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write your own review of the Ten-Tec Pegasus.
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HB9FBJ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 5, 2004 06:03
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Very nice radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This radio is a very fine toy. N4PY software is a must, as well as the remote encoder/pod. I found a good one on the used market, have compared it (A/B) with my 756PRO and got some surprising results in favor of the Pegasus.
This is a very good rig at a very affordable price (if you like pc controlled rigs, of course). It's a pity that the Peg is "end-of-life". Computer-controlled radios are the future.
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WA2AC
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 1, 2003 04:36
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BEST DEAL
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Having owned the pegasus for 4 years I thought it would be a good time to write a review.First let me state I am strictly a ssb operator rag chew mostly.I have owned many other hf radios including 756 pro 756 plain,ts 870,ts850,ft1000mp,just to name a few.The pegasus is without question the most fun of all you just dont get tired of it .Reciever fidelity is second to none[with the right speaker]and is natural sounding in a way that other digital radios are not[756pro].Transmit fidelity is equally as good with the right mic or audio equipt.Of course there are shortcommings[low leveldsp noise when rf gain is way down],some evidence of birdies and extraneous noises, qand some other minor nuisances.If I were strictly a DXer I probably would choose a tghter front end radio however all that being said this is the only radio Ive had I would not sell and if it broke tommorow i would unquestionably by another one .THAT SAYS IT ALL.wa2ac
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W3DCG
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 20, 2003 04:06
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Get your wings and fly.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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It’s one of my lucky eBay purchases. The only experience I have to compare is a FB TS 850 with 500 Hz filters in both IF stages, and a PTO Corsair with both 500Hz and Inrad 250. The receiver in an 850 I believe will always remain as bullet proof as it gets or close enough, no matter how much technology advances.
On 80m one night, when conditions were marginal at best, keep in mind the date of this post, and that there was a major X17 flare happening, I did switch to the 850 because I needed that S/N increase via crystal filters, that I believe no strictly DSP only radio can produce (I imagine this is why high end radios such as the Mark V and ORION offer both- the best of both worlds). Also, when doing QRP, the 850 is more comfortable for digging out signals below the noise, even or especially without, DSP.
My 850 I choose to keep for strictly these reasons, but my log indicates that I use it now, less than 10 percent of the time.
Pegasus:
She came with the internal LDG tuner, installed.
I have no experience with the ToT GUI. I purchased N4PY’s GUI a few days before the rig arrived. I asked the seller about the remote encoder. His response was that, in short order, he found the mouse to be wholly sufficient, and that knobs and buttons and conventional VFO big knob tuning he found to actually be more cumbersome! I had steep reservations. No Volume/VFO knob, only the mouse? I was seriously doubting it.
Frequency excursions can be accomplished via a ticker tape, click and drag, or Left clicking on either side of the tape for 1 Kc instant changes, Left of center is down Right of center is up. Or L or R press-hold on the VFOA button or VFO B button to move up or down according to current step-size, which is selectable via buttons always present: 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 100 Hz, 1 KHz, 5 KHz, or 10 KHz.. Or L click anywhere within the band-sweep “Scope.”
This is particularly very cool, move the pointer to where you want and Left click and there you are, in One or A Few TENTHS of a second. Try this with any other radio (not counting other Ten Tecs with N4PY software). Or, click and drag within the spectrum scope, and watch the ticker-tape move with you. No other radio gives you a Spectro-scope so useful. ProII sure is pretty, but no better when it comes to moving around. Or, you can simply direct entry from the number keypad on the keyboard. Or click on the band buttons, arranged in sensible order 160 top, 10 or 6 on the bottom, two columns, one for CW, one for Phone. If you are on 80, and want 10m phone, you simply point to 10m phone button and click one time. Instantly you are there in 1 to 3 tenths of one second. Frequency, Filter selection, Mode, change to where you last had it on that band. And so, that is ONE click. With other radios you press the band, maybe a function key, or press up or down to the desired band, then select your mode. Again, for the VFO button method of navigating, Step sizes can be changed with a point and click, to a “resolution” as fine as 1 Hz, to as coarse as 10 KHz.. I have still, no remote encoder. I am now a believer- for me there is no need for a remote encoder- truly it is more cumbersome. But it’s available if you want it.
If the operating you tend to do is mostly casual, getting what you can within modest limits all the way around- say your operating time is whenever you can get it, you can never really plan to work a contest seriously, and your antenna space is limited to perhaps a multi-band such and such, and you are used to a computer- a Pegasus with LDG tuner will provide all manner of just plain FUN. It is like having an antenna that works on every band which is already tuned. Change band, find clear freq., hit Recall, and you’re ready to rock and roll- as fast as that was stated.
Less than 5% of the time do I encounter a situation where I rather use the 850. Less than half of that time do I feel the situation instills enough motivation for me to switch over. If I am doing QRP Fox hunts on the low bands, I’ll use the 850. Hands down, no contest. If it is a big pile up, I’ll use the 850, it is hard to beat the simplicity and functionality of TF-SET for setting up precise splits, with real knob, and a press-hold-release button.
For everything else, I use the Pegasus.
I have detected a few birdies. There are always trade offs. In actual practice, in the real world, the birdies obscure nothing meaningful- “hook up an antenna, get some atmospheric noise” and be happy. The adjustable RX filter-widths and truly effective PBT for all situations thus far encountered overcome this “flaw.” The birdies, like the kind with feathers that fly, are around, but they never get in the way. Never has there been a condition where by the birdies would obscure or prevent a QSO to the point of annoyance.
If you are looking for a radio that is feature-packed but also, easy to learn, practical, and performs well, and are not afraid of computer control, especially if what you seek is defined control- you’ll love it.
Features I use:
Internal Keyer-
First rate, never had better, the only keyers I’ve had/used are MFJ, and IDIOM PRESS K3, Hallicrafters T.O., Autek Research.
Sidetone/Spot:
Fully adjustable volume, sidetone volume independent from Spot volume.
Band sweep, continuous sweep (not to be confused with real-time full spectrum of the PROII) or sweep one time, adjustable in 3,6,12,30,75,150,300,750 Kc ranges. 300 Kc sweeps are good for finding anything on 10m if you’re not sure, like everyone else is not sure, if the band is open when it might be. IT IS NOT the Scope of a PRO or PRO II, make no mistake, it will not decode RTTY like the TFT on a PRO/II. Since you’re already on the computer anyway, with QRZ and eHam and your Log in the background, it would be no big deal to get something like “HamScope” to augment. If you must have real time sweeping, like radar while listening on one frequency, you can always add the RX 320 later and achieve true dual receive. Ok, the RX performance of other “scoped” rigs may sometimes not be realized, but if you enjoy CW, rest assured, you’ll have the finest QSK money can buy, and this specific kind of QSK will blow the doors off the Full-Break-In of YaeCom. One third the price, and only ORION/K2-100/Jupiter/other Ten Tecs, are on par in this department. Kenwood being closest otherwise.
No fair to compare used prices, if so, be sure to look at what a used Pegasus costs, while remembering, on Pegasus you don’t have to worry about cosmetics so much, or things like, is the paint wearing off of the rubberized, plasticized buttons? Is the VFO knob nice and tight, or a bit loose and wobbly? Your interface will be as pristine as the display on your computer, and it will stay that way. Who doesn’t have a computer, and next you have to wonder, if your computer died, how long before you replace it? Immediately is the likely answer, ASAP.
Back to the radio: QSK FULLY adjustable delay, a departure from the FAST or SLOW QSK of ToT’s PTO days. Imagine a knob for that adjustment, instead of a two position switch. As far as Weighting and Ratio of CW, the Dah weight is fully adjustable independently of Dit Weight.
PBT:
Effective Pass-Band-Tuning. I use it constantly.
Filter Selection:
Best there is bar none- selecting filters is performed in the most practical, sensible, fastest possible way, and there are several ways to select them. I did say selection- how do they compare to crystal filters? They don’t. Crystal filtering is superior when the goal is to not only isolate a signal, but improve Signal to Noise, however- combined with the very effective PBT, they do the job as needed for about 95% of all the conditions I encounter.
On Phone, the RF DSP filtering combined with the PBT do a remarkable job. Excellent.
Notch:
The effect while on phone is noticeable, combined with the appropriate filter selection, and PBT, the attenuation of pesky carriers is significant.
Phone:
Fully adjustable TX bandwidth, from as constricted and painfully tight as 900 Hz, to as Mack Truck wide as 8 KHz. Yeah, sure there are regulations, and when the space is there, the choice is yours. It’s as fast to get there as it is to point and click. People talk about the inconvenience of imbedded menus on rigs like the Big 3, but it should be stated, that the worse it gets with Pegasus and N4PY ware is a drop down menu. If you can navigate through Windows, you can find the menu adjustment you need, FAST.
I have BROWSED the Ten Tec User’s Manual ONCE. Reading the manual has not occurred to me. Were it not for the N4PY software, maybe I would have needed to reference the manual a few times. This alone makes the nominal software fee worth while. Again, I NEVER ACTUALLY READ the manual. Try doing that with any other radio that does all this. Rigs are out there that you probably could get up and running without looking at the manual, the IC 718, is there a Spectrum Scope? IF DSP? 34 selectable filter widths? Superior best at any price CW keying? Selectable TX bandwidth? The list goes on and on and on… practically infinite number of memories for storing and labeling frequencies. Maybe an FT 840, or a PTO era Ten Tec. Any radio out there that does all this at this price, does not exist, but if it did, you’d have to read the manual. The N4PY human interface makes all the functions of a Jupiter even easier, but adds MORE features and control, and yet, keeps it all so easy, you won’t need the manual unless you’re looking for modification.
Ten Tec did their part, they created Pegasus to be affordable. Carl Moreschi is simply one of the front-running wizards adding stronger, more agile wings for your Pegasus so that you, too, may fly. I cannot even imagine living with a Pegasus or Jupiter, or any contemporary Ten Tec rig, without the N4PY human to rig interface.
Speech compressor- it works as good as any other. Admittedly, not much experience here but I have used it to get through a few times.
TX monitor- as good as any, volume fully adjustable. Independent of any other volume control settings while the actual level does vary with AF gain somewhat.
Internal LDG tuner- This option available from LDG, you install it, seems easy, though I did not have to install mine, it’s a matter of soldering (I heard) 8 wires, basically. Big plus. HUGE! This is different than the tuners found in most radios- the design is low loss, and the range is much wider. It is very fast, once set. Setting the tuner for each band is automatic. You press a button and it does the rest, and stores each setting to memory. When you recall the tuner, wherever you are, it tunes in usually under one second. Touch ups are another push of a button- maybe it rained or something, SWR changed a bit. Even a big touch up takes under 3 seconds.
IF I had to CHOOSE between having a real-front panel OR the LDG tuner, I’d take the tuner, any day. If you have a Jupiter, and start using the N4PY interface, my feeling is that, you’ll end up using the computer interface primarily, and at that point, the real front panel would be another piece of gear mostly not used. But, if you’re of the all my antennas are resonant/wouldn’t have it any other way group, then consider no need for a tuner as the fruit of thy labor, gain a bit more radiated watts, without the cost. But if those antennas blew down or something and you wanted to run some random wire via 4:1 perhaps even better 1:1 current balun/short run of coax, the option is there. Simply keep the tuner in bypass for the good straight matches.
Finishing touches:
Little practical things, such as, you can set your license class and tell it to not allow transmit beyond the domain of your privileges. Even as an Extra, it won’t let you accidentally go out of ham bands. But the CHOICE is yours. The American way. If you want to optimize your antenna for broadcast band RX, set the tuner to a couple watts which will be harmless amongst the cacophony of broadcasts and carriers, press a button, optimize for best receive- for the record I do not recommend it, but- it is YOUR CHOICE.
Full spectrum coverage on receive- I have enjoyed standard AM broadcast, and the adjustable filter selections become very nice in the crowded 41 meter Shortwave band.
Your callsign on the front panel, you chose the color, or make your own. You chose font size.
Local and UTC clock. You chose color or make your own color.
Last SWR reading displayed. You chose the color. Active VFO displayed, same color as the clocks.
When you transmit, the current TX frequency display numbers turn RED. If you’re operating Split, you’ll know if you have it set up backwards from what you want, if the wrong freq. display is the one turning RED.
The S-meter changes from an SWR/FWD P/REFlected P meter, to an S-meter, and these two different meters morph as fast as you are switching from TX to RX. How fast is that?
How fast is the TX/RX switching on a typical Ten Tec? As fast as that (adjustable). If it makes you dizzy, you can make it be only an S-meter. Or adjust QSK delay to slow QSK, or in big three parlance, Semi-Break-In.
There are yet more features, you can send CW with the Keyboard if you want, you can store messages- the equivalent of a CW Memory keyer.
The radio has it’s limitations. It's not something you'd likely consider taking on a picnic, obviously. You could, with Lap Top, and yet there are so many other choices for that. Contest radio? Not seriously, but it's good for QSO Parties. Casually? Yeah, and it's fun.
Every radio has it's own specific limitations, one must keep in mind, the application.
If you are adept at operating a typical computer using a mouse, and spend time at the computer work-station at home, you’ll likely have a BLAST with this rig. It’s FUN, convenient, and fits perfectly into the typical at home Internet, home-office-ham-shack environment. For this, it was thoughtfully tailored.
Reservations:
Concern about RF in the shack causing problems- I’ve been meaning to install a good RF ground, but have yet to do so, I have the materials- so far, no adverse problems encountered. So I haven’t gotten around to putting in a decent RF ground yet.
Worry about RFI from my computer CPU- absolutely no problem, and the computer case has run open before, in the summer I’d occasionally unlatch the side cover of the tower. Still, no problem. CRT RFI, turns out, some sick joke- my CRT causes RFI centered on 7.040 Mhz or darn close. Perhaps that is the primary reason why I go to the TS850 for QRP- because then I can turn the monitor OFF if the signal is that deeply imbedded in the sand. If you have an LCD monitor, there is no problem with this. Keep in mind my CRT interferes the same on the 850, but the 850 shakes it off so well I still leave the CRT ON, and work through that noise most of the time. Other than that, absolutely no problem from the CRT on any other freqs- this is a product of the CRT and has nothing to do with the Pegasus. Incidentally, the CRT is less than a foot from the Pegasus. Your CRT may interfere on other frequencies, again, the one I’m using does it smack dab in the middle of 7.040, and it will do so no matter what radio.
I did not expect contest grade performance. Contesting is less than 5% of my total air time. I spend most air time listening. I did not expect to have K-2 close-in BDR performance on receive. I expected, convenience, for tuning around and surfing the web and working on the computer at the same time. I expected DSP to reduce noise to comfortable levels. I did not expect very steep filter skirts, I expected improved listening pleasure.
I expected to be having more problems than I am, for having a poor RF ground. I expected to try it out, and then have the novelty wear off, so I could turn around and sell it for nearly what I paid. Performance turns out to be enough, when all the other aspects of the radio are factored into the equation to keep or sell, I believe I would miss this radio more than any other radio I have had and currently have.
So for base station versatility, user friendliness, cost vs. features, performance, thoughtful implementation- for the fact that it produces excellent audio, as well as the finest keying money can buy, for under 1150 full retail everything (much less pre-owned, with lower risk factor than other used radios ), the N4PY/Pegasus/ PT-11 combination is a rock-solid 5 in my book.
The one mind blowing negative is the missing External Speaker jack. I’ve tried amplified computer speakers, and systems with a sub-woofer are particularly enchanting. However such amplified speakers are particularly prone to RF. Sometimes on 20m this becomes clear. I suspect that with proper RF grounding this will be less an issue maybe. I just wished the thing had an external speaker jack.
There is a spare RCA jack, I plan to rewire the speaker in that direction, because if I need to hear when the external is not connected I’ll plug in phones. I have never used the internal speakers on my other radios more than a few days. Which brings up the fact that you can get into the guts of the radio, as small as the box is, the interior remains cavernous. So re-wiring the speaker connection will be approached without fear.
Without N4PY’s graphic user interface, I bet I’d rate it lower. But this post is a l-o-n-g non-technical opinion of the N4PY/Pegasus/PT-11 combination, based on approximately 185 hours of operating impressions.
High Fives all the way around.
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KD6WD
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 11, 2003 01:27
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Great Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have now had the pegasus for a year. I use n4py software and just love it. I have other high end rigs but the Pegasus is just blast to use. I use the studio one microphone and always get complements on the transmit audio. I swap around between the Pegasus and the Orion and both get continued compliments on how great the audio is. I would not bring this up but after awhile, it just plain needs to be said.
With respect to birdies, other posting hams should go look for unsuspected sources of rf, Cheap energy efficient bulbs. These bulbs can put out a potent rf signal. I had one bulb that you could use for cw on 75 meters and another bulb that put out a hefty signal on 40 and 20 meters. I use the radio shack version of the sangean 909 as a sniffer and could hear these bulbs at nearly a mile away. Also some older homebrew computers put out rf. Remember you have multiple cpu's in computers, at least one for the disk controller and others that are on video cards, audio cards etc.
Finally, with respect to receive quality. The Pegasus in the real world works just as well as rigs costing 400 or 600 dollars more. I would never hesitate to buy another Pegasus.
John kd6wd
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W8JAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 29, 2003 13:52
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Maybe it was not the radios
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned a Pegasus and many people do not understand the Pegasus and Jupiters. They are low noise receivers so someone may get the misimpression that the radio has poor sensitivity because they are not hearing all the noise they hear on other lower quality radios.
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KW4CQ
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Rating: 0/5
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Oct 29, 2003 10:56
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Rejected my offer to buy Orion!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Last year I bought two Pegesus xcvrs from T-T. The first was returned for poor sensitivity above 14 MHz and it was returned under their 30 day return policy. The second one was ordered and it was full of birdies and it too was returned.
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WD5ACP
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 21, 2003 22:06
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Great Radio ! Great Concept!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I was inactive for many years. When I got back into the hobby about 12 months ago, I saw an ad for the Pegasus and really liked the idea of a computer-controlled radio. I picked up an old ICOM 740, which is a excellent HAM radio, but I still had the wants - It took me about 9 months, but I finally have a Peg, and I can't say enough good things about it.
The receiver is quiet, and the IF DSP filters out so much that it is a JOY to use! I get great audio reports with the TenTec 705 mic, and the speech processor is effective without over-processing the signal. Radio performance is at least equal to the very well respected ham-band only 740, but of course the filter ability in the Peg is so much better. SWL is a joy too, especially with the memory files on the PC and the DSP in the AM mode.
Best of course is the computer control. The stock software rates a 3, but with Carl's (N4PY) replacement software the radio gets about every feature and function you could ask for. Upgrades are a click-away!
It is great to have a best-in-class radio, at a bargain price, made right here in the USA. It is my favorite rig.
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N7BUI
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 12, 2003 16:37
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Excellent
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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After having this radio for about 3 months, all I can really add to the reviews is that it is fantastic. The receive filters and audio is of the highest quality that I have ever heard from an HF radio. I plan on purchasing the remote control unit soon.
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KD6WD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 10, 2003 19:53
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Fantastic withN4py Software
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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When I decided to upgrade my equipment a few years ago, I purchased the Jupiter. Then, I also purchased the Pegasus for my second shack(the bedroom). The result was the best of both worlds. Software controls with the Pegasus & N4PY software (best $35.00 you will ever spend) put this great little rig in a class by itself. It takes up very little space next to the computer monitor, looks very nice, and has many features not available on other rigs. It also has a lineout jack for recording. This feature, as pointed out by (my friend and mentor) W5TOM, allows you to take a Sony mini disk and get superb recordings. You can then retransmit this audio to the station you are working. You can hook up a Behringer 602 ($59.00 at Musicians friend) or a W2ihy equalizer and have audio equaling any of the high end rigs. If you are a shortwave listener, you must check out callsignsoftware.com they also have support for a large data base of shortwave stations. You can download the database free once you have the software and have a blast. This software also supports rig control functions in the Pegasus. I can guarantee you will have more fun with the Pegasus per dollar spent, than any other rig on the market. The final comment I have is that with the ability to change the firmware by downloads from the internet, the Pegasus as well as the Jupiter just get better and better. Your direct comments are welcome. kd6wd@frontiernet.net
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AE6A
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 2, 2003 13:13
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N4PY is Pegasus
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought my Pegasus in 1999 but it came to life when N4PY software illuminated it. So many features Carl included that TenTec never dreamed of. This year I added a Headset boom mic and the PTT toggle of the remote is a great help. Also the remote has so many programmable ways to enjoy. Rit, PBT,VFO tuning to name just a few.
Most of all Carl is there in a moment to solve any question that come up. Above all it is availabel at a small price. AE6A
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