I have the 2m IF version. Won't work with the Omni 6. It takes 1 to 10
watts IF drive. I may have abused it but seems like there's not enough
gain in the DC switching circuit so the transmitter stage bias isn't
turned on full from RF drive and so it distorts more than when hard
keyed (which isn't an official option). Antenna switching is with diodes
that cause several dB loss on receive wasting a super good double gate
MOSFET. In urban areas 7 dB NF may be good enough but I'd like to see
better. So I began mods to my transverter to use hard keying and an
external relay. I've had several other ways to get on 6m so finishing
those mods have very low priority. Based on the contacts I've made with
a marginal antenna out to a few hundred miles on a closed band, I think
my FT-857D is doing quite well on 6m. Its not common to find a super
station that I can't hear that can hear my 100 watts so I think it hears
well.
The mixer in a transverter needs only a milliwatt or less drive so the
IF transmitter power above that has to be absorbed in an attenuator.
When testing, I did drive my transverter with a HP608E signal generator
that has a maximum output of 4 or 5 milliwatts. I had to hard key it
with a clip lead. I shorted out the attenuator with another short clip lead.
The Tentec kits were pretty good performance for the bucks they cost.
Far more competitive than those from Elecraft and Down East Microwave,
but the hardware from Down East is most versatile and has just been
redesigned.
73, Jerry, K0CQ
On 12/20/2010 2:24 PM, Don Jones wrote:
Thanks Steve& Jerry for the responses.
Very useful info in both posts as usual.
I am trying to find out a little info about the Ten Tec 1208& 1209
Transverter's too. Are they any good? Do they have similar drive
requirements (10W or less)?
Don Jones KO7i
Arlington, WA
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