[NLRS] 2m Transverter success!

[Dan Larson]

Thanks to Matt, KA0PQW, for his patience copying me and checking me into the 'net
last night!

There is no thrill like the thrill of getting a piece of home-built equipment on the air
for the first time!. 

Yes, I know that 10W is not a lot of power, but I am happy that the 1210 works! As I posted
a while back, I ruined the driver transistor installing it and even the low-level transmit amp
after the mixer was emitting some really horrible sounding noise during testing, so I 
replaced the low-level amp and driver both. However, I couldn't really give it a good test until
last night on the air. Due to the weather and the fact that I am currently using my "portable"
beam that I use for satellites, I may not be checking in again much. (Hey anyone know if I can
make my Mirage BD-25 dual-band brick amp work with SSB to get me up to 45/50W? 
At the very least I'd need to increase the TX hang time to deal with SSB.)

Now I know what my first project of next spring is going to be: Installing a nice set of
beams on a rotator on my roof! I want to build these over the winter. Currently I am planning
on building 2m & 70cm cross-beam yaggis that I can use for both horizontal and 
vertical. I would like the "harness them" up with both horizontal elements and vertical
elements active at once. I guess that would make either right of left handed circular
polarization. Is there a penalty or loss doing it that way? 

My other choices are to either bring multiple feedlines down (expensive because that would
 be four feedlines! H & V for 2m & 70cm), use coax relays to select polarization, & use a 
duplexer. The trouble with coax relays and duplexers seems to be that they cost more than
the feedline! If I have plans to build a 1.2G transverter, then I would likely add a 1.2G beam
to the mast as well.

Again, what makes this not-so-simple is the fact that I want to use my beams for repeater 
and FM simplex work as well as SSB / weak signal. If I ever get an elevation rotator
set up, then satellite too!

Too many options and too many ways to go! No hurry for me though because I have all
winter to build the new antennas my roof will be "sprouting" next spring!


Thanks again to everyone for their advice!

BTW, did anyone else on the 'net last night copy me? I am very curious how I sounded
because all I had to test with was my 'F6A on 2m in USB receive mode. Was I clean?
(even though I was weak?) The LO sound stable / clean without spurs & other garbage?
Bear in mind, that I was using a stock RadioShack HTX-10 with stock mike for the IF.


Dan KC0LUY