No, none of my seven (!) Perseus are for sale. But a recent sale on a Perseus reflector sparked a little reflection of my own– if you pardon the pun.
It’s
amazing that in a world where electronic devices are regarded as obsolete after
3-4 years, the Perseus (and other SDRs like the Winradio Excalibur series for
that matter) stand their ground as excellent devices for RF monitoring.
 |
| Three Perseus |
I get a notification from Ebay every time a Perseus is up for sale. They don’t show up too often, maybe 2 or 3 per month, not counting the vastly overpriced Japanese offerings. They typically go for 500-600 USD. That is twice the price of a new SDRPlay RSPdxR2 or Airspy Discovery which are not bad RF performers and have larger frequency ranges. So, the Perseus SDR obviously has a role to play even today, 18 years after it was introduced. And not only for hobbyists, but for professional users as well.
Why is
that? The Software Development Kit. You can use the Perseus with your software
of preference, or make your own bespoke solution. Had the Perseus software been the
only choice I think it would have faded into oblivion rather fast.
At this
point I’d like to give the RFSpace Cloud-IQ a mention. It was an excellent SDR,
every bit as good as the Perseus, super sensitive and with ethernet
connection as well as two antenna ports! I bought two, anticipating it would
replace the Perseus at some point. Unfortunately, it became victim of proprietary and
convoluted (although superb performance) software and not being willing to or
able to open it up sufficiently for other software developers (yes, I know that
it works with SDR Console).
 |
| A Cloud-IQ on top of an Intel NUC |
What are the implications for the Perseus22? In my view: The missing API. The current software development will not attract many unless bespoke software can be developed, or it gives access to existing software developers. There are other Perseus22 glitches – why 9VDC instead of the much more common 12VDC, and why inherently flimsy SMA antenna connectors instead of F or BNC – but the Perseus22 is an excellent SDR. It deserves to be used.
 |
| New on Vintage |
I’m not pointing fingers. I assume there are good reasons why the P22 hasn’t been developed further, and it would be inappropriate to ask for detailed insight. But whatever it is, it doesn’t help the future for the P22.
In the meantime, Nico’s strike of genius from 18 years ago continues to deliver, day after day, year after year.
5 comments:
I certainly echo your comments on the original Perseus. For a long time it was the only SDR that let me look at the entire HF spectrum in one screen. During the summer static season it also seems to be the only SDR (that I know of anyway) that can remove the visual pollution from all those lightning strikes. It can dig deep into the spectrum and look at carriers up close, in fact it really is a very decent piece of test equipment. The list can go on....
My collection contains 5 Perseus(s) or whatever the plural is. Even all the original power supplies still function. While I have many others, I have been spoiled by the V4.x software and really don't feel comfortable using anything else. Well done NIco!
Couldn't agree more Bjarne. I own a P22 and am constantly wondering whether I should sell it (probably at a considerble loss) due to the lack of progress with software development. It's a shame because, as you say, Perseus hardware is excellent. I'll hang on to it for now in hope of something better!
Yes, Bjarne, the P22 is very promising with apparently amazing potential.
Just 2 comments from my perspective:
* A handicap of HF+ Discovery is its narrow bandwidth (half MW-AM BC band).
* The P22 "should" have had 20 MHz VHF bandwidth for VHF-FM BC (as in the S3).
Plus, no-one in my narrow circle has a clue if Jaguar for P22 is a prospect.
I still use my original Perseus daily.
I would echo the same sentiments about reliability and usability in regards to the software that was made around the same time of the original Perseus: HDSDR. (At least, I *think* they came out around the same time...I could be wrong.) HDSDR is being used in many ways - as a software interface to a variety of SDRs, as a panadapter for many analog rigs, as a spectrum display for test equipment, and many other uses. This was because of the openness of the software - anyone could create an ExtIO DLL to interface between their hardware and the software.
My favorite combination for "DXing on the computer" is still the original Perseus and HDSDR. If I can hear 400 watt Australian stations on the opposite side of the world with that setup, what else do I need?
The P22 is like a Ferrari, only being sold without tires/tyres or a steering wheel, and the doors are welded shut. Rather pointless in it's current state.
Post a Comment