Easiest/cheapest way to 6m/2m/70cm?
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Max
I have Hermes Lite 2 which seems now to be working extremely well with SDRC as a very effective HF station and GC HF receiver.
Now I am looking to have a play with other bands, particularly 50 MHz, but also maybe 2m and 70cms. Just wondered if there are any opinions on how best to achieve this with SDRC and maybe also the HL2? I can see there are some very well priced 6m/2m/70cm transverters from the Ukraine on eBay. Has anyone got any experience of these units? https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/221828490344 If not transverter (or perhaps a different model) then what else? I thought initially Pluto, but it does not seem to go low enough in frequency? Maybe 70 MHz but not as low as 50MHz? Suggestions? I don't want to spend big bucks as usual! Many thanks Max |
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Tom Crosbie G6PZZ
In days of old, we’d have turned to Microwave Modules…
73 Tom G6PZZ Nr Chesterfield | NE Derbyshire | UK | IO93he HF250 | RSPdx | Sentinel 4 | RM50 | TR2
From: main@SDR-Radio.groups.io <main@SDR-Radio.groups.io>
On Behalf Of Max
Sent: 31 May 2020 11:10 To: main@SDR-Radio.groups.io Subject: [SDR-Radio] Easiest/cheapest way to 6m/2m/70cm?
I have Hermes Lite 2 which seems now to be working extremely well with SDRC as a very effective HF station and GC HF receiver. |
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Max
Yes, indeed Tom. Remember them like it was yesterday!
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Max On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 12:47 PM, Tom Crosbie G6PZZ wrote:
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Jim Smith G0OFE
Microwave Modules.... ah, them were the days. I am still using one of their pre-amps on 2m.... 35 years old and still going strong. I am using one of the transverters from
Ukraine for 6m.. as a recieve converter into my Perseus. never
used it on TX but on RX it works very well. ================================
Need help with SDR Console? If you have a problem, Use the camera icon top left to take a screenshot, Then send to this group **as an attachment ** =================================== Jim, Bournemouth, Dorset. IO90BR. Elad FDM-S2, Airspy HF+, SDRPlay and Funcube Dongle SDR Recievers 8-element OP-DES for Band 2, 8-element LFA for 2m, 3-element LFA for 6m, 20m Windom for HF,. Wellbrook 1530 Loop for LF On 31/05/2020 11:47, Tom Crosbie G6PZZ
wrote:
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paul newcombe <G6YZC@...>
Can I ask what you want to do on the higher bands? It is very relevant in deciding the route to take.
Paul N2EME
Sent from Outlook Mobile
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Siegfried Jackstien
6m ... transverter to your existing hl2 all bands above ... a pluto (up to 6 gig) dg9bfc sigi Am 31.05.2020 um 11:47 schrieb Tom
Crosbie G6PZZ:
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Max
Hi Paul
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Just want to get active on those bands in a casual way, nothing cutting edge, but I don't like operating compromised kit. So for example since I have had my HL2 I don't use my RSP2Pro on HF at all because I really do not like the lukewarm performance on HF, but conversely I am not looking for the last drop of DX performance on the new bands either. Just some kit that works competently but not necessarily the bleeding edge of performance. I have only really managed to come back to radio after a long break for 40 years of heavy work load and also unsuitable QTHs, and when I first started in 1976 my parent's QTH was low in a valley and VHF/UHF was out of the question. I'm now in a great all-round QTH with space for antennas so the kid in me is coming out, wanting to play on bands that were previously out of the question for me. Special interest in 6m as I have read much but never operated. Back in my day it was off the agenda anyway because the band was used by broadcast BBC TV stations here in the UK 2m and 70cms I have a little nostalgia for because used to go out portable for VHF NFD with my local club. High locations and 4CX250B linears. Good fun. No, I'm not going to be using that sort of power this time around! So in answer to your question, I guess you would call it casual use but with reasonable performance for a little DX now and then. 73 Max On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 03:17 PM, paul newcombe wrote:
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Tom Crosbie G6PZZ
Max “…2m and 70cms I have a little nostalgia for because used to go out portable for VHF NFD with my local club. High locations and 4CX250B linears….”
Now that wipes away the COVID 19 Cobwebs and brings back memories of VHF NFD’s in the early 80’s on top of the Wrekin. I was quite active on 2m/70cms SSB I those days home and /P. I used to enjoy playing with antennas and the home station included a MET 14 ele on 2m and a pair of MET 17s stacked for 70cms.
I’ve not owned/used a TCVR for many years, partly because I can no longer afford the gear and can’t get up ladders to play with antennas. It was bad enough having to pay someone to put up the SWL antennas I do have. So it back to the hobby that started me off five and half decades ago. I see a lot of callsigns in SWL circles these days. Do we all go back to our roots?
73 Tom G6PZZ Nr Chesterfield | NE Derbyshire | UK | IO93he
From: main@SDR-Radio.groups.io <main@SDR-Radio.groups.io>
On Behalf Of Max
Sent: 31 May 2020 16:19 To: main@SDR-Radio.groups.io Subject: Re: [SDR-Radio] Easiest/cheapest way to 6m/2m/70cm?
Hi Paul
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Max
Yes, Tom. Think in radio particularly it's hard not to hark back to earlier days with fondness..... but also need to embrace the exciting new developments that we could only have dreamed of back then! All started for me with HAC one-valver built at school, but I don't think I will be going back that far to my roots, even though I still have it in a box somewhere, with about two tons (literally) of other accumulated stuff that needs sorting in my garage!
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Just swerving back to the topic, has anyone else tried the Ukrainian transverters from "Transverters-store" on eBay or their website here: http://transverters-store.com/ 73 Max On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 05:04 PM, Tom Crosbie G6PZZ wrote:
I see a lot of callsigns in SWL circles these days. Do we all go back to our roots? |
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Oguzhan Kayhan
Used one of that ukrainian transverter for 2m for a while. It is not a highend device for sure.. But I connected that to my ts-480, had an output of 10-12W which was enough for repeater communication. Then I added a 150W PA to it.. And made hundreds of Meteor Scatter qsos.. And , my first EME contact with I2FAK, with my single 10 element yagi by using this transverter + PA Yes it has problems.. Lost internal amplifier (BF998 i suppose) a few times.. And the output transistor, 2 times..(which is cheap anyway) . And for any trouble, they replied very quick to diagnose the problem. And there is no way to disable the internal LNA to use an external LNA if needed..So, an external LNA just saturates it.. I dont know if it has any updates on design lately.. But it works .... On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 1:10 PM Max <radiomax@...> wrote: I have Hermes Lite 2 which seems now to be working extremely well with SDRC as a very effective HF station and GC HF receiver. |
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Max
Many thanks Oguzhan. Useful information.
Best Max |
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Max
Hi Sigi
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Yes, actually I am now thinking of doing exactly this. Transverter for 6m and Pluto for everything else as you suggest. I just referred back to all the notes you kindly sent previously about changing the TCXO on the Pluto. For some reason I thought Pluto was a lot more expensive. Now to be had for £117 GBP + VAT from Mouser here in the UK. Do you use Pluto on 2m/70cms and if so do you use additional filtering on the output, or not necessary? Any amplifier? If so, what? Thanks Max On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 03:23 PM, Siegfried Jackstien wrote:
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Max
Hi Jim
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Thanks for reply. Yes, I too had the MM preamp..... on a boot-mount Pye Cambridge for 2m FM...... my first ever multi-channel VHF rig for the car (6 channels via ledex/uniselector). Very tempted to order one of those transverters from Ukraine, especially if you think they are decent performer. Be nice to know what it's like on TX too though. Will probably just take a punt at the price. 73 Max On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 02:54 PM, Jim Smith G0OFE wrote:
I am using one of the transverters from Ukraine for 6m.. as a recieve converter into my Perseus. never used it on TX but on RX it works very well. |
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Siegfried Jackstien
i do use the pluto now on qo100 .... but plan to build a multiband backend for the pluto a wideband driver (skyworks65017) to have a few milliwatts drive
(sky 17 is good for 0.1 to 6 gig with 20 db gain) ra60h1317m for 2m ra60h4047m for 70cm ra18h1213g for 23cm mw4ic2230 for 13cm (is what i already use for qo100 uplink) 9cm and 6cm ... no exact idea yet but will add them maybe later
... also 3cm and higher with transverter ?!? each power module will get a filter at the front and a lowpass
filter at the output ... even if those modules are quite clean and
only will push out one band ... a lowpass filter should be added
on output i am thinking that those band power modules is the easiest way to get some power for the vhf uhf shf bands what do others think?!? other (maybe better?) ideas?? still searching for a low noise figure receive (mmic) preamp ...
greetz sigi dg9bfc Am 31.05.2020 um 23:06 schrieb Max:
Hi Sigi |
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kg7swp@yahoo.com <KG7SWP@...>
I have all 3 MM transverters in use here. Great products. 6M, 2M & 70cm
I have a friend using the Ukraine transverters & they sure sound well. His rig sounds the same as on HF. Ed |
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Max
Hi Sigi
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Looks interesting. Only problem for me is time to do the building of each power module, though I guess they are probably not very complex. All good information to consider. Many thanks Max On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 01:53 PM, Siegfried Jackstien wrote:
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Max
Thanks Ed for the information.
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73 Max On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 09:31 PM, kg7swp@... wrote: I have a friend using the Ukraine transverters & they sure sound well. His rig sounds the same as on HF. |
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