Q5 Signals Multi Band Transverter

Mike-VA3MW

Thanks to Corey at Q5 for getting me this transverter quickly. It was so well packed and an amazing piece of work.

http://www.q5signal.com/

This is a 5 band transverter in a single box that works so well with any Flex 6000 series radio. If you are ordering one, you want these settings. If you want Split IF, you can have that as well, but I was good with common IF.

If you want it for 440 FM, give him a call to discuss your options since you will want about 10Mhz band spread. The Flex transverter port can handle that, but there are transverse limitations.

The transverter also makes use of the USB port on the back of the radio to handle automatic band changing. Cable included all ready to go.

Now, I can be on 1.8Mhz all the way to 1296Mhz with a neet and tidy station. You can even hide this in another room or close to the antennas making it XYL friendly.

Hal Massey

That looks sweet. Congratulations on your new arrival.

KD0RC

DC to Daylight!! Very cool Mike!

Dan Moore

Is there a single antenna that works on all these bands ?

Bill AB7AA

Either a Create Designs CLP5130 Log Periodic or various Discone antennas.

Bill AB7AA

KD0RC

An all band antenna could be made to work, but after spending over $2,000 for the transverter (plus whatever you have in Flex gear), a compromise antenna seems like a waste.

Having said that, a discone or something to give a quick omnidirectional view of band activity might not be a bad idea...

Ken Wells

Q: "Is there a single antenna that works on all these bands ?"

Well, yes... Discones and Log Periodics.

But, "Is there a single antenna that works WELL on all these bands?"

Probably not....but single-band long yagis or quads are available that out-perform any multi-band antenna on these bands.

John KB4DU

A log periodic is an antenna that doesn’t work very well over a broad range of frequencies.

Ken Wells

Well......a LP is better than a discone. LOL.

However, my Tennadyne T-11 LP performed somewhere between a 2 element and 3 element yagi, on all bands, 20-6 Meters with pretty good F/B ratio. (I agree, 3 elements on 10 or 6 is not a high-performance antenna.)

It held its own pretty well against my buddy's TH11DXX on 20 and 18 Meters, but on 10 he had 5 elements and waxed my tail! (Besides, he was at 60 ft. and I was only at 38 ft.)

If a T-28 or something like that was the ONLY VHF/UHF antenna I could put up, I might get one, but it is so easy to get higher gain stuff on VHF/UHF it seems a waste.

Bill AB7AA

Each one's choice of LPDA or high gain Yagi depends on their use. I have both and find that much of the time the LPDA is the better performer because the long boomers are much too directional. If communications are required for DX stations in a narrow direction, obviously the Yagi is best. On local nets some stations are too weak to be worked by them and the LPDA performs better. It is interesting to view both antennas on separate Flex panadapters (2x 6700's) and see most signals (obviously from different directions) stronger on the LPDA.

Bill AB7AA

ambroinaz

I didnt realize that Cory provides that USB/Serial cable for band switching! What did you have to do on the Flex side to get that working for auto-band switching

Andy K7AMB

Mike-VA3MW

https://www.flexradio.com/documentation/usb-cable-interface-guide-pdf/

Butch

Ideally single band long boom yagi's for each of these 5 bands would be great, assuming you have the tower and mast real estate.

KF4HR

Mike-VA3MW

There are many Log Periodic 144-1296 Beams available. I have the one from Wimo.

They give you pretty good performance though.

Paul Christy

I have a problem with this tranverter that's been present ever since I bought it. I think Corey doesn't think it`s him and I agree. When I go to 144 and transmit, the repeater doesn`t hear me. Then I switch to 440, but don`t transmit or do anything. Then I switch back to 144 and it works. Any one else notice this? Seems like the TX1 line doesn`t work the first time around.

Mike-VA3MW

Can you post screen shots of SmartSDR while you are trying to do this. Often, we see that the offset is set incorrectly.

We want to see the shot when it isn't working and a shot of it when it is working.

dale0131

I've been looking at this transverter. It's pricey until you start looking at the alternatives. So, questions:
1. Can it easily be used for satellite work?
2. I assume a USB parallel cable can seamlessly switch between transverters with the proper application of magic on the Flex side.
3. How much of 70cm and 23cm do you get?

Mike-VA3MW

This is by far the best transverter out there. Great performance numbers. Well built and has the cleanest RF out. You do get what you pay for.

1. Sort of. It does not run Full Duplex, so you need some other receiver path. Personally, I use a VHF and a UHF transverter at the same time.
2. Yes, thanks the the USB to Bit Map switching.
3. Ask Q5 signals for the operation bandwidth. UHF is a bit tougher since it requires up to 20Mhz of bandwidth.

73

Doug Allen

I've been using the Five Bander, S/N 115, for well over a year with five separate yagis on a 66' tower and above tree line on all the bands. It interfaces easily with my FLEX 6500. From my hilltop here in northwestern South Carolina, I've worked over 700 miles to New England and Ontario with it on 144, 222, and 432. It's very stable, and I've even worked FT-8 successfully on 1296. Great performance and great assistance by Corey at Q-Five.

Doug K4LY

dshvidchenko

Hi guys! I see that this topic is almost 2 years old... But... I've just got my Q5 multiband(with split IF), FTDI USB cable, DIPS, and trying to set it up with Flex 6700. I do have 2MLDPA and it works great.

My first step is to setup 6700, 5BVUXHP using FTDI USB cable (without DIPS and 2MLDPA). I saw that post - SmartSDR USB Cable Interface, but it doesn't help me to make 6700 PTT the transverter on 144, and it doesn't switch transverter bands.

Any help on how to set it up would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks Dmitriy KC3UTT

Erika - KØDD

I know this is a long in the tooth thread, but I thought I would pipe in my experience and throw out my opinion. In my youth… I ran with a group of VHF/UHF contest types. Guys who were EME ops, VHF/UHF DXPeditioners, who also are at the top of the 222 WAS and DXCC standings for instance. I learned a lot about setting up performing terrestrial stations, and some EME stuff and Contesting. We flirted at our farm in the latter 80's with dedicated towers for 432-144-and 50MHz with tower top preamps and Heliax runs for both transmit and Receive lines as the towers were spread out hundreds of feet. I had discreet transverters for the bands, and in my previous station from this one had modified my Yaesu 736r at each module by opening each up and bringing out separate receive lines. I had built a three band 432-222-144 preamp box for the tower top and switching the preamp on and off on the 736r would engage the preamp for that band. The 736 is history, But I still have a new stack of ARR preamps and individual sequencers sitting on my shelf. OH and that box I was building.

I have held a brand new 5 band Q5 Signal transverter in my hands, and it is a sweet looking device. It is my first choice for a single tower system as I had at my last house and this one… I'm only on 6m right now, but on a planned buildup to get back on VHF and UHF. Sooooo What do I have to say? If you are thinking maximum performance and your antennas are going to go up 60 feet or so. Or your tower is going to be any distance from the shack….. Your systems' noise figure is going to be "set" by your feedline… My last station came off the POWER AMPS, direct to a lightning panel and right outside the shack to the tower straight up. If I remember correctly… AH BRB let me go look at that preamp system… I never got it up on the tower before life got in the way and I've since done a bit of cannibalizing when needed.

Two runs of 7/8" heliax 222 and 432MHz went up the tower to the top with a 1/2" helix up the center for 2m. The plan was the

preamp would slide over the cable ends and come up through the box and **** on to the coaxial relays mounted through the box top. Relay Common went out the top, and went to an LMR400 rotor loop then up the mast to the phasing line sections, then Heliax 4-50 ultra flex which allows the tight bends to keep the lines close to the masts, and booms out to each driven element. The coax bottom hole just clears the type N connector straight in and screws to the NO on the Joslyn 28v relays. The relays get power OFF for TRANSMIT and power on pulls the relay in for receive. The squencers separate all the rig PTT, coax switching, transverter, and amp. not necessarily in that order. Doubtful I would use the FLEX as a sequencer. I've had way too many times that section of rig setup has deprogrammed itself and I lost an in shack brand new preamp for 6m a few years ago because first night everything was fine, shut off rig and didn't verify the settings the next morning and poof there went a day old preamp.

Since I never got this preamp finished I've parted out cables and other things from it… But brought it up from the basement to start working on it again. For EME you don't necessarily need band pass filters for out of band ****… But one friend has 222 and local tv issue. But for terrestrial in town, you might want to spend additional $$$ and get fancier custom built preamps with receive BPF in them. Then ran down from the Receive outputs on the preamp bottom LMR400 runs down the tower to the shack in and right to the transverter receive input.

All My antennas had at least 18 elements or more. I built my own 36 432 stack at the farm, but bought M2 for this last house. a single 222 big guy and a pair of cushcraft 18 elements 2m. I never got the single 6m in the middle, but ended up taking down all the vhf and UHF and did a big 6m stack at that house. The farm I did moon rise 2m EME on occasions. Some pictures on my Facebook page. Email if you want to build some big stuff.
Soooo, I would say you could do common receive and transmit between the rig and transverter. BUT I would have the separate receive inputs installed on the transverters per band. It does take sequencing though. No break-in keying on serious T & EME. I built this box back in 2004. and it has been in a tub in storage ever since. 8x8 x4" steel raintight enclosure.

Erika DD