[TenTec] Pegasus back to the question

[Duane Grotophorst]

--- "Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj at hotmail.com> wrote:

> I hate to say it, because I wish it weren't true in
> a way, but when Jupiter 
> came out, Peg sales dropped noticably.   A majority
> of hams seemed to prefer 
> front panel rigs.

But yet you hear of many who have Jupiters that they
run most of the time in Pegasus emulation mode. They
simply have a radio that allows them to do either,
nothing wrong with that.

> Like you, I wish an alternative
> continues to be out there 
> because it may appeal to the under (arbitrary number
> here) 35 set.
> Apparently most currently licensed hams like me (on
> HF anyway), are old dogs 
> for whom a plain box next to a monitor is not the
> ham radio experience we 
> know and love.

I may not be an old dog yet, but 35 has come and gone
some time ago for me too. The key to having a great
"plain box next to a monitor" experience is to
re-think your station layout and operating style to
take advantage of what it (PC technology) can now
provide you. If your operating is done while mostly
parked on a single freq and rag chewing then yes all
this PC stuff is overkill, if on the other-hand you
are zipping all around the bands (or several different
bands all at the same time) while looking for DX then
knobs and buttons way of driving a radio quickly
becomes cumbersome.

> I've tried the box--personally I
> need real knobs and meters; 
> not a GUI.

Before I bought my first Peg I knew that I could "get
along" with its PC software controlled way of
operating, but instead once I got it, it really opened
my eyes to some really neat concepts on how to
maneuver around the bands VERY quickly that left me
wanting more, much more.

> But, if radios become totally software driven and
> modular you may someday 
> order your rig the way you order a pc from Dell on
> the Web:  One radio for 
> which each customer chooses from a wide variety of
> options with prices to 
> match, resulting in the sale of anything ranging
> from an Argonaut to an 
> Orion with or without a front panel.

Yes indeed something kind of like this. It would also
be nice to be able to choose a certain level of RF
performance in a "black box", and then choose a
control panel or two (or none) to go with it. So for
example you could end up with Orion level RF
performance with a simple 516 Argonaut V styled
control panel.

Duane
N9DG

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