Wednesday, September 2, 2009

1296 update

I had just finished rebuilding my 1296 rig and assembled the modules. I added a 3 pole bandpass filter between the transverter output and the 10 dB gain block that drives the 2 watt PA. When I initially tested, I wasnt getting any power out of the rig, so I proceeded to test for RF at each stage.


I was getting the usual milliwatt or two out of the transverter., but at the output of the filter, there was nothing. I retuned the filter for max output. I lost about 3 dB thru the filter.


After hooking up the low level amplifier, the measured output was about +8 dBm. A little lower than I expected, but it's enough to drive the 2 watt amplifier to a useable output level. A quick check at the 2 watt PA output indicated a healthy output. I then determined that I had the antenna relay hooked up backward, RX line going to the TX port, etc.


Once I got it all hooked up, there was an oscillation, which I cured by shielding the low level amplifier. The output is a little low, i think, but I still believe it is enough to so some good mountaintop work. I believe I can get a little more out of the transverter, however, so I'm sure I can get the power level up to where it should be. I guess the level to shoot for is +10 dBm out of the low level amplifier. So, it looks like I'm capable of getting on 1296 now.

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