My 222 Transverter

This is Paul Wade W1GHZ's 222 Transverter, that appears in the January 2003 QST.

First, some links:

Here are some photos and light discussion.

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Here it is...FT-817, Transverter, and the power meter for output power measurement.   Note that numerous power measurements were taken on-board (soldering coax in place) during construction.  You're looking at "the whole shack" there.   FT-290Rii for local SSB chatter, DSP-10 for future weak signal experiments.   FT-817 for everything else.  DVM, W7ZOI Power Meter, Frequency Counter, and a Tek 465 O'scope (via eBay) and that's all there is.  Blue wires are Cat-5 / RJ-45 lines back to the computers on the other side of the office.

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A closeup of the transverter.  No major variations to Paul's layout.

Note the missing Mitsubishi Hybrid.  The RF line has been bridged across during testing.  I can still run +10dBm output without it.  That is plenty for alignment / spectral analysis, etc.  Note a torroid on the power line in the upper left.  On the left wall of the box is a 2A fuse, along with an additional spare fuse clipped on (near the top).  Each of the wires from the DIN connectors received heat-shrink tubing prior to installation in the cabinet.  NOTE:  The din-din patch cable has heat-shrink cable over the active pins.  In addition, I would suggest covering the +13.8V DC pin on BOTH ENDS of the cable with a piece of heat shrink.   This helps minimize the possibility that the cable will ever apply a power-ground short through the rig.  Note also that the FT-817's 13.8V ouput pin through the accessory jack CAN NOT supply current for outboard transverters.  (An SMT part inside the 817 will fuse open if you try.  Fortunately I found out about this the easy way).

Power comes in via Anderson Power Pole connectors in the upper left.  I have some neat mounting brackets that allow for chassis-mounted connections.  These power connectors are fantastic.

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Here is a closeup of the apparatus used for power measurements.  My apologies for the cruddy shot.  Hey, it was early.  The W7ZOI / W7PUA power meter is used to measure power.  More accurate measurements are taken by using the DVM output, or the LCD display & code on the PIC processor board behind the meter (but that's another project).  The 40dB tap is terminated with a BNC dummy load.  The measurements to the meter are 40dB lower than actual levels (because +10dBm is just a tad more than what you want to stuff into the meter).  The power meter is in the June 2001 QST, and really should be considered a must-have for the bench.

Feel free to send constructive feedback.  Keep experimenting!

ka7exm at gmail dot com