VK3 Microwave Activity Day 25 May 2024 with Quansheng UV-K5 & tripler

Using a Quansheng UV-K5 with a frequency tripler to make FM, AM and even DSB contacts on 23cm. Contacts up to about 70km were made. Stations worked included: VK3s IE, XI, ACR, BCU, BRT, DXE, JMA, KRD & VRS.
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[@SawdustSoftwareSiliconChippy]

Using the chopping board, is another play on your 'bread board' construction technique. And excellent results, recorded by VK3VRS! Another impressive presentation! --... ...-- -.. . ...- -.- -.... .- .-- -.-

[@m0dad]

Excellent video Peter. Amazing results with such a low cost station. This is something I was interested in years ago but never managed to get on 23cm`s. You made it look so easy. Its nice to watch your video to see how you have done it. Thanks for sharing...David M0DAD.

[@jasonsnyder9394]

Nicely done Peter! Brilliant as always. I'm interested in your frequency multiplier and think your are on to something for sure and a great way to get some more on SHF. 73 Jason, WV3V

[@Paul_VK3HN]

Who would have thought you could get on 1296 with such a simple effective and low cost portable station! The separate Rx and Tx antennas is brilliant, you avoid the difficult problem of feeding switching, and losses. As is the rebuilt varactor multiplier. Clever and creative as usual. And who needs to.mute the receiver? 😂 Maybe write up for SPRAT or another esteemed publication? 😉

[@steven-george]

I was SWL on 70cm, seems like a really good day. It really seems like microwave is getting popular now.

[@nine7295]

There is a Russian ham who has modified the K5 into a real 1.2GHz radio (hardware changing the filters). I hope Peter will give that a try!

[@digitalmediafan]

Can you give any links etc please ?

[@vk3ye]

@@digitalmediafan Might be this: www.cqham.ru/forum/showthread.php?46386-Quansheng-uv-k5-%ED%E0-%E4%E8%E0%EF%E0%E7%EE%ED-23cm-1297-MHz&s=de6c7f5e19f85f22862513c000021b17

[@nikpresservk3ba779]

Very good Peter 🙂 Unfortunately I didn't get to work you on the Saturday, although I heard a few others working you - I was about 15km west of Geelong. Cheers, VK3BA

[@ScottEvans-vk7hse]

Next time you are visiting Hobart, there's a 23cm net every Sunday morning at 10am on 1296.150MHz FM basically everyone is horizontal polarised and pointing to Mt Wellington (passive reflector)

[@jemussi7842]

Thanks for the interesting video. Was the use of two antennas motivated by the need to reduce feeder loss by having shorter coax cables? Presumably one could mitigate this in a one antenna design by adding an LNA and perhaps afilter before the rtl-sdr and using the bias tee to power it.

[@vk3ye]

Switching at microwave frequencies is difficult without loss and it's easier to use two antennas.

[@foxbat888]

Would be interesting to see if you could get some longer range contacts due to tropospheric ducting when the weather is right

[@jkara7843]

Peter your cap is gonna become a must among Hamenthusiats

[@pixeluser175]

@jkara7843 His bean?

[@jkara7843]

@@pixeluser175 caaappp !

[@marcosbazzo]

Nice experiment. Here in my region, we don't have a single operator at this band. I have a homebrew equipment for 23cm but, useless.

[@VK2AAK]

If there was a viable, inexpensive radio that would do 23cm FM off the shelf with reasonable performance, they would sell in droves. We really need to vastly improve activity on 23cm to justify the 60 MHz of spectrum allocated to us. Imagine a small, inexpensive, low power FM 23 cm transceiver with analogue (FM) TV capabilities.

[@calibre_au6183]

How accurate is the frequency tripler ? Do you get exactly 3 times the input in Mhz ?. How do you know exactly where you are transmitting ?

[@vk3ye]

Yes the output is exact. The RTL SDR receiver is quite accurate, especially after a warm up period.

[@martindx1120]

i would be weary of transmitting that close to the SDR as it can fry the front end of it, if not careful..

[@kasunmaduranga1443]

❤ 4S6OMT