3cm (10GHz)

This is an amateur band I have not really tried. 

Back in the 1970s, I made a Gunn diode oscillator and got a few feet. 

Some take it very seriously and run big dishes and high power. Some have used the band for EME QSOs. Others have played with it with wideband FM using Gunnplexers and similar oscillators. 

These days the equivalent to these are HB100 Doppler radar modules available for just over a pound.  I have not seen wideband FM transceivers built around these, but I am sure they exist. Some have even used these with a dish for ATV and achieved some astounding ranges.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/10ghz.

10GHz (3cm)

Microwaves have largely passed me by. Apart from making a Gunn oscillator in the 1970s  (I think) in some waveguide and testing it over about 10m indoors, I have done nothing at 10GHz. I did borrow a 1296MHz RX converter and did some tests many years ago.

Some take microwaves very seriously and regularly achieve some remarkable distances, often by rain scatter. Others play at 10GHz with WBFM.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/10ghz .

10GHz

 As I have mentioned in the past, some take 10GHz operation very seriously, with big dishes, high power and receivers with really low noise figures. Well equipped stations can operate moonbounce on 10GHz.

Others "play" at 10GHz, for example with low cost HB100 Doppler radar modules. With these low cost modules really no microwave engineering is needed. Some have covered 5km with WBFM with just these modules. Placed at the focus of a dish, over 100km has been covered on ATV with these modules. 

The modules contain 4 PCB antennas. 2 are for RX and 2 for RX.

They can even by bought on Amazon. They are even lower cost on eBay. Their main application is Doppler radar, but they have been repurposed. 

I think there are similar units for 24GHz. These 24GHz units are on sale on Amazon, but I have not looked for WBFM designs using these. Just imagine, a very low cost microwave station!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/10ghz .

Simple 10GHz wideband FM transceivers

With the availability of very low cost HB100 10GHz Doppler radar modules on eBay, many are trying their hands at very simple WBFM transceivers on 10GHz.

It should be possible to make a complete 10GHz WBFM transceiver with no 10GHz engineering at all.

In Italy, some have put these at the focal point of parabolic dishes and achieved some incredible ranges on ATV.  If I was a bit fitter this would be something I would have a go at (WBFM). A pair of HB100 10GHz modules could be bought for less than £5! The cheapest I have recently seen is just over £5.

See https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/teardown-tuesday-hb100-doppler-radar-module/

HB100 (10GHz) Facebook page

Quite a few people have been experimenting with very low cost 10GHz units that can be bought for very little on eBay. A few cups of coffee saved and you can buy 10GHz units. In Italy these have been used to work over 200km. Some have used them for 10GHz ATV.

There is a Facebook page on the HB100.

I have to admit to being a "fireside fusilier" in that I'm gunner do this and gunner do that. At some point I'd like to try 10GHz.

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

Where do you buy HB100 10GHz modules?

Someone in Australia asked this recently. There are many sources on the internet at rock bottom prices. Remember the price includes a screened box,  dielectric resonator oscillator, PCB, 2 PCB antennas and a RX mixer! Think modern Gunnplexers. Incredible value!

Some are as low as $2.32 each with free shipping!!

See https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/search.htm?listType=keyword&keywords=hb100#/. This link is Dutch, but I am sure they have an English site too.

HB100 10GHz frequency agility

Steve G1KQH sent me this link:

http://ik1zyw.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/hb100-10-ghz-module-frequency-agility.html

You may recall that the HB100 is a very low cost Doppler radar module that can form the heart of a wideband FM 10GHz transceiver.

eBay HB100 10GHz modules

An old work colleague, Richard G3TFX, has found these modules on eBay for £2.23 with free postage. This is an insane price.

New world record with low cost HB100 module on 10GHz

I see that a new world record has been set in Italy using the very low cost HB100 Doppler radar module (204km). This was wideband FM, I think.

These modules are very low cost. They make the heart of a very low cost wideband FM system for 10GHz. They are the modern version of the Gunnplexer. They contain (I think) a transmitter, RX mixer and 2 antennas all on a small PCB. If you spend £5 you will have change from some eBay suppliers!

"204km. NEW WORLD RECORD, Full Duplex 10GHz with HB100 only 10mW!
Team #1: Giuseppe IK8XFR - Nino IZ8WLZ - Giacomo (Jack)
on S. Giovanni a Piro JN70RB
Team #2: Giuseppe IZ8WGU - Domenico IZ8BAD - Gianluca IZ8YWC - Antonio IK8TGH
on Solano Sup. JM78VF...
Strong signals, how many Km can still make HB100 with only 10mW?"

10GHz made simple

The HB100 Doppler radar modules can be bought for just a few UK pounds on eBay. These are the modern day equivalent of the Gunnplexers of old. A range of 161km has been achieved with one of these at the focus of a dish antenna on wideband FM.

In conjunction with a separate LNB converting down to 600MHz and a wideband FM RX and you have the makings of a low cost 10GHz system. This was recently used by G4HJW to cover a 10km path. I think Bernie was using just the HB100's own antenna. The HB100 is basically a small PCB unit.

At least one UK station is trying to design a stand-alone 10GHz transceiver based on the HB100 module. Watch this space!

Simple 10GHz

Yesterday I received this, which may interest those setting out on 10GHz:

Hi Roger,

We report our experience with HB100 module.

Please visit the Facebook page "HB100 10GHz"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/603514236508122/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Thank's

73, Nino IZ8WLZ

Low cost 10GHz

My thanks yet again to Southgate News for finding this very low cost approach to 10GHz. My friend G6ALB has also been using these low cost motion sensor modules at 10GHz.

See http://home.deds.nl/~knol/HB100/

10GHz DX

I get excited about German spots on 10m WSPR. Meanwhile I noticed this from G4HTZ:

"Just worked DF6IY on 10GHz SSB at 618km ..fantastic conditions but little activity @UKGHZ

Now that is DX!  No doubt helped by being on the coast, but really well done Steve.

10GHz WBFM transceivers

The modern way of getting (simply) into 10GHz WBFM appears to be using very low cost 10GHz Doppler radar modules with a 100MHz FM receiver. Whilst with G6ALB for my Pixie tests Andrew demonstrated a working 10GHz link based on these low cost modules. These are useful links Andrew sent me.

Hi Roger,

These are the units I found when I was looking for [definitions of] the 10.525 GHz ISM band.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231418556511

It looks like 3cm Doppler radar is alive and well,I’d assumed it had disappeared in favour of PIR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkb-IIYq-Dg

Some data here:

http://www.limpkin.fr/public/HB100/HB100_Microwave_Sensor_Module_Datasheet.pdf

http://www.limpkin.fr/public/HB100/HB100_Microwave_Sensor_Application_Note.pdf

These are very good pages (for wideband FM on 10 GHz).

http://www.g3pho.free-online.co.uk/microwaves/fs1.htm

http://www.g3pho.free-online.co.uk/microwaves/wideband.htm

 Andrew G6ALB

Low cost, high performance 10GHz receiver

Recently Ian G3KKD has been telling me about some remarkable results on 10GHz using an Octagon satellite LNB that is available for around £12-15 via eBay. This has a crystal controlled PLL and has good frequency accuracy, stability and phase noise. I believe the LNB outputs a signal around 600MHz which is then down converted to a suitable IF.

Using this set-up Ian can copy the 10GHz beacon GB3CAM at around 30km with just the LNB handheld in his front or back garden which is badly screened by tall trees! Using a small Sky dish, the signal is S9+60dB from a point just along the road.

Of course, with a small surplus satellite dish, a low cost TV USB dongle used as an SSB/CW RX at the LNB output frequency, this would make an excellent SDR for 10GHz with VERY low noise figure. The LNB quotes the NF as 0.1dB, which is remarkable.

With a small 10GHz FM or CW TX into a separate dish, a complete low cost 10GHz station is possible, probably for less than £50. I am sorely tempted to try this.

I have just seen Andy G4JNT's note about this http://www.g4jnt.com/PLL_LNB_Tests.pdf .

Microwaves the easy way?

http://www.chris-bartram.co.uk/

I've just discovered the GW4DGU website with details of (relatively) low cost assembled modules for 10GHz. The basic unit consists of a UDC10368C image-reject up/down converter (£149.90 built) which provides the basic up-down frequency translation needed to get a TX signal out on the band and a basic receive converter. Noise figure is not brilliant and TX power is low, but capable of being improved by additional preamps and PAs. Compared with a wideband FM system, even this used "stand alone" would be capable of decent results locally with a small satellite TV dish.

2696km on 10GHz - new record

A new DX record for terrestrial (non EME) communication has been set with a QSO between D44 and CT on July 10th over an incredible 2696km. See http://www.hyperatlantica.ch/ for more information.

Noctilucent cloud DX - microwave mega DX mode?

There was a MOST interesting note on the ARRL propagation report tonight:

"Noctilucent Clouds Return - As reported at spaceweather.com on June 1, the first noctilucent clouds (NLC) of the 2009 season were sighted over Russia on May 27. NLCs typically appear about 20 days prior to the summer solstice, increase quickly to a high summer level, and then disappear about 50 days after the summer solstice. These clouds are mostly a high latitude phenomenon, and are believed to be composed of ice crystals. VHF radars see very strong echoes from these clouds, and since they are at mesospheric heights (80 to 90 km), they are also known as polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE). These clouds are hypothesized by JE1BMJ and others to be responsible for 6m propagation across high latitudes (for example,
from the East Coast of North America to Japan) during the northern hemisphere summer. This mode of propagation has been dubbed Summer Solstice Short-path Propagation (SSSP). Check out page 34 of the February 2009 issue of WorldRadio Online (available free at
www.cq-amateur-radio.com/wr_back_issues.html) for a general discussion of PMSE and SSSP and for references in the technical literature. To reiterate, SSSP is still just a theory,
but the occurrences of QSOs appear to match the occurrence pattern of PMSE."

Now, there is also evidence (from radar returns) that microwave DX might be possible using the same noctilucent clouds, possibly allowing superb DX possibilities on 10GHz possibly even with low power.

This is a whole area of future ham research just waiting to be exploited. It may be one upside of global warming as these high altitude clouds are now more common than hitherto.

For more on these mesospheric clouds see http://www.chiandh.me.uk/p/Noctilucent_cloud#Results