[TenTec] [Ten Tec] Pegasus keying...was More About Clix

[WA3FIY]

On 31 Jan 2002, at 18:08, Steve Ellington wrote:
 
> Train your ear by establishing a clean point of reference then find a
> way to alternate between the reference and the test model. It is much
> like learning the code. We should listen to perfect code and judge
> other fist by that reference.

The problem here as I see it is the definition of "perfect code".   I 
honestly don't have any idea how to define that, or for that matter, 
even where to find it so "I'll know it when I hear it."   

Someone recently posted a comment here about an old time 
commercial operator that judged the quality of his receivers by the 
ability to listen to them hour on end without fatigue.  That may come 
about as close as anything to describing the "perfect code" we all 
seek.  

If it does, my Pegasus and Jupiter are clearly the winners among all 
of the rigs I've owned over the last nearly 40 years.  Rigs from 
hallicrafters, Hammarlund, Collins, Heath, Drake, National, Icom, 
Kenwood, Yaesu and quite a few from Ten Tec.  Many of those 
radios were the top of the line in their time and some would say many 
of them had "perfect code".   I still have many of them and can use 
them and compare them as I choose.

I work CW, various digital modes, SSB and AM.  Yes, I hear the 
anomaly on the Pegasus CW note.  I suspect [suspect is the operative 
word here] it is mostly the result of phase noise in the high 
frequency oscillator and not the result of DSP.   But........whatever it's 
source, I DO NOT find it annoying.  Quite the contrary.  I find it 
soft and soothing and in spite of it's presence, or perhaps because 
of it, I find I can listen to the Pegasus for hours on end and want to 
come back for more.  This is without any doubt, the most pleasant 
sounding rig I have ever heard.   No..........I am not suggesting radio 
designers build in phase noise to make the radios better!     :-)    I am 
just saying that regardless of the results of clinical testing, this is a 
very nice sounding radio!

I do find limitations in the internal audio amplifier of the Peg, so I 
connect mine through the line out to a pair of 6BQ5's in push pull 
delivering about 8 watts of very clean audio to an old hallicrafters 
R46-B speaker.   For headphone use, I use an old old pair of 
Lafayette F-700 'phones which are by far the best sounding 'phones 
I have around here.

CW sounds just fine with a slight touch of hiss.  SSB is whole new 
world compared to ANY radio I have owned prior to this and I have 
not heard AM this good since listening to my SX-28 and SuperPro.   
For the first time my non-ham family members and friends comment 
on how clear the audio is from my radio.   In the past they just 
referred to it as a racket and wondered how I could make out 
anything that was being said.

The excellent audio along with Carl's software and Ten Tec's 
service and pricing make this one of the finest values available IMHO.

I understand the RX-340 has even better audio so I am really 
excited about the possibilities of the Orion.   

So, back to the question.............what is perfect code?   I still don't 
know..........but I DO know that in the Pegasus with N4PY control 
software and 8 watt tube amp driving a good speaker, I have a radio 
that begs to be used.   As a matter of fact............I think I hear it 
begging now!     Better answer that call.      :-)

-73-

-Lee-