, maybe not quite as good. It definitely doesn't hold a candle to
> the Kachina (no surprise there, of course, it costs half as much).
>
> Its synthesizer has *way* more phase noise than is acceptable in a
> modern HF rig. The analog front end has much too low a 3rd order
> intercept. And  the PA has too much two tone IMD to be a good spectral
> neighbor. The software is pretty uninspired too, and only runs under
> Windoze.
>
> There's a lot of potential there, but they don't have it right yet. They
> need to clean up the synthesizer, beef up the first mixer, and clean
> up the PA to make it minimally acceptable. They also need to open
> up their software so third parties can produce a better user interface
> than their uninspired offering.
>
> Being stuck using Windoze and proprietary software is *not* a feature.
> They should go open source, ala GNU, so we can port the user interface
> to a decent OS like Linux, and make it more functional for the computer
> operator. A software emulation of a traditional hardware front panel
doesn't
> cut it. If may *look* familiar, but it doesn't *work* familar. A computer
radio
> has to have a different sort of user interface if it is to be easily and
comfortably
> operated with a keyboard and mouse (and perhaps joystick).
>
> Kachina has it almost right. They fully document their API and encourage
> third party software, including ports to other operating systems. If
TenTec
> were to take an even  bolder step in that direction, they might have a
winner.
> They should realize that they're in the business of selling radios, not
software.
> If open source software will sell more radios, and it will, then they
should go
> open source and open architecture. They have the oportunity to set an
industry
> standard that could have as big an impact as Linux has had, or as IBM had
> when they decided to make the PC open architecture.
>
> Gary
> Gary Coffman KE4ZV  | You make it  |mail to ke4zv@bellsouth.net
> 534 Shannon Way     | We break it  |
> Lawrenceville, GA   | Guaranteed   |


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