Intro

Perseus and other software-defined radio hardware (SDRs) have revolutionized the way we hunt DX stations. In the past, the focus was more on live listening and recording. You were using your analog receiver, trying to choose the most promising frequencies, one at a time, and record whatever you heard to C cassettes, mini  discs or the computer hard disks for later analysis. But what was characteristic of it, you were able to record only one frequency with one receiver. Of course, with half a dozen receivers you could expand your range of monitoring, and tune those receivers to different frequencies and record everything on the frequency, and do the analysis later.

Perseus is like having a dedicated receiver on each and every frequency on the MW band - and not only on every 9 or 10 kHz but also on all frequencies in-between. Using Perseus feels like having 2000 analog receivers on the MW band, listening to and recording all stations simultaneously!

JAGUAR LITE is a software application, similar to PERSEUS.EXE which comes with the Perseus SDR. But there is a major difference: PERSEUS.EXE is a program which mimics the interface and functionality of a general-coverage communications receiver, whereas JAGUAR LITE is devoted 100% to MW band listening and offers some exciting tools for serious medium-wave listeners to take full advantage of the Perseus hardware.

The JAGUAR LITE and PERSEUS software are by no means competing but complementing applications. JAGUAR LITE is tailored and optimized for serious MW listening. Its purpose is to yield the best possible result from a big pile of MW stations with the least possible effort. The PERSEUS software is a versatile, easy-to-use tool for general-purpose listening. Many JAGUAR  listeners do double-check their results with PERSEUS.

JAGUAR LITE offers a different view to DX hunting. It focuses on recording the entire MW band and more at one go, and then allows the user analyze the results later. This will mean that there is actually less need for live listening. For instance, the entire effort of catching the rarest U.S. daytimers or graveyarders will be made after recording. Therefore, you can put more effort in building good antenna systems and other aspects of the receive site. You can dig the gold later by listening to the recordings, for instance, at your own pace at home but still you will have to do the digging by yourself.

Time and place will not bind you as much as before. With the Perseus hardware and JAGUAR LITE, it is not even necessary to sit physically in front of the receiver in a remote location in Northern Lapland. As everything is digital, you can create a remote connection via the Internet to your Perseus, which can be located in that remote location, and tune in to the MW dial in your living room, thousands of kilometers away. JAGUAR LITE is a light-weight application which fits perfectly for the task because its user interface is reduced to bare minimal so it does not require a lot of bandwidth for remote use.

Quick tour of JAGUAR LITE



The prominent features


JAGUAR LITE is a spin-off program of its big brother JAGUAR - the world's #1 medium-wave monitoring software! - which has a wealth of features which has been carefully considered by the world’s most experienced medium-wave DXers. The first and foremost is the audio quality, you will love it! But there is more, such as:

  • Constant 8-minute buffering of the MW spectrum at the bandwidth of 2 MHz, even when you are not recording. During one single 8-minute segment, you can always save the entire buffer or a portion of it to the hard disk. You can also move around, loop certain segments, or make audio clips inside the buffer, while listening live or while recording!
  • Excellent recording capabilities: make 2-MHz-wide recordings from the live Perseus feed with a touch of a button, or use the sophisticated capabilities for scheduled recording (MESTOR) while away from the receiver.
  • Create audio sound clips for your archives and for attaching them to your reception reports.
  • Extremely light-weight user interface which is ideal for remote use, even on low-bandwidth internet connections.

The first wow effect you will get when you hear JAGUAR LITE’s crystal-clear and intelligible audio – and this alone can be a decisive factor for many people to use JAGUAR LITE on the medium waves. The default standard setting for the audio is found to be the best choice in 90% of the cases where there are several stations on the frequency, competing for the supremacy of the channel. The audio (AF) output is of 16-bit 8-kHz mono WAV format.

The missing features


If you are familiar with the PERSEUS.EXE software, you will notice that many things available in PERSEUS.EXE are missing but all the omissions are based on a deliberate decision. The following lists the most distinguished differences between JAGUAR LITE and PERSEUS.

  • There is no signal strength meter. 
  • There is one receive mode only: SSB. You can toggle between LSB and USB by pressing the DOWN arrow key. At least in Scandinavia, traditionally most of the top DXers use only the SSB mode for listening.
  • Some parameters are fixed such as Preselector (always ON) and Preamp (always OFF). These settings are not user-adjustable. However, you can set the degree of attenuation by pressing ALT-P. The values are: 0 (default, no attenuation), 1 (-10 dB), 2 (-20 dB) and 3 (-30 dB).
  • There is no Volume control. You will have to control the volume via the Windows operating system or via an external amplifier (if any). The volume can be muted (and unmuted) by pressing the PAUSE button on the toolbar or the BACKSPACE key.
  • There are no Noise Blanker nor Noise Reduction systems.
  • There is no user-settable AGC (Automatic Gain Control). JAGUAR LITE does have a built-in AGC which adjusts itself automatically.