Microtelecom Perseus
$$$··
| Frequency | 0.01-40 MHz |
| Power | Receiver only |
| Modes | all via software |
| Weight | 300 g (10.6 oz) |
| Connector | BNC |
| Year | 2007 |
| antenna | BNC |
| data | USB (type varies by model) |
| power req | USB-powered |
The reference-class HF SDR receiver. 14-bit ADC with direct sampling. The Perseus set the standard for SDR receiver performance when it was introduced and remained competitive for years. Wideband recording allows capturing entire band segments for later analysis. Italian design and manufacturing. The Perseus is what serious SDR operators and DXers use when performance matters.
HF only; no VHF/UHF. Requires a computer. Expensive. Windows-only primary software. The USB interface limits bandwidth (up to 1600 kHz). Succeeded by the 4-channel Perseus22. The SDRplay RSP series offers similar features for less.
A reference-class HF SDR receiver. The Perseus showed that a purpose-built SDR could match or exceed the best traditional receivers. DXpeditions and contest stations use Perseus receivers as reference monitors, and it set a benchmark for HF SDR. Microtelecom's newer Perseus22 is the 4-channel successor.
The Microtelecom Perseus is, for many serious shortwave DXers, the benchmark against which other HF receivers are judged. Made in Italy, it is a receive-only software-defined radio covering 10 kHz to 30 MHz, with a preselector-bypass mode that extends to 40 MHz for use as a wideband spectrum analyzer. It connects to a computer and does not transmit.
At its heart is a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter sampling at 80 megasamples per second in a true direct-sampling design, fronted by a ten-band preselector filter bank that gives it exceptional resistance to overload. Its signature feature, groundbreaking when it launched, is the ability to record well over a megahertz of spectrum straight to disk for later playback and decoding — invaluable for catching fleeting DX. In objective dynamic-range tests it consistently ranks at the very top.
Introduced in 2007, it has had remarkable longevity; it remains available through specialist dealers, with a multi-channel Perseus22 now sitting above it, though supply of the original is thinning. The WinRadio Excalibur is its closest rival, while the far cheaper Airspy HF+ Discovery gets surprisingly close in real-world use.