[VHFcontesting] 902 vs 903

[Lee Scott - AA1YN]

At 10:54 PM 9/1/2004 +0000, John Wilcox / NS1Z wrote:
>I like to build and am looking at making 90? my next kit. Question is, there
>are two versions: one for 902 and one for 903. I am not too interested in
>building one that I can't use. Why the two versions?


Hi John,

I've been through the dilemma and started with a 902.  The activity in the 
eastern US is on 903MHz but in the west, it is on 902.  There has been a 
lot of talk (no action) on switching the weak signal calling freq to 902 
but it hasn't happened yet. The reason I purchased a 902 rig was that I was 
using a DSP-10 for the IF which made everything transparent. When my DSP 
went south a year ago, I bought an FT817 which made 903 on a 902 rig 
inconvenient as I needed to have the IF at 145MHZ for 903 and 144MHz for 1296.

The only difference between the two rigs is a crystal so if you pick up a 
903 and later on down the road find you need 902, you just re-crystal the 
rig. That is what I did to get a 903 rig but I saved the crystal for 902.




Lee Scott - AA1YN
Home of the VHF & Up Register http://www.aa1yn.com/vhf
Hooksett, NH
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