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

Larry Kayser kayser@king.igs.net
Tue, 8 Jun 1999 11:03:13 -0400


Wow! Some people sure know more than I do about the new Pegasus radio!

I bet if I was able to look at the bottom of the Pegasus specification sheet
I would find a small notice that says to the effect that all specifications
subject to change without notice.

I have great confidence that this is so.

I also have great confidence that some of the specifications will change
before we see the first radios in July.

I also have an email that says that the Pegasus control protocol will be
available by when the radio is available.

When we get the yacomwood responses to the Kachina and Pegasus radios some
time in the future we will have more to discuss, they wont get it all
"right" either.

One thing for sure, we are entering a new era.  Much of the discussion about
software controlled radios is in terms of the era past, such as operating
systems and existing radio control protocols.  What will be the new issues
that the new era presents us?  At least one of the new issues will be
"latency".  I bet there will be others, the things that start to put some
outer bounds on the new era.

Just to start your thinking processes about the new era.  The new radios are
physically radically different, they also present very different
manufacturing costs.  Is the resulting change in economics introduce the
time when the manufacturing also enters a new era?  Might the manufacturing
jobs shift quickly back to the US?  The new value in the new radios might be
in solving "new" problems rather than responding to the old era issues.

What will be the value of 5 year old yacomwoods in 5 years as compared to
the value of 5 year old yacomwoods today?  If the economics change in
manufacturing and owning costs - might this make the future value of 5 year
old radios different than we might expect today?

Additional input, go look at the pictures of the inside of the Pegasus.  Not
much inside anymore.  The direct labour input per unit might be around 4
hours or 5 hours (if they are using SMT) total including all overheads!
Mechanical simplicity of the new radios will have a massive change in the
life cycle owning costs for us amateurs.  When the economics change,
everything else changes along with it.

Lets try some new thinking and thoughtful discussion for the new era....

73

Larry
VA3LK






--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/tentecfaq.htm
Submissions:              tentec@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  tentec-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-tentec@contesting.com
Search:                   http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm