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Re: [TenTec] 6M transverter with OMNI 6?

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] 6M transverter with OMNI 6?
From: Steve Berg <wa9jml@tbc.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 22:04:52 -0600
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
I'm the guy with the Elecraft XV-50 and the Omni V on 6 meters.  My Omni 
V has the N4PY chip kit in it, and it has the factory QRP power 
reduction mod, too.

The XV-50 is the only one of those transverters with a way of setting 
the LO on frequency.  The others are set up with a K2 in mind, where you 
program the radio to the proper frequency correction/offset.

I have my transverter set up with separate transmit and receive ports, 
and I use the auxiliary receive port on the Omni V to connect to the 
receiver IF output port of the transverter.  I drive the transmit side 
with only a few watts.  I also run the transverter with my Argonaut II 
QRP rig, and it works very well with that rig, too.  The Omni V has 0DBm 
transverter capabilities, but I had no luck getting them to work with 
the transverter.  The transverter would start to oscillate and the power 
output was enough to blow out the final transistors in my ancient Mirage 
6 meter brick.  I corresponded with Elecraft tech support, and they 
basically recommended that I jumper the transverter to work with greater 
IF drive.  They also gave me some advice on how to trim the heat sink 
insulator to just the right size for the power amplifier module, and a 
different way to wire the SO-239 RF connector in order to make the 
transverter more stable and reduce the transmit flying problems.

I set the receiver front end of the transverter with an Elecraft noise 
generator, and it works very well.  I have not measured the noise 
figure.  I have found that the Omni-XV-50 combination works very well 
once I got the transverter stabilized.  I believe that you can drive it 
with up to about 8 watts without problems.  It has overdrive protection.

I use the Omni's amplifier T/R relay contacts to key the transverter, 
which then keys the Mirage brick.

It works very well, overall.  The Argonaut II has a better noise 
blanker, but the Omni receiver has better bandspread and selectivity. 
For CW I like to use the 500 Hz filter in the NAR slot, and I have the 
auxiliary 1.8 KHz, the 500 HZ, and 250 Hz optional filters in it, too.

I have worked a bunch of DX with the combination, and it has been 
dependable once I worked out the bugs.  I would think that an Omni VI 
would also do an excellent job with the Elecraft transverter.

73,

Steve WA9JML

On 12/19/2010 9:44 PM, Don Jones wrote:
> This past week someone posted a note and mentioned they were using a
> Elecraft XV50 6M Transverter with their OMNI 6 (I think). Anyways I have
> lost the message, I have some questions regarding the hook up of the
> transverter. Does the transverter use low power to drive it? i.e. 1W?
>
> Better yet, what I am up to is adding 6 meter coverage to my OMNI VI. Any
> suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Don Jones KO7i
> Arlington, WA
>
>
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