PACTOR-III is a third generation HF protocol building on latest developments in 2-dimensional orthogonal pulse shaping, advanced error control coding, and efficient source coding. Due to the advanced signal processing methods applied, PACTOR-III provides outstanding performance under poor and moderate signal conditions. As PACTOR-III also achieves very high throughput rates under good signal conditions, it is well-suited to HF channels with good SNR and low signal distortion as well. During the development of PACTOR-III, high importance was attached to compatibility with ordinary SSB transceivers (using standard 2.2-2.4 kHz wide IF filters). Therefore, PACTOR-III can achieve its maximum speed with using unmodified, common and cheap SSB transceivers. The occupied bandwidth is around 2400 Hz at a maximum.
Thus PACTOR-III is the ideal means of fast and reliable data communication over (the sometimes difficult medium) HF radio. The new protocol is fully backwards compatible to existing PACTOR-I/II networks.

Spectrum of speedlevel 6
Bandwidth of the main spectrum: 2400 Hz @ -40 dB

Key features of the PACTOR-III protocol:

• Under virtually all possible signal conditions faster than PACTOR-II. Under average signal conditions a speed gain factor of 3-4 is achieved, under very favorable conditions the speed improvement can  exceed factor 5.

• Maximum data throughput (without compression) higher than 2700 Bit/sec, around 5200 Bit/sec if PMC (online text compression) is applied.

• At least as robust as PACTOR-II under extremely poor signal conditions.

• Maximum bandwidth only about 2400 Hz.

• Low crestfactor (high mean output power).

• High spectral efficiency - PACTOR-III makes very good use of the bandwidth.

• Fully backwards compatible to existing PACTOR-I/II networks.

In order to achieve a high degree of adaptivity, PACTOR-III utilizes 6 different speed levels. Switching between these sub-protocol levels is fully automatic and is based on sophisticated estimation algorithms.         


 
With the transmission of plain text a 1.9 times higher transfer rate is achieved due the online data compression.

With the actual firmware you can test PACTOR-III for free (max. 20 connects).

PACTOR III - Professional Firmware Registration

Licensing depends if your PTC is with or without an electronic serial number!

Units with electronic serial number:

• PTC-IIusb

• PTC-IIex
• PTC-IIpro
• PTC-IIe manufactured from 2002
  

Units without electronic serial number:

• PTC-II
• PTC-IIe manufactured before 2002
  

These units have to be upgraded with an electronic serial number before can obtain a license! What is the advantage having a unit with an electronic serial number?

Silicon serial number

All PTC-IIe produced from January 2002 and all PTC-IIpro, PTC-IIex and PTC-IIusb have an electronic serial number device. If you own a PTC-II or a PTC-IIe manufactured before 2002 it is possible to upgrade the unit with an electronic serial number. You can easily check if your unit has a electronic serial number:

Look at the bottom of your PTC. If there is a label like this Serial number label

your unit has a electronic serial number. The part marked with a red box is the required part for getting a valid license. 

Units upgraded with an electronic serial number don't have the serial number label!

Or you can check if there is a electronic serial number by software! Simply enter the command 'sys' then 'sern' and press the Enter key. If the PTC has a electronic serial number it responds with the serial number! Every PTC-IIusb, PTC-IIpro and PTC-IIex should have a serial number label and should respond to the 'sys' then 'sern' command with the serial number! The easiest way for licensing the professional firmware features for a PTC with an electronic serial number is to read out the serial number with the 'sys' then 'sern' command and copy-and-paste it into the serial number field of the order form.

Note: the serial number is always 16 characters long!

Serial number upgrade

For all PTC-II and PTC-IIe manufactured before 2002! The electronic serial number is useful only in conjunction with the SCS professional firmware features! Maybe you have read it already: you have to obtain a license for a permanent use of the SCS professional firmware features.

This license is generated from the electronic serial number. Because the license is generated from the electronic serial number you can use any call sign you like! That's the right choice for the travelers among you! If you travel a lot or you like to share your station with some friends and let them use their own call signs then it's a pretty good idea to have a PTC with an electronic serial number!

How to get the upgrade:

Because the upgrade needs some hardware modification of the PTC you have to return the unit to one of our dealers or directly to SCS. For the serial chip including modification we charge 99 Euro.