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Running 2 Transverters full duplex

Steve (N9SKM)
Steve (N9SKM) Member
edited February 2020 in SmartSDR for Windows
So i would rather not buy another rig as im planning on getting started with some Sat work. Buying a couple of transverters and taking advantage of the flex goodness i am okay with. I know we have the Xverter port, Would it also be possible to run one on the ant 2 port? Im assuming the answer is yes (plenty of em can be run on 5w input) but the real question for me is can the VFO be put into a mode where itll read right and ill be able to tune without any math? And can full duplex be run off of 2 different antenna ports (Xverter and Ant2 for example)

Thanks 
KD9CNX

Answers

  • Jon_KF2E
    Jon_KF2E Member ✭✭
    edited July 2018
    Unless you have a 6700 I believe the answer to your question is no. With a 65/6300 you only have one SCU and as a result you can only connect one transverter at a time.


  • Steve (N9SKM)
    Steve (N9SKM) Member
    edited May 2016
    Yeah with one scu that makes sense. Sounds like a ft 847 is in my future. Man i wish someone was making a current rig with similar capabilities.
  • Steve (N9SKM)
    Steve (N9SKM) Member
    edited February 2020
    http://www.flexradio.com/downloads/w5rkn_julyaugust2013withcover-pdf/

    This is an interesting article. Would have to buy a 1500 and 2 transverters tho

  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    "...but the real question for me is can the VFO be put into a mode where itll read right and ill be able to tune without any math?"

    No.  SmartSDR does not have a satellite mode of operation where it compensates for the type of transponders or accommodates for the Doppler shifts.  You will need a third-party application to do that.

    "And can full duplex be run off of 2 different antenna ports (Xverter and Ant2 for example)?"

    Yes, but I would be very hesitant to connect a transverter to an antenna port that has the possibility to frying your transverter.  I would setup the downlink on an RX only port.
  • Luis del MOlino
    Luis del MOlino Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019

    The answer is Yes, you can do sattelites in full dúplex with SmartSDR new versión 1.5.1. With the program SatPC32 configured as it is sending CAT commands to a Kenwood TS-2000, you can use SmartSDR with two transverters and work full dúplex (144 and 432).

    I am using a 6500 and I am receivng through RXA port only and transmiting with XTVR TX port. Both transverters (432 and 144) have TX IF connected in parallell and you can select which one has PTT activated with both connected to 6500 PTTs ports . With 6500 I need an external coaxial relay to select which  transverter RX IF is connected to the single RXA port for reception and show in Slice A.

    If you own a 6700 you can have both transverters connected with one RX IF to RXA and the other RX IF to RXB and do the same transmission in parallell through XTVR ouput, selecting the one to be activated by the concerning panadapter and slice B.

    SATPC32 sends CAT commands to two open slices A and B without any problem and corrects for doppler in RX and TX at the same time on both.

    If you own a 6300 and try do do it with ANT2 or ANT3, you can do it as well, but it is very likely that you will forget someday to reduce power output to 0 and you'll fry your transverter.

    73 Luis EA3OG .

    .

  • KF4HR
    KF4HR Member ✭✭
    edited March 2017
    Tim - Does FRS have any future plans to create software changes that would better accommodate  satellite operations?  It would be nice if we at least had the capability to **** two band slices together in the FDX mode, and have those two slice frequencies track either other (up or down). 

    By the way, best holiday wishes to you and the Flex team!

    Butch
    KF4HR
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    None in the near term.  Regarding long term plans, it is company policy not to speculate or make forward looking statements regarding future hardware products or upcoming software features until they are officially announced.
  • dlwarnberg
    dlwarnberg Member ✭✭
    edited December 2015
    what coaxial relay are you using?  

    Thanks

    David
  • Luis del MOlino
    Luis del MOlino Member ✭✭
    edited December 2015
    As the switch is done in 28 MHz andvery  low power (1-10 mW) you can use the relays you want, but I used:

    Tohtsu cx-600m SPDT Uhf So239 Coaxial Antenna relay

    LUis EA3OG
  • Steve (N9SKM)
    Steve (N9SKM) Member
    edited May 2016
    Yeah so it is possible. As Tim said there is the possibility if an error is made to transmit into the transverter receive. Unfortunately upgrading to a 6500 or 6700 is out of the question (unless someone wants to trade a 6300 and TT eagle for a 6500 HIHI) but in those cases you would just the rx port.

    It will be done similar to whats in this article, I chatted with Ron W5RNK a little bit and he ran his 6300 the way ill end up setting mine up before upgrading to a 6500. The rig will have to be controlled via some software but itll work. I think there will be an updated article before too long on the amsat page. 
    http://www.flexradio.com/downloads/w5rkn_julyaugust2013withcover-pdf/

    Any coax relay will do they run a tad under 100$ at the surplus websites.
    Steve 
    KD9CNX
  • Steve (N9SKM)
    Steve (N9SKM) Member
    edited May 2016
    I appreciate the answer and yes it would be much nicer with the 6500. I dont use ant2 for anything and will be setting up tx profiles and adhering to procedure in order to not **** the Xverter
  • John WA7UAR
    John WA7UAR Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2019
    This link is no longer functional. Does anyone have an updated link? Thank you.

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