10GHz contest and 1296MHz operation

Sadly, I have no gear for 10GHz. I think there was a 10GHz contest on Sunday afternoon. I have thought about getting something, also for 1296MHz /P. If I was fitter I might have got "my arse into gear" sooner. As it is, I guess one can only do so much in our great hobby, especially if fitness is a thing of the past!

There is a quite low cost 1296MHz 2W transverter available from Bulgaria (SG lab) which has had good reviews. I know G8LRD (David) uses one with his FT817 when out portable and works some decent ranges. I cannot remember what antenna he uses.

The image is from the SG Labs website. I hope they don't mind me linking to it.

As you can see, this is small and light enough to be mounted on a portable mast close to a 23cm antenna to minimise cable losses.

As I could not find a price for this transverter on their website, I dropped them an email. I got a reply very quickly: 156 euros plus 8 euros economy shipping to the UK. They accept PayPal. Not bad for a 2W, sensitive, transverter. This is for V2.3 which also accepts an external 10MHz reference.

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

A new 23cm transverter kit from Australia

http://www.minikits.com.au/image/data/eme171_1200_files/eme23-trva.jpg

Mini-Kits in Australia has just announced a new transverter for 23cms. Based on a number of modules, it allows a complete, high performance transverter to be built. This transverter replaces earlier designs that used parts no longer available. At the time of writing there is no price shown. See http://www.minikits.com.au/eme23-trv.htm .

I am very impressed when people release kits for 23cms and higher. Designing a kit that is easy to reproduce is not an easy task, although using SMA components and printed inductors/striplines makes the initial modelling easier and less subject to variations than when leaded parts are used.

Simple, fool proof 1296MHz transverter?

Thinking about my new QTH on top of our East Anglia "hill" (aka 20m bump) I am wondering if I should consider 1296MHz operation for the first time, if only to monitor/try the band in UKAC contests with relatively local stations. Although I have listened (briefly) on 23cm years ago with a borrowed RX converter, I've never transmitted on the band with any mode.

What I am looking for is a SIMPLE transverter for the band, either a no-tune kit or a simple ready built unit. I have no test gear for this band, which is why I've not really considered the band before. The driver would be the FT817, so any suitable band could be used for the IF.

The Down East Microwave 1296MHz transverter may be a possibility. See http://croatia-microwave.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/w1ghz-rover-transverter-for-1296-mhz.html for a report of one built.

Incidentally I remember the 23cm antenna I used back in the 1970s with the borrowed converter: it was a 4 element yagi made with 2.5mm silver plated wire. The whole antenna sat in the palm of the hand, but worked well, even indoors mounted on a piece of bamboo cane as the mast! If I remember correctly, the design was in an early edition of VHF Communications, a magazine I subscribed to back in the 1970s.