[NLRS] Low cost transverters

[James Duffey]

Mary - Of course low cost is relative, but SG Lab makes a 1296 transverter for about $200.

< http://www.sg-lab.com/TR1300/tr1300.html >

The PNW VHF guys have bought a lot of them and are very happy with their performance. SG Lab is in Bulgaria, but you can pay with a credit card, which takes care of currency exchange rates and they arrange shipping and customs. I don’t have one, but W7QQ does and I have seen it. It looks easy to interface. 

They also make a 902MHz version for about the same price, but it is not on their web page. There is contact information on their web site and they are pretty good at responding to queries. The 902MHz transverter is not vaporware, several are in the hands of the PNW VHF guys. 

DEMI sells their 10mW 10GHz transverter, assembled for $500. Whether or not that is low cost is probably open for discussion, but I think for the technology involved it is reasonably priced. The 3W version at $775 is even a better value. 

The Kuhne 200mW 10GHz transverter is about $600.

The cost of getting on 1296MHz and 902MHz is not too much higher than getting on the lower VHF/UHF bands. 10GHz is a step up, but unless you want a lot of power, it is still reasonable. 

I am a Physicist/Engineer, so I am biased, but as to the difficulty in interfacing transverters without an engineering degree, it is no harder than reading Ulysses by Joyce without a liberal arts degree. Maybe easier. 

See you at CSVHF? - Duffey KK6MC

--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM




On Jun 18, 2016, at 2:05 PM, Mary Brown <maryalanab at gmail.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> What is out there for very low cost microwave transverters. Stuff that doesn't require an engineering degree to interface so single or at most 2 boards tied together? I am thinking of maybe adding 1296 for terrestrial and 10ghz eme(easy to manage with a smaller dish.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NLRS [mailto:nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chris Cox
> Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2016 3:02 PM
> To: Mel KC0P; NLRS at mailman.qth.net; NLRS Area 10GHz Operators Alert
> Subject: [NLRS] Temporary RST 10GHz beacon
> 
> 
> 
> I don’t know if anyone else has thought about this already but I remember my very first experience of narrowband 10GHz activity was back in the early ‘80s at the national RSGB rally/hamfest in London where there was a static display by members of the UK microwave group which had a homemade transverter system tuned to a beacon in the area.
> 
> I was thinking of the possibility of someone setting up a temporary 10GHz beacon somewhere in the Rochester area that we could tune our 10GHz dish rigs to at the Central States conference in the rover pound.
> 
> Seeing a real live example of equipment in use could be a great catalyst to get others interested in the band.
> 
> Mel, would you have thoughts on possible locations maybe a few miles away that would give good coverage of the conference site?
> 
> 73 all
> 
> Chris
> 
> Chris Cox, N0UK
> chrisc at chris.org or chrisc at britishcaranddriver.com
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--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM