Ten-Tec Jupiter—after ten years

The Ten-Tec Jupiter (Model 538), now ten years old, is at the core of my current HF station, as seen in the image at the right taken only a few minutes ago. I wrote an earlier post reprinting the review of the Jupiter I wrote ten years ago, which you can find here. That post shows I was pretty pleased with the rig in 2001. What do I think of it now that ten years have gone by?

I still think highly of it. Here’s the good, bad, and ugly:

• Interfacing the rig to my computer for digital modes such as PSK-31 has been tricky. I solved that problem by purchasing the SignaLink USB, shown at the top of the photograph. It’s actually a computer sound card that connects via a USB port, is made specifically for ham radio digital modes, and provides the interface to the radio. I had to insert a 10:1 attenuator to cut the transmit audio level even further because the Jupiter seems mighty sensitive to audio via the “line input.” (See update here.) Now I use it with Ham Radio Deluxe software for digital modes, mostly PSK-31.
• Although the Jupiter is available with an antenna tuner, I originally opted for the model without. The tuner is available as an add-on option (although I no longer see it on the Ten-Tec web page) that fits inside the Jupiter case. But I changed antennas and now use an 80-meter full-wavelength horizontal loop. The MFJ IntelliTuner automatic antenna tuner, $260, is available for less money than the factory tuner, so I purchased that and now use it with the loop and am very happy with it.
• Ten-Tec has continued to upgrade the firmware, adding 60-meters, a number of improvements, narrower bandwidths (down to 150 Hz), and the ability to pick between two software-defined-radios: the ordinary 538 or the CW-enhanced 538. In the CW mode, you can plug in a standard PS/2 keyboard (not USB) and use it to send CW. The mode isn’t well documented—I had to do extensive experiments with the keyboard to find out where the prosigns were hidden. But it certainly works. And, when in the CW mode, it actually attempts to decode the CW right on the radio’s screen! Doing this successfully requires that the sender be using a keyer to deliver perfectly-timed CW, plus the receiver needs to be tuned spot on the proper frequency. Doing this is relatively easy using the radio’s “spot” feature. Actually, I’ve found that the CW decoder works best when tuned about ten hertz above the spot frequency.
• Ten-Tec’s customer service is superb. You’re dealing with folks in Tennessee who take their ham radio seriously. My rig has been back twice: a somewhat close lightning bolt fried some of the RF input switching diodes, and again when the cat literally puked all over the screen—it got down into parts of the radio I couldn’t clean myself.
• Now to something that drives me nuts: AF and RF gain are set via the “multi” knob. First I press the AF button—then the multi knob is AF gain. Then I press the RF button, which turns the multi knob into RF gain. Similarly the same control can be used to set mic gain, output power, key speed, squelch (for 10m FM repeater operation), side tone level, monitoring level, and menu choices. Now I don’t have any problem with all these being on the multi knob except AF and RF gain. For default operation, I set it to AF gain, but I might be in a QSO and forget that it’s been set to mic gain. Grumble! In my opinion the AF and RF gain controls should be separate controls and always available. What I’d suggest is that the multi knob be turned into a concentric control, with AF gain in the middle and RF gain on the ring. Then what is now the PBT (pass-band tuning) knob can become the multi knob. I note that on their new Eagle radio, the AF and RF gain controls are separate. Sounds like I wasn’t the only one to complain. Believe me, if there were a way to create an outboard AF and RF gain control, I’d jump at the chance.
• Let’s see…Minor things: The VFO is about 20 to 30 Hz off, but is very stable with no noticeable frequency drift after power-on. If for some reason I absolutely need to get exactly on a given frequency, say, WWV, then I can use the RIT control to adjust it slightly.
• Turning the AF control all the way down does not tune the audio all the way to mute. When using digital modes, I can see everything I need to see on the computer screen and would like to mute the radio’s audio. Loretta has her office in the same room as my shack, and when she’s in there the residual audio of a bunch of squeaks and bloops drives her crazy. The only way to mute it all the way is to plug headphones in.
• The spectrum display, called “sweep,” is not terribly useful. It’s not real-time—you push the button, the radio goes mute, the display is swept (takes about 3 seconds), the result is displayed, and the radio goes back live.
• It a bit of a chore to switch between normal and digital modes. This involves going into the menu, changing the audio input from mic to line, cranking the power down to about 50 watts, and several other steps. I’ve built a checklist. Once the right settings are in place, it works like a charm.
• The Noise Reduction (NR) feature is great on noisy, crowded bands such as 80m in the evening. But it has no effect when the band is relatively quiet. The Automatic Notch (AN) feature works better if the heterodyne being tuned out is relatively strong. I use both features quite a bit.
• When operating on PSK-31, I can use PBT and the bandwidth control to home in on just the single PSK-31 station I’m interested in. The smallest bandwidth the Jupiter offers is 150 hz.
• Jupiter has modified the radio to enable some additional firmware upgrades and provided owners of the older radios the opportunity to purchase the hardware upgrade, which I did. I had trouble with installation—it didn’t work—but again Ten-Tec’s excellent customer service came into play. They sent me a special ROM to use to “reset” the processor, then the new feature ROM worked fine.

So, will I keep on using the Ten-Tec? Yes, likely into the indefinite future. I’ll admit technology has moved on in the past ten years, and I’ve got my eye on a couple radios. But even if I find the cash to purchase a newer radio (the Yaesu FT-950 sure looks interesting), I’ll keep the Ten-Tec just as I did my old Yaesu FT-747. The Yaesu is my loaner rig. I’ve learned never to sell old radios—I traded in my Heathkit HW-16 and HG-10V VFO when buying my old Yaesu FT-201, and then traded in the FT-201 for some internet gear. Never again! I’ve regretted those sales. The Ten-Tec Jupiter does everything I ask of it and more and likely will continue to do so for several more years.