Ten-Tec_Jupiter_538_review_2001.pdf

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1、From June 2001 QST 2001 Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW?Assistant Technical Editor PRODUCT REVIEW Bottom Line Ten-Tec skillfully grafts a front panel onto their Pegasus computer- controlled transceiver. The resultthe Jupiteris a standalone radio that still manages to retain much of the flexibil- ity of its P

2、C dependent sibling. Reviewed by Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW Assistant Technical Editor The evolutionary path that has led up to Ten-Tecs latest HF transceiverthe Jupiterhas followed an interesting course. Ten-Tec laid the groundwork for the Jupiter in 1998. Drawing on experience garnered from developing

3、 DSP-based re- ceivers for their commercial and govern- ment markets, they set out to create a low priced radio for their short-wave custom- ers. This became the RX-320: a compact “black box” receiver that connects to a computer and is entirely operated through software (see “Product Review,” QST, M

4、ar 1999). Their Pegasusdebuted at Dayton Hamvention 99was a logical exten- sion: add a transmitter to the RX-320 and market it as an amateur HF transceiver. Paul Danzer, N1II, shared his impressions of this computer-controlled transceiver in our February 2000 column. The flexibility thats made possi

5、ble by using software to control these radios is perhaps one of their most notable at- tributes. Since their releases, Ten-Tec has turned out several updated versions of their respective GUI (graphical user in- terface) software packages. These up- dates can be downloaded from Ten-Tecs Web site free

6、 of charge. Computer-connectivity also allows Pegasus owners to download and in- stall updates to the “firmware”the al- gorithms used within the radios inter- nal processoropening the door to even more significant post-purchase enhancements. The cost savings that were realized by eliminating expensi

7、ve display and control components allowed Ten-Tec to set the price of the Pegasus in what most consider the affordable range. Apparently, however, a significant number of Ten-Tecs custom- ers and prospective customers have ex- pressed a strong desire to fork over a few additional bucks for a standal

8、one front- paneled version of the Pegasus. Hail Jupiter! Borrowing heavily from the earlier design workand the parts bin in sev- eral instancesof its older stable mate, Ten-Tec engineers got down to business. They built up logic and keypad boards that would take over the assignments that Ten-Tec Jup

9、iter HF Transceiver the connected computer handles in the Pegasus system. They wrapped up the pieces in an all new enclosure and topped it off with a fairly stylish injection- molded front panel. The result? The Model 538, aka Jupiter. The Jupiter is a “conventional” 100 W transceiver with general c

10、overage receive from 0.1 to 30 MHz and transceive capa- bilities on the 160 through 10-meter amateur bands. The SSB, CW, RTTY (AFSK), AM and FM modes are included and there are 128 memories, dual VFOs, RIT and XIT, adjustable AGC, a built-in CW keyer, true QSK and a spectrum scope feature. The heart

11、 of the system an Analog Devices AD2181 Digital Sig- nal Processoralso delivers 34 DSP re- ceive filter bandwidths, 18 transmit filter bandwidths, passband tuning, automatic notch and noise reduction, an adjustable noise blanker and a speech processor. A built-in automatic antenna tuner is not avail

12、able, but Ten-Tec has recently added the LDG Electronics line of external au- tomatic tuners to their product offering. The dimensions of the Jupiter seem to have been intentionally tailored with con- venient desktop operation as a primary objective. While it certainly isnt too large to take along o

13、n Field Day, its un- likely that well be seeing it in many mobile installations. A peek under the covers reveals a cavernous interior popu- lated by just a handful of PC boards. It appears as if this radio could have easily been compressed down to a fraction of its size. The front panel controls inc

14、lude 26 buttons and a rocker-type POWER switch. Only seven of these buttons perform more than one operation. The design team did a commendable job of providing direct front panel access to those functions that are used most often, and clearly labeling and carefully positioning all of the con- trols.

15、 The result is a transceiver thats easy and intuitive to operate. Settings that are varied less often, referred to as “set and forget” parameters in the Operating Manual, are adjusted via a single menu. There are five rotary controls: the large main tuning knob, the filter BANDWIDTH knob, the PBT (p

16、assband tuning) knob, the RIT/XIT knob and the MULTI knob. The MULTI knobtrue to its labelis used to vary several different settings. The controls active assignment is indicated in reverse video (light color text on a small dark background field) in the lower left corner of the display window. The r

17、elative level of the particular setting is represented on a linear scale along the bottom of the screen. The equivalent nu- meric valuedisplayed as a percent- ageis shown to the far right. The MULTI knob is used to control the volume, the RF gain, the mike gain, the all-mode squelch, the RF power ou

18、tput level, the Downloaded by? RadioAmateur.EU From June 2001 QST 2001 Table 1 Ten-Tec Jupiter (Model 538), serial number 12C10820 Manufacturers Claimed SpecificationsMeasured in the ARRL Lab Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.1-30 MHz; transmit, 1.8-2, 3.5-4,Receive and transmit, as specified.1 7-7.3,

19、10.1-10.15, 14-14.35, 18.068-18.168, 21-21.45, 24.89-24.99, 28-29.7 MHz. Power requirement: Receive, 1.5 A; transmit, 20 A; 12-14 V dc.Receive, 1.2 A; transmit, 17 A. Tested at 13.8 V. Modes of operation: SSB, CW, FM, AFSK, AMAs specified. ReceiverReceiver Dynamic Testing SSB/CW sensitivity, 3 kHz b

20、andwidth, 10 dB S/N: 0.35 V.Noise floor (MDS), 525 Hz bandwidth: 1.0 MHz121 dBm 3.5 MHz127 dBm 14 MHz135 dBm AM sensitivity: Not specified.10 dB (S+N)/N, 1-kHz tone, 30% modulation: 1.0 MHz7.1 V 3.8 MHz2.2 V FM sensitivity: Not specified.For 12 dB SINAD: 29 MHz0.73 V Blocking dynamic range: Not spec

21、ified.Blocking dynamic range, 525 Hz filter: 3.5 MHz113 dB 14 MHz123 dB* Two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range: Not specified.Two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range, 525 Hz filter: 3.5 MHz87 dB 14 MHz85 dB* Third-order intercept: +10 dBm.3.5 MHz+11 dBm 14 MHz+7.3 dBm Second-order intercept: Not s

22、pecified.+53.6 dBm. FM adjacent channel rejection: Not specified.20 kHz channel spacing: 29 MHz, 72 dB. FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range: Not specified.20 kHz channel spacing: 29 MHz, 72 dB. S-meter sensitivity: 50 V at S9.S9 signal at 14.2 MHz: 26 V. Squelch sensitivity: Not specified.At

23、threshold: SSB, 14 MHz, 0.14 V; FM, 29 MHz, 0.36 V. Receiver audio output: 1.0 W into 4 , THD not specified.0.7 W at 4% THD into 4 .2 IF/audio response: Not specified.Range at 6 dB points, (bandwidth): CW-N (525 Hz bandwidth): 363-1000 Hz (636 Hz); CW-W: 286-2857 Hz (2571 Hz); USB-W: 200-2667 Hz (24

24、67 Hz); LSB-W: 250-2667 Hz (2417 Hz); AM: 49-2985 Hz (2936 Hz). Spurious and image rejection: 60 dB.First IF rejection, 84 dB; image rejection, 82 dB. TransmitterTransmitter Dynamic Testing Power output: SSB, CW, FM, 5-100 W;SSB, CW, FM, 1.3-105 W: AM 0-25 W. AM, 25 W (AM low power level not specifi

25、ed). Spurious-signal and harmonic suppression: 40 dB46 dB. Meets FCC requirements for spectral purity. SSB carrier suppression: 50 dB.As specified. 60 dB. Undesired sideband suppression: 60 dB, 1.5 kHz tone.As specified. 65 dB. Third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD)See Figure 1. products: 25 d

26、B below two tone. CW keyer speed range: Not specified.1 to 59 WPM. CW keying characteristics: Not specified.See Figure 3. Transmit-receive turn-around time (PTT release toS9 signal, 20 ms. 50% audio output): 20 ms. Receive-transmit turn-around time (tx delay): Not specified.SSB, 20 ms; FM, 9 ms. Uni

27、t is suitable for use on AMTOR. Composite transmitted noise: Not specified.See Figure 2. Size (HWD): 5.1212.7514.35 inches; weight, 9 pounds. Note: Unless otherwise noted, all dynamic range measurements are taken at the ARRL Lab standard spacing of 20 kHz. *Measurement was noise-limited at the value

28、 indicated. Third-order intercept points were determined using S5 reference. 1Transmit range extends a few kHz beyond the edges of each band (example 1797-2009 kHz for 160 meters). Receive sensitivity reduced below 1 MHz. 2Maximum volume. From June 2001 QST 2001 1086420246810 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

29、 0 Frequency Offset (kHz) Reference Level: 0 dB PEP 246810121416182022 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 Frequency Sweep: 2 to 22 kHz from Carrier Reference Level: - 60 dBc/Hz Vertical Scale: dBc/Hz CW keying speed, the transmit audio monitor volume and the CW sidetone volume. Just press the correspon

30、ding but- ton firstAF, RF, MIC, for exampleand then use the MULTI knob to adjust the set- ting to the desired value. When in the menu mode, this same knob is used to change the setting of the selected item. The Jupiters display is a 240128- pixel dot-matrix LCD that measures about 41/223/4 inches. I

31、ts best viewed from head on, as extreme viewing angles and bright room lighting can make it dif- ficult to read. The illumination level is fixed, but the contrast is adjustable. A row of icons that show the state of the automatic notch filter, the DSP noise reduction, the squelch, the transmit au- d

32、io monitor, the 20-dB attenuator, the VOX and the tune features are located along the upper edge of the screen. En- abled features appear in reverse video. The frequency of the main VFO is dis- played just below. The digits are 5/8-inch tall and in a stylized font. Just to the leftalong the edge of

33、the screenis a column of icons that indicates the AGC setting (slow, medium or fast), transceive or split operation (RXTX when trans- ceiving on the main VFO or RX alone when working split) the mode and the digital receive filter bandwidth (adjust- able in steps from 300 to 8000 Hz). The selected tu

34、ning step size is shown near the right edge of the window. Below the main VFO information is a smaller set of characters that show the frequency and mode of the sub VFO. When the radio is set up for split opera- tion a TX icon appears to the left. An S meter is located to the right. On receive, the

35、meter shows the relative signal strength graphically, and also displays the value numerically (ie S9 + 20). The same meter depicts the relative RF output power (or the SWR if desired) when transmitting, and this is also accompanied by a numeric value (P 100 for power out or 1.6:1 for SWR for example

36、). A spectrum scope takes up a large portion of the lower half of the screen. Activate the Sweep feature and the re- ceiver will rapidly scan through any of eight preset ranges from 240 Hz to 2.4 MHz and generate a plot of the signal strength vs frequency. Once the process is complete, a dotted-line

37、 cursor repre- senting the current operating frequency appears at the center of the screen. You can then tune up and down through the spectrum snapshot and locate active or available frequencies. An Autosweep fea- ture can be enabled that will automati- cally sweep a new range of frequencies should

38、you tune off the edge of either end of the displayed plot. The headphone, key and mike jacks are mounted along the left side of the front panel. The headphone and key jacks are 1/4-inch. The key jack will accept a straight key, bug or paddles, and menu selections allow adjustment of the CW weighting

39、, the QSK delay, the sidetone pitch and the sidetone volume. CW mes- sage memories are not included. The mike jack is a standard 4-pin style and provides a 9 V dc pin for powering elec- trets or amplified mike elements. The Jupiter does not come with a microphone, hand-held and desk models are sold

40、sepa- rately. VOX operation is not possible when using the Ten-Tec hand mike, as the mike element is switched out of circuit when its PTT button is released. Round Back The transceiver comes complete with a 6-foot dc power cord, an extra 2-pin Molex dc power connector, a male phono connector, a spar

41、e 25 A automotive-style fuse, a 1/4-inch stereo plug and a 4-pin mike plug. Ten-Tec also supplies a 6-foot ribbon cable with a 5-pin DIN connector on one end and four color-coded female phono jacks on the other. The DIN connector mates with the transceivers rear-panel ACC 1 socket. The phono jacks t

42、hen serve as connection points for fixed-level au- dio out, line-level audio in and PTT (the fourth connector is a spare). This prefab- ricated cable simplifies wiring the Jupi- ter to a multimode TNC or computer sound card for digital modes such as PSK31, RTTY or SSTV. A rear-panel 8-pin DIN REMOTE

43、 jack allows connection of Ten-Tecs optional 302J Remote Encoder/Keypad. This small desktop accessoryoriginally de- signed for use with the computer-con- trolled Pegasusincludes a main tuning knob, a keypad for directly punching in frequencies and three additional menu- definable function buttons. T

44、here are six phono jacks mounted on the rear panel, including a pair of 13.5 V dc output jacks, an EXT T/R jack for con- trolling non-QSK amplifiers (+24 V dc/200 mA maximum), TX ENable and TX OUT jacks for sequencing QSK-equipped ampli- fiers and a SPARE jack. Theres also a 1/4-inch EXTernal SPEAKE

45、R jack and a fe- male DB-9 SERIAL INTERFACE connector. Shared Talents The Jupiter is capable of operating in a Pegasus Emulation Mode. Simply con- nect an appropriate cable between the SERIAL INTERFACE jack and a computers COM port and fire up and configure Pegasus control software, and the PC will

46、take over command. While in this mode, the radios front panel controls are dis- abled and a message in the LCD display reads “PEGASUS EMULATION MODE.” For Figure 3CW keying waveform for the Jupiter showing the first two dits in full- break-in (QSK) mode using external keying. Equivalent keying speed

47、 is 60 WPM. The upper trace is the actual key closure; the lower trace is the RF envelope. Horizontal divisions are 10 ms. The transceiver was being operated at 100 W output at 14.020 MHz. Figure 1Worst-case spectral display of the Jupiter transmitter during two-tone intermodulation distortion testi

48、ng. The worst-case third-order product is approximately 29 dB below PEP output, and the worst-case fifth-order product is down approximately 36 dB. The transceiver was being operated at 100 W PEP at 24.950 MHz. Figure 2Worst-case spectral display of the Jupiter transmitter output during composite-no

49、ise testing. Power output is 100 W at 14.020 MHz. The carrier, off the left edge of the plot, is not shown. This plot shows composite transmitted noise 2 to 22 kHz from the carrier. Downloaded by? RadioAmateur.EU From June 2001 QST 2001 a detailed description of what its like to operate the Jupiter in this configuration, have a look at the aforementioned Pegasus review. Memories and other settings that are programmed in through the front panel of the Jupiter cannot be copied or trans- ferred to the Pegasus control software, or vice versa. The Jupiter, just like the Pegasus, w