We've deployed a better web site backend to handle the traffic and to improve the end user experience. We are currently fixing some 404s and hope to have all the old content back in a while.

Stay tuned!

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Q: I am getting a Perseus firmware download error when I start the program.
A: If you have the latest Nvidia display drivers installed try un-installing these and rebooting then check again. There would appear to be something 'odd' with the drivers and the Perseus software.

Q: Does the Perseus SDR run on Windows 7.
A: Yes! You'll need to install the drivers as an 'Administrator'. The main program runs fine under 32bit and 64bit OSes. The 64bit drivers on this site will allow you to use the Perseus under x64 chip sets. Currently Microtelecom do not have a signed 64bit driver which will load under Windows 7.

Q: Does the Perseus support DRM.
A: Yes! You can use Dream or VT Merlin Communications DRM software radio* to listen to DRM broadcasts. The Perseus GUI has a native DRM button on the modes menu.

Q: How do I download the Perseus driver software.
A: You'll need to email Microtelecom for them to send you a link to download the current 32bit driver. For the 64bit driver use the link on the right hand side menu.

If you have a Perseus SDR then you know about HFSpan and how well that can display the spectrum covered by the Perseus hardware, but would it not be nice to have a few more features? Well thanks to http://www.gemsa-online.de/ you can!

They have developed a spectrum analyser that uses the Perseus hardware. Have a look at the below screen shot.

You can download the zipped file here. Installation involves un-zipping the exe file into your Perseus folder and running. There is a small read me - but it is not really needed HI.

The current version is 2.02 and fixes a couple of issues in the first release and add some new features. Fast scan from 1 to 100 frames/second. Recording and playback of complete spectrum and you can copy the display to the clipboard.

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If you're looking to power the Perseus hardware solely from USB then you've probably come across USBs 500ma power limit and either had the hub shut-down or the Windows error message relating to too much power demanded by the device. Well there may be a way around this. Armed with two semi common items I have found of the 'net it seems that for /M or /P operation you can get away with a laptop and a dual power USB lead.

The two items in question are dual power USB lead/hub and the 2.1mm USB power adaptor. Armed with both leads you can draw 1000ma from two USB ports and power the Perseus hardware without an external supply which means you could then go - truly portable - to a quiet location and DX for as long as the laptops batteries can supply power to both devices. Even then there are about some 13200ma/h external laptop battery cells that would probably give at least a few hours at 125Khz / recording / DXing. I have the 2nd lead on order and will let you know how it works out.

If you're a DRM fan then you most probably use Dream. However you can use the Fraunhofer software now as well. The fantastic software Ratemonkey has been updated to support conversion to 12kHz IF output streaming. Meaning that that Fraunhofer can now be used.

By default the DRM mode in Perseus uses 8kHz for the centre frequency which won't work as the Fraunhofer software needs 12kHz. However! using Ratemonkey you can convert the input signal centre frequency to any centre frequency between -800 and +800kHz.

If you need to run Perseus with a 12 kHz intermediate frequency (IF) output, use Ratemonkey with the new option: -outifhz 12000

You can download the new version of Ratemonkey here:
http://www.drm-sender.de/?page=tools&lang=en

If instead you're happy with Dream then you can bypass Dreams default start-up mode and use complex IQ and 0kHz offset by starting Dream from the cmd line or modifying the short cut to: dream -c 5, once changed you can use the 'USER' mode in Perseus to send 0kHz IQ to the Dream software.

By default Dream starts as "dream -c 2" which gives mono 12 kHz. There are a lot of Dream start up options which allow you to get the best from the software. The Dream WiKi or forum can provide some more examples.

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After waiting a while I have decided to take the plunge and purchase a ALA330S magnetic loop antenna for running as the main antenna for Perseus.

Currently I have a 35mtr inverted L up about 40ft at the end and 35ft at the 'L' to the ground then into a RF system MLB. This works very well but the layout of the QTH and the location of the shack means that from time to time in the upper HF bands my own QRM was audible. Perseus makes it very easy to spot rises in the noise level across bands, my Plasma TV (a well known brand) causes all kinds of spikes in 24 MHz when running. So with this in mind a search of the sites with reviews of the ALA330S was conducted and credit card in hand off I went to purchase one!

On arrival the antenna could not be more compact, you get an aluminium loop about 1.1mtrs and the mounting box at the base of the loop if you could say a loop has an up or down; along with a control box (12v power injector I assume) and being in the UK a 240v PSU and short fly lead. By default the loop comes with BNC connectors so that’s +1 for the loop as the Perseus has a BNC input - no need to change the BNC or put an adaptor on the input lead.

For testing I mounted the loop on the shack window sill (which is about 30ft up) in a loft conversion where the 2nd sprogg has now forced me to move into! With this in mind that *everything* I have is on in this room I began to do some testing. The first results were mind blowing and I mean it. I could null 909Khz BBC Radio 5 to remove the side splatter to hear 900Khz and 918Khz! Something the inverted L never allows - I have decent signal levels off the wire and 909Khz is very strong. The loop was amazing!

So I moved lower in frequency to try a couple of tests. First RTE on 252 KHz was found and peaked - then a rotation of the loop to null RTE and leave the other station audible. I was soon hooked on my new found "antenna" power and checked the lower frequencies and found the same effect. I could null from around 80 KHz upwards. This meant that the beacons and Navtex on 490 KHz and 518 KHz could be peaked or a stronger station nulled to allow the signal or signals underneath to be heard. This was very very good on 518 KHz!

As listeners are aware Navtex broadcasts tend to transmit over each other which would not be an issue to the ship(s) that were in local range to the station as they would only hear that one - however DXers have a bit more of an antenna and as a result the weaker stations tend to compete at the same time and normally result in no decoded text. The loop allowed me to null signals so that copy was 100% from the wanted station! LF DXers remember the ALA330S has lower gain at LF and MF than the 1530 or 1530S! So this loop was not even designed to work this low in frequency this well!

Moving to HF you see the 330Ss gain begin to show as Perseus reminds you in bands with high levels of signals by lighting the ADC clip light. Now that is something I saw from time to time on the inverted L but never like this. Anywhere about 4Mhz and I was greeted by the clipping LED and had to employ the attenuator - note only 10db was needed - but it was needed.

Going beyond the 10Mhz region of short wave and the nulling of the loop beings to drop away. You notice a very slight change in signal that's all nothing like LW, MW and the Tropical bands. But at 17Mhz I am lucky? that a PLT device is just audible - this can be nulled out; so maybe the local QRM can be but on signals coming from far off the effect is lost. I am not sure, but I can say it does well very well at HF should you have a signal that is local and causing as PLTs do some QRM.

As the bands have not been very busy of late I cannot say how well the loop performs on an opening but Sunday yielded some DX on 28Mhz which the inverted L could not hear at all - they were lost in the noise - whereas the ALA330S could.

So is it worth £220 YES, and would I buy another or recommend one YES!

As an idea of its performance; below is an image (taken just now) of the true level of signals that it provides.