Isn’t it precious?!
Down East Microwave TC Photo
ARRL’s 10 GHz and Up Cumulative Contest Writeup from KC6QHP
The ARRL 10 GHz and Up Cumulative Contest is the only fully microwave spectrum (above 1,000 MHz) communications contest sponsored by the ARRL. It chiefly finds participants in the Northeast, Southern California, Florida and the Midwest. This is due to the geography and operator density of these areas. There is also quite a bit of club competition in this contest which is helping to keep the contest alive and exciting.
Tony, KC6QHP, has taken the time and written a really, really good write up about what Southern California operating is like, including operating from a former Nike missile site! Give it a read and get jealous!
W1GHZ 902 Transverter MUD Paper Published!
“Hi, Chase,
Thank you for your Microwave Update (MUD) paper submission.
The following paper has been selected to appear in the MUD 2012 proceedings book (published by the ARRL) and on our conference CD-ROM:
Building Notes: The W1GHZ 902 Transverter
It is our understanding that you are not available to present at the conference.
Thanks again for your contributions and for helping us to assemble another great Microwave Update program.
73,
Mike Lavelle, K6ML
for MUD 2012 Technical Program Committee”
———–
I consider myself very lucky to have two different papers published in the same year in two different prestigious technical conference proceedings. I hope they are as enjoyable to read as they were to write. I think some people get a little lazy and shop the same paper around different places- not me!
The 902 W1GHZ project has come to a close. I’ve got the notes and pictures waiting for a final writeup and will get to it soon- maybe it will be your Christmas present? The next project to document is the 902 driver amplifier- and what I wonder is, whether I should wait on the chance to have it published in next years conference proceedings or should I get it out to the internet as soon as possible? The reason I ask is because it seems to me that with the nearly instantaneous medium of the internet, it is becoming more difficult to secure papers which have previously been unpublished for inclusion into conference proceedings. So, do we support the conference or our own egos via our websites?
One thing is for sure- we won’t have published proceedings much longer that don’t already include published papers from other conferences or from internet postings. Maybe that’s a shame and maybe it isn’t. In any case, the new normal is going to be less and less paper copies and more digital ones.
K1RA Writeup of June 2012 VHF Contest for K8GP- The Grid Pirates
I don’t normally read contest reports for two reasons. First, because the report is written by someone who is often in the middle of contest afterglow, the author will use his narrative to tell a story about an event that is much larger than what their particular story will tell. The second reason is that sometimes it is very obvious that the person asked to write the report isn’t a writer at all and as much as they slogged through the writing of it will be the same amount of slogging you’ll have to do to read it. I see the dilemma- without contest reports, the magazines can’t have advertisers and so on. Of course, the internet has taken a lot of the timeliness out of the publications business and so what people really seem to want from their publications is a list of who won what and how. More a blow by blow sort of writing that you would find, I’m guessing here since I don’t read it, in the sports section of the newspaper.
However, I just stumbled upon K1RA’s writeup of the June 2012 VHF contest about his group K8GP, The Grid Pirates. Go see for yourself. I especially enjoyed which can only be described as a holistic approach to a contest report- I got some stories about the people involved, what their goals were and how they ended up. Sure, it’s a longer read, but the quality justifies the length.
Well done!
Part of The Plan
I think it is important to continually keep pressing forward, even when you don’t have much time or energy to do so. Sometimes, a hobby ceases priority for whatever reason- this causes the most adherent to call some wayward practitioner who succumbs to the rest of life as a sort of backslider, someone who doesn’t take things seriously. As if that was the only story that is true or worth telling.
When I wrote my paper for the SVHFS conference, I was hopeful that I would have feedback from those in attendance. So far, none is forthcoming. This is either because the paper was well written and satisfied a particular topic or because the paper itself was below the interest level of the average conference goer. This makes me wonder why I should expand on the paper for MUD, coming up later this year. Will I get feedback on that paper? Is it of interest to write introductory material for conferences which are clearly oriented towards those who are more advanced?
I can’t answer these questions, but I think they are worth examining if we are to successfully encourage more amateurs to become interested in microwave communication techniques. Ultimately the question to be answered is: to whom are we writing these documents and how can we better engage them?
I’m nearly done with the 902/3 W1GHZ project, even as it has taken over a year to complete. I merely need to plumb everything together, make sure the sequencer is working and that the antenna is tuned. First contact coming this summer!
Spring Sprints Starting April 9th, 2012
Here is the schedule for the Spring Sprints, 2012:
The 144 MHz Sprint will be from 7 PM until 11 PM local time on Monday, April 9, 2012.
The 222 MHz Sprint will be from 7 PM until 11 PM local time on Tuesday, April 17, 2012.
The 432 MHz Sprint will be from 7 PM until 11 PM local time on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.
The Microwave Sprint will be on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 6 AM until 1 PM local time. This includes all Amateur frequencies above 902 MHz. Please include band data in summaries and logs. NOTE: use of Liaison Frequency is encouraged.
The 50 MHz Sprint will be from 2300Z Saturday, May 12, until 0300Z Sunday, May 13, 2012.
For more information, please check go visit the Amateur Radio VHF & Up Spring Sprints website. This is sponsored by the good folks at the Central States VHF Society.
Paper Accepted!
My paper, “A Novice Attempt at Building a W1GHZ 902 Transverter” was accepted for publication in the Southeastern VHF Society Conference Proceedings! Make sure to attend the conference in Charlotte or purchase a copy of the proceedings in April!
Happy New Year!
Belated Happy New Year! I’m working hard on my paper for a conference in April. Interested? Check out the Southeastern VHF Society website for more information.
Upcoming Projects and Other Transitions
Lot’s of irons in the fire! I’ve got many things going on which I will be reporting on shortly. In the meantime, let me give you, dear reader, a quick situational report.
*1) The ABPM from DEMI has been put together, but has been found somewhat lacking. I may have burned up a detector chip inside- this build and build notes are waiting for further testing before I chime in with my final thoughts. After all, if I burned something up, it is hardly DEMI’s fault, right?
*2) The 902 W1GHZ project is shortly going to bed. Now that I have a radio, interfacing is the last main issue. I have all the parts needed; once interfacing is done, I’ll be able to transfer it to a suitable container. Of course, if I had done this correctly, the container would have been the first part I had considered.
*3) I’m continuing work on the paper for the SVHFS conference publication. This will be ongoing until January. I also have an idea I am semi-working on for QST.
*4) By the grace of K4CSO, I came into a power meter cheaply and I hope to have a photo montage of it for the reader soon.
*5) I’m working on my Cookery pages to share recipes and, specifically, am currently working on delivering Grandma’s Vegetable Soup as a free recipe for all. Also, I have some thoughts about cornbread I would like to share. And Jello- I’m bringing back Jello.
*6) The 900MHz. amp is in as good a condition as I can make it- but no news on its stats yet. I had a couple of these at one time due to an eBay over bid and I got rid of all but one. Wish I hadn’t done that. That said, the old guard of uWaves don’t play on 900, as it is a band which either “shouldn’t be” or “worth having.” Which came first, the constructor or the contester?
*7) Recently taken advantage of a good deal and have some 10GHz material. When it gets here, I’ll have a better idea of its nature. At least, going to need an LO. Which reminds me- W7BAS never did come up with a 1296 transverter- but don’t take this as an indicator of the quality of the LO he produced, or any of his other projects- he is just very busy. Of the one LO I’ve received, it was really quite well done. But for now, scratch the 1296 xverter from W7BAS. It’s a no go (but maybe next year, if he gets some time to devote to the project!).
*8) All of this belittles the work I have been doing regarding t-shirts. I realize that may not mean much to you, but for those of us who buy them and use them over and over- and understand what the word piling means in regards to said- I’ve designed a t-shirt comparative. Because if I called it a t-shirt competition, well, where to go from there?
So, as you can see, lots of things going on.
VK3XDK Published in DUBUS 3/2011
VK3XDK, creator of some new “no-tune” transverters for the microwave bands (432 IF) was recently published in the 3/2011 DUBUS to explain and illustrate his 432 MHz, 2.4, 3.4, 5.7 and 10 GHz transverters. He also has a new web address:
Graham has really done a good job with these- the reviews I’ve read have all been positive, and he is currently working on a 1296 bit of kit. Be neat to see what he comes up with!