Lets Talk Transverters ...

w1smc

I'm enjoying my 6600M and was thinking of trying out a transverter for 2M but have zero knowledge & experience.

Which transverter are you using and what's your experience with it?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks & 73

Ted VE3TRQ

You can’t go wrong with DEMI, Q5, or Kuhne transverters, although you will need to order them with the right options for input/output and power level. With a 6600 you can use separate instead of combined tx/rx, since it has both transverter A/B and RxA/B input. Nice thing about the 6600 (and 6700), you can do full duplex with multiple transverters.

I think many people have varying success with the cheap(er) Ukrainian, etc. transverters.

KD0RC

I second Ted's comments. I would add that what you plan on doing will drive your decision.

I bought a cheap Ukrainian transverter, and it works great for local repeaters, and most importantly for me, allows me to join weekly 2 meter nets remotely. Now I need to decide if I want to upgrade to a Q5 to get better performance and higher power output, especially for SSB.

If you are not sure about using a transverter, this is a good, cheap way to try it out. Once you get some operating time on it, you can decide if a more expensive unit is worth bringing into the shack.

With your 6600, you can leave one SCU up on VHF/UHF while you operate the other SCU on HF. It also allows easy satellite operation with a VHF/UHF pair of transverters.

Once you can see the signals, it will be hard to go back to a transceiver without a panadapter.

I hope this helps in your decision.

Neil D Friedman N3DF

Q5 Signal transverters (formerly made by Downeaster Microwave) are very well-made, dependable, and are backed by excellent customer service. If you are thinking of more than just checking in with your local repeater, they are the ones to get.

W2ECK

While this tread is active, have a related question. I have often wondered, if one has a stand alone 2m/440 radio in the shack, what are the advantage of installing transverters in a 6xxx ? In that the quality transverters aren’t cheap.

Ted VE3TRQ

For just FM repeater use, I wouldn’t bother with a transverter on my Flex UNLESS I wanted remote access to those repeaters :-) Even for repeater access, the Flex with a transverter makes sense if you travel and want to get on the local repeaters without using IRLP / EchoLink / AllStar.

Of course the REAL advantage of a transverter on the Flex is the panadapter. You get to see all those signals on 2m and 70cm. Plus the receiver on the Flex is better than the average UHF/VHF mobile radio which most of us use. Any mode available on the Flex is available on the transverter.

If you have a 6600 or 6700, you get full duplex with two transverters (although I will admit that there are UHF/VHF radios out there that will also do full duplex).

aa9js

I have two Q5 transverters for use on my 6600M for weak signal work and satellites. They work wonderfully and have replaced by 9700 which has been delegated to a backup roll. The advantages to me are larger display, more functionality, a better receiver, somewhat higher power out and it all integrates very easily. The only disadvantage for me was that the two transverters cost more than a 9700. But, I am about to order two more transverters for 220 and 1296 (for EME) from Q5. Corey makes wonderful stuff and is great to do business with.

Hope it helps.

Gary AA9JS

W2ECK

Gary

what brand and model transverters do you have or about to order ?

73 Paul W2ECK

aa9js

Hi Paul,

I am having the Q5 Signal Model L144-28HP150 and the L432-28HP100. I will be ordering the 50w 220MHz and the 25w 23cm transverters from Q5 shortly. I am thinking about adding a 10GHz Downeast Microwave transporter sometime down the road as well.

Hope it helps.

Gary

aa9js

I should add that using a FlexControl will greatly enhance the experience over a mouse any day of the week.

W2ECK

Gary - thanks for feedback.

73 Paul w2eck

Mike-VA3MW

Also, the 6600M for satellite work is so much fun. You can see all the signals in the downlink passband and quickly find a clear spot or guys calling CQ. Or, those trying to find their downlink signal as they move their transmitter all around. :)

I use SATpc32 to control the radio and it works wonderfully.

Jeff W7NEE

Has anyone had any expeience with the NEW TCXO model by The Transverter store. My understanding is that it is much more stable than the original for 2 meters? I am not very active on 2 meters... however if conditions warrant it from time to time I like to work 2 meters SSB and would like to do so with my 6600. I am also thinking that I do not need an attenuator board.... is that correct?

Thanks for any input you may have!

73 Jeff W7NEE

Mike-VA3MW

If you post some of the technical details of the transverse you are interested it, we can help you out.

How much driver power does it need?

What is the PPM or PPB drift?

73

ambroinaz

I have to do a factory reset of my 6400. Is the transverter configuration settings saved in the profile backups? I have a multi-band Q5 and I'd hate to have to re-set that up after the factory reset...

KD0RC

Yes, it is.

Mark Adams

I'll jump on the Q5 bandwagon. I've been a VHF+ rover for over 20 years and have mostly used Elecraft transverters with a K2 and then a K3. For some years I had a HB 222 unit that was designed by W1GHZ and featured in QST back in 2004-ish? Then last year I got the Q5 222 and 432 transverters. They worked spectacularly well but there was one problem. I should have bought the 5 band unit right from the get-go.

So I sold the single banners and got the 5-bander. WOW! What a beast. With the USB connectivity to the 6500, it is like having a single integrated 160 - 1296 radio. Granted, I'm using this for VHF rover and /p operations.

My other transverters are DEMI units for 2.3, 3.4, 5.7 and 10G. Those will continue to be driven by my K3 as they have a mix of 144 and 145 IFs. I'm sure I can "fix" that by getting a 6700 :-)

Bottom line: you'll likely be 100% happy with the Q5 stuff. I certainly am.

73, Mark K2QO