[NLRS] MUD 2004 Trip Report

[Baker, Donn B]

Last weekend, Bob, W0AUS and I attended Microwave Update in Dallas.  Flights were boring, weather was good... both good things.

The conference was excellent, as always.  NTMS did a great job, as always.  Topics ranged from VHF Tropo Enhancement to mmWave multipliers to Lasers.  A fair portion of the presentations were up toward the bleeding edge, but did report progress in many of these areas.  Barry, VE4MA filled us in on the 47 GHz EME attempts and status.  It'll still be a l-o-n-g haul to the first QSO, but echos have been heard.

Most of the presentations from uWave Update are (or will be) posted on the NTMS web site at <http://www.ntms.org/> and then the "MUD 2004 page."  The Proceedings should be available from ARRL shortly (~$20+ postage).

A number of the presentations and papers in the Proceedings that caught my attention, in no particular order:
10GHz Linear Translator, AD6FP... repeater... maybe we should think more than beacons ?!
Tropospheric Enhancement at VHF and Above, N5PKY... what the 'skew-T' charts show and how to use them, etc.  Excellent.
Enhancements to the HP Z3801 GPS "source", WW2R... adds NEMA sentence for time and a time display.
mmWave LO References and Phase Noise Considerations, WA1ZMS... techie, but good info for any WEAK-signal work
Jig to solder SMA connectors (.141 and .085), N5GO... a little work, but good connections important
Development of Power Amplifiers using MOSFET Modules, N2CEI... The new Mitsubishi 'bricks'  DEMI uses two for 50W at 1296
Waveguide Coaxial Line transitions, ON4CDQ... techie, but has a 24GHz example I can machine ! 
Those Funny MAR-6's, WA5VJB... HOT devices... VHF-UHF, 8dB at 3GHz. Not the same as "real" MAR-6s

Both Bob and I ordered 8W 10GHz amplifiers from DEMI.  Two devices, 1W drive required.  No delivery date promised, but "soon."  About $300 as an intro price.  Also, both Bob and I brought home parts for 47GHz.  Nothing spectacular, just harmonic mixers.  When we get LOs for 'em we should be able to do a kilometer or maybe more with good antennas.  10-20 micro-Watts.  Hopefully, we'll be able to build up 5 or 6 of them.

I measured a total of 6 preamps: 5 10GHz and one 24 GHz.  Four of the 10GHz were converted DSS block converters I picked up at Update in 2001.  They'd been measured last year (2002 ?) with good results.  This year, I measured them with a different transition (they're WR-75 input).  They all ran about 1.2 dB... at least 0.3 dB better than with the old transition.  On the Surplus Tour, I found WR-75 to SMA transitions for all of them.  The 24 GHz pre-amp measured 2 dB... I had hoped for better, but its certainly OK.  When used as TX amp, it puts out ~10mW... a lot better than my current 300 uW ! 

WIll try to answer questions, etc.  W0AUS may have some additional comments. 

73 Donn
WA2VOI/0