EMRFD Message Archive 10495

Message	Date	From	Subject
10495	2014-11-26 16:59:55	Donald Kelly	EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
I expect many have received the promotion from mini circuits. Don K5UOS To show our appreciation for your help in making 2014 a year of growth for Mini-Circuits, we're announcing a special Holiday Season Discount. Throughout the month of December, all online orders of any quantity of any Mini-Circuits catalog model from our web store on minicircuits.com will receive a 10% discount! This includes all of our latest releases from tiny MMIC amplifiers and LTCC components to portable test equipment and our new high-power rack mount amplifiers. The discount applies to all models listed on our website for all quantities and prices as shown, and there's no limit on the number of eligible orders in December. The offer expires on December 31st, 2014, so don't miss out! We appreciate your business over the past year, and we look forward to supporting your success in the New Year to come. From all the members of the Mini-Circuits team to all of you, our customers, we wish you a very happy, healthy holiday season! Warm regards, Harvey Kaylie Founder and President Mini-Circuits
10498	2014-12-01 19:27:11	dudelucky583	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Hello - my first post; I am starting to amass a junk bin with parts to build DSB phone QRP rigs (40M for now) and am looking for any sources of Mini Circuits TUF-1, SBL-1, and/or ADE-1 and any other component type mixers that could be used as combination modulator/demodulator in the receiver and transmitter as has been done in many designs in EMRFD and other excellent sources. I'm starting with a direct conversion rig similar to the Beach 40/Micro 40 from Peter Parker VK3YE -- if you are reading Peter, thanks for your great contributions to DSB QRP!.  I think I have most of the usual links for suppliers with these parts, but I may have missed some. I'm not finding much on these parts in eBay.   I will probably end up making a discrete diode gilbert cell equivalent (or NE602 if I must) if I can't find a source with reasonable prices, so no worries if nothing comes to mind.  I'm leaning toward all discrete design but may have to make compromises. Every once in awhile I read an article (elsewhere) where a builder says "I used a TUF-1" -- but no reference to WHERE, how much, etc.   Perhaps there are more suitable parts Mini Circuits makes for this application I could use to widen my search ?? Thanks to  Don K5UOS for the heads up on the Mini Circuits sale. Ronan/KB6NHQ
10499	2014-12-01 19:48:15	Clint	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
The Mini Circuit mixers are available on eBay from time to time.  You have to check availability on a regular basis.  The ADE-1s are available from Dans Small Parts – his web site is closed until the first of the year.  You can also buy direct from Mini Circuits.   73 Clint W7KEC
10500	2014-12-01 19:54:53	Dave	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Ronan:   Being in the USA, you can order the mini-circuits parts directly from their website at It is generally better to order 20 rather than 2 or 3 due to their weird pricing.  For example, the ADE-1 is $14.95 each in qty 1, but $2.39 in qty 20!  Dave - WB6DHW
10501	2014-12-01 21:21:19	Ronan McAllister	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Thank you Clint! Any feedback from anyone who has built and compared discrete balanced modulators/demods/mixers ("ring" types) using 1n4148 etc to compare against the Mini Circuits modules -- for HF use (40M,80M use and other bands 3-7mhZ?  I am wondering if the Mini Circuits parts aren't overkill for my QRP rig, others have successfully used el-cheapo discrete diode designs, this is for low parts count, field use, with the hope of low parts count and price. Appreciate the help! Ronan
10502	2014-12-01 22:42:49	billw77aaz	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
harborcityelectronics has one SRA-1 level 7 (+7 dBm LO) diode mixer left on eBay for about ten bucks. W7AAZ
10503	2014-12-02 02:19:58	Clint	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Here is a link to a good article about testing results from discrete and packaged double balanced mixers.   http://users.tpg.com.au/nfieraru/Electronics/DoubleBalancedMixers.htm   The packaged MCL units have quite a bit better performance than a discrete parts unit, plus they take up a lot less physical space.  In my testing on an Atlas 210X transceiver, I have found the ADE-1 mixer to be the best unit when used with a DDS VFO to drive the mixer – a lot less spurs.  The ADE-1 unit is also the lowest cost of the available packaged mixers.   73 Clint W7KEC
10504	2014-12-02 05:08:21	Dean Blake	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
10505	2014-12-02 07:55:43	Dale Hammer	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Another source for Mini Circuits mixers is at the Dayton Hamvention in May.  I have purchased tubes (20 per tube) of, SRA-11, SBL-1, TFM-2, and JMS-1 for $20 per tube.  Mini Circuits has had a booth inside for several years.   73, Dale  K9NN
10506	2014-12-02 10:05:52	Ronan McAllister	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Thanks much (and to all) -- very helpful!
10507	2014-12-02 10:07:47	Ronan McAllister	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Thanks for your help.  I've ordered the SRA-1 you pointed me to -- I appreciate it! This will give me some time to "back peddle" and carefully digest the 5.13 chapter in EMRFD and will give me a "baseline".   As I haven't yet found nor built RF instruments to design/test mixers, I think it's smart to use a commercial part for this critical function and to avoid disappointments in my early experiments. 73s, Ronan/KB6NHQ
10508	2014-12-02 10:10:10	dale_k7eky	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
DigiKey has gilbert cell mixers in the 8soic package for under five bucks.  If I remember correctly they were a SA604 or SA614.   Using 1N4148 matched the best I could, in comparison to ADE-1 mixers, the ADE-1 were 3 to 6 db quieter in the 7Mhz range and performen considerably better in the 30Mhz range,  The mixers were used in a W7ZOI/KK7B DC receiver from EMRFD.   For me the biggest drawback to the ADE-1 is the size since my hands don't work as well as they once did.  For the price the ADE-1 mixers are a winner. Dale
10509	2014-12-02 12:13:18	billw77aaz	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
> Thanks for your help. I've ordered the SRA-1 you pointed me to -- I > appreciate it! > > This will give me some time to "back peddle" and carefully digest the 5.13 > chapter in EMRFD and will give me a "baseline". As I haven't yet found > nor built RF instruments to design/test mixers, I think it's smart to use > a > commercial part for this critical function and to avoid disappointments in > my early experiments. > > 73s, > Ronan/KB6NHQ My heart sank when I saw multiple people talking diode mixers and only one of those left. "Anything" that's nonlinear can combine signals and LO and make an i.f. signal. Optimizing one is a BITCH! I'm sure you are 1000% better off to delay mixer construction until you have something to compare it to. Have fun. Bill
10510	2014-12-02 13:42:32	Ronan McAllister	Re: EMRFD: Mini Circuits sale
Ah if i were only so lucky as to be near that OH event.   "Stuck" (by choice haha) in the Sierra Nevada Calif. Foothills I am going to avoid building discrete mixers for now leaving diy mixer construction  to experts herein and MCL I did order one of those JMS-1s today from eBay along with the one SRA-1 (thanks W7AAZ) and I may get one or two of those HP parts mentioned in the mixer comparison the HSMS-2829 ( this is an interesting page Clint/W7KEC suggested - thanks) to play with. From that page I could not help notice the HP part HSMS-2829 results are worth looking into.  I don't have the good rf spectrum analyzers generators etc for design .   appreciate your kind suggestions and feedback! in any event I'm sure I'll use these modules somewhere. Cheers kb6nhq  ----------- Another source for Mini Circuits mixers is at the Dayton Hamvention in May.  I have purchased tubes (20 per tube) of, SRA-11, SBL-1, TFM-2, and JMS-1 for $20 per tube.  Mini Circuits has had a booth inside for several years.   73, Dale  K9NN