[TenTec] Pegasus / Softrock 5

[Mark Erbaugh]

The Softrock 5 is a kit to build a QSD (quadrature sampling detector). The I and Q output can be fed to the left and right audio inputs of a computer soundcard where software can decode the signals received. This is similar to the receiver in the Flex-Radio SDR-1000.

The difference is that with the Softrock 5, the frequency source is a fixed crystal rather than a variable frequency (DDS in the SDR-1000).  However, the Softrock 5 has the QSD hardware on one board and the crystal and bandpass filtering on a plug in board. It's actually designed that the crystal / BPF board could be replaced with different hardware, including a VFO to allow tuning over a wider range (the current tuning range is limited to the sampling frequency of the soundcard).

Has anyone considered using the Pegasus as the frequency source and BPF.  Ideally, you could mount the Softrock 5 QSD board inside the Pegasus and pick up the frequency source and post BPF signal from there. 

It already is possible to pick up an approximately 12 kHz IF signal from inside the Pegasus and feed it to a computer sound card, but I'm thinking a QSD signal would give you both I and Q signals to work with and would probably have better IMD performance.

For more info on the Softrock 5, check out www.hamsdr.com

73,
Mark, N8ME

P.S. The Softrock 5 is based in the Softrock 40. The Softrock 40 kit had the frequency source and BPF on the same board as the QSD.