Won't be QRV

Unfortunately a family emergency means I won't now be QRV in the EME contest at the weekend. I will be in GI until Sunday.

73 de Sam





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Location:Home

Some results of tests with isolator and relays

Prior to putting my 23cm EME system back on-air I thought I would check out some isolators and relays I had used previously.
I had thought about using the Totsu CX600N at the output of the TS2000X, but the results show this is not a good idea. That relay is just OK at 432MHz, but definitely not at 1296MHz!
I have two identical 1200Mhz range isolators. The 'black' one shows the best results at 1296MHz, so will be used for the TS2000X transmitter 'protection'.
The isolator gives 0.33dB insertion loss ( forward) and 23.9dB reverse loss with reverse return loss of 16.3dB
CX600N @1296MHz
Insertion loss common to NC with other port terminated in 50R
=0.14dB
Insertion loss common to NO ( relay operated) =0.19dB
Isolation common to NO 20.25dB
NC to NO isolation = 19.9dB
RLC electronics relay @1296MHz
Insertion loss common to NC or NO with other port terminated
= <0.1dB
Isolation common to NC or NO = ~85dB
NC to NO isolation = ~90dB
Not shown is the Relcomm RDL-SR006 relay used for preamp isolation
The main parameter here is insertion loss. This measured <0.1dB ( 0.06dB measured but there are uncertainties of the same order!).
I need to confirm the isolation figures again. But they were good.




More later.
Sam
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A purpose in life!

My current thoughts are that I will write about my EME actvities, in the main, although there will be other stuff as well.
With the final part of the ARRL EME contest next weekend there is obviously a lot of interest, judging from the number of requests I am getting for preamps and spare parts for VLNA preamps!
I am going to try and get my own 23cm system up and running for next weekend and will aim to have a few QSOs.
I was active on receive only in the 50-1296MHz section at the beginning of this month. There were a lot of stations visible on my Spectravue screen. Unfortunately MAP65 performed rather poorly and only the bigger stations decoded. Changing to JT65C, decodes were close to 100% on all but the weakest stations.
As far as I can tell, there has been no wind damage to the dish or mast ( luffed over from the previous wind storm, last week) from last night's storm, at my QTH. Lots of branches down on surrounding country roads and lanes.
73 de Sam




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Location:Falkenham Road,Kirton,United Kingdom

A relaunch

After an almost two year hiatus I have decided to re-launch my blog. Now I no longer write the GHz Bands column for Radcom I need a new canvas to lay out my thoughts, current interests and project progress. Where better than a blog? Facebook and Twitter are too limiting.





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Bangor

Well, we arrived safely in Bangor, GI.
After our Monday ferry was cancelled we were re-booked on the slower Ulysses super ferry. This is variously reported as the largest ferry in the world and the largest on the Irish Sea routes.
Anyway, we arrived at Holyhead about 4 hours before our ferry was due to sail. Try as we could, they would not allow us on the 12:00 fast ferry. I guess it was full, but I still think it was unfair not to have been offered the option of the fast ferry since that is what we paid for. I shall be sending a stiff e-mail to the booking company! This has lost us a whole day and over £150 in unplanned costs.....

More pleasantly, fuel is really cheap in Eire. Around £1:00/ litre for diesel. Needless to say, we topped up before crossing the border into Northern Ireland. This must be the only border in Europe where you can drive across the border, changing the speed readout from MPH to KPH or vice versa, as you go!

I'm relieved to see there is no water shortage problems here in Bangor, unlike large parts of the Province. It is getting serious in some areas, from what we see on TV!

The car temperature gauge was reading 10C as we arrived in Bangor. That must be the warmest it has been for months.

More tomorrow.





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Location:Northern Ireland

North Wales

Now in Bangor. A pretty smooth drive up except for the M6 which was very slow from around Stafford to Sandbach. It was just the volume of traffic that slowed it, together with spray from the persistent light rain.

Of course it is raining more heavily this morning, in Bangor.

We are off to catch the ferry at 14:10, so a little bit of time to check out Brunel's Britannia bridge on the way over!

There was some sort of emergency in the Straits last night with the Air Sea Rescue helicopter out looking for the source of an emergency call from close to the bridge. The bridge is about 1/2 mile from this hotel, but no noises to awaken us......

More words from the ' other side'.

Sam




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Location:Falkenham Rd,,United Kingdom

New Year

Tomorrow we head off to Bangor, Northern Ireland. But, since Irish Ferries informed us this morning that they have cancelled the 17:15 Holyhead to Dublin ferry tomorrow, we have had to re-book onto the 14:10 on Tuesday. This is a bigger, slower ferry than the cat we were booked on.
As a result of the change in crossing we have decided to travel as far as Bangor, North Wales tomorrow. So then, Monday night in Bangor and then Tuesday night in Bangor! Just different countries....

More from Bangor!

Sam




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Location:Falkenham Rd,,United Kingdom