Previous Bulletin

We are looking forward to seeing you all this Saturday. Plans are progressing well and we have a few more folks signed up this week. Total about 20 so far so we should have a good showing. I appreciate everyone’s support for this event. I think with the folks coming from the Austin area that we should have a good get together and hopefully combine our efforts to keep the microwave activity moving forward in Texas.

We will start the show at 8AM or so with a fleamarket with coffee and donuts. The weather should be good so one could set up out doors or inside if desired. We can easily set up tables inside at the back of the room if desired.

At 9AM, we will start with antenna gain measuring run by WA5VJB. For now we will have a setup for 10 GHz. If anyone has any additional frequency requests, please let Kent or I know ASAP.

Also starting at 9AM, KC4YOE will be running the test equipment workshop. The equipment will be available all day so don’t worry about getting the time you need to test or analyze what you brought. Between Eric and myself, we should be able to cover network analysis to 40 GHz, noise figure to 10 GHz, spectrum analysis to 26 GHz and hopefully phase noise. Did we miss anything?

Starting at 10 AM, Bob WA5YWC will start off with the 10 GHz roundtable by discussing his 10 GHz portable setup and his plans for building a second portable setup using available Harris surplus equipment. Bob used similar equipment out in California last month loaned to him by Rich KA6NBC. Bob will then open up the discussion to those in the audience. Please feel free to bring your equipment and/or slides for and tell.

At 11AM or so, we will start with the PLL / LO roundtable. I will start off with my results using the N5AC A32 PLL in my 5760 and 10368 MHz transverters. I am sure this could get in to a lengthy discussion, however, please feel free to contribute with your experiences. Once again this will be an open forum so everyone is encouraged to chime in.

At noon, we will have lunch catered by Dickey’s BBQ. Please bring your $10 to help cover the cost of lunch.

At 1PM, we will discuss the possibilities of working the 2012 ARRL 10 GHz and above contest in September out in West Texas. Several of us have already discussed the effort and are quite excited about the DX possibilities. This should be a lot of fun. W5LUA plans to bring 10, 24 and maybe 47 GHz. We have already heard back from W7CS in Tucson, AZ who is excited about our operating in West Texas. Who wants to join us???  

At 2PM, Nx1N will provide an overview of his 10 GHz and below transceiver project. I have also heard from a couple other folks who expressed interest in presenting some short topics. Anyone else?

We will have our last session around 3 PM. This will be a wrap-up session where we discuss moving forward. I have a few thoughts plus we welcome your thoughts and ideas about the day’s activities.

Adjourn by 4PM.

 

Hello NTMS

The next NTMS meeting will be on Saturday November 5th at the St.Barnabas Presbyterian Church in Richardson, Texas. As you may have noticed, we are promoting this meeting as a small Mini Microwave conference in an attempt to bring in additional microwavers from outside the area especially our South Texas RMG folks. The meeting will be a day long event starting out with a microwave flea market with coffee and donuts to help us wake up. We will then have a tune up clinic headed up by KC4YOE which can last as long as need be. Kent WA5VJB has volunteered to do some antenna gain measuring primarily at 10 GHz with other frequencies upon request. We will have a couple of technical presentations / work sessions in the morning followed by a catered BBQ lunch from Dickeys. In the afternoon, we will have a couple of additional presentations / brain storming sessions with wrap-up by 4 PM. We are still looking for volunteers to do some additional short or moderate length talks.

The tentative schedule is as follows.

• 8AM    Fleamarket and coffee and donuts – Inside and Outside tailgating
• 9AM   Welcome, Introductions of attendees and overview of the day’s schedule
• 9AM   Tune-Up workshop till ? – KC4YOE
• 9AM    Antenna gain measuring – WA5VJB (Weather permitting)
• 10AM  10 GHz Roundtable – Hosted by WA5YWC
• 11AM  LO & PLL Roundtable  – Hosted by W5LUA
• Noon    Lunch catered by Dickey’s BBQ
• 1PM     Proposal for the 2012 ARRL 10 GHz and Above Contest Sept weekend
• 2PM     Overview of Nx1N’s 10 GHz and below transceiver project
• 2:30PM    Open for other short topics – Any volunteers?
• 3PM     General Discussion
• 4PM     Conference ends

The 10 GHz roundtable will be started off by WA5YWC who will demonstrate his portable 10 GHz set-up plus share some ideas on a new system he is working on. Others are welcome to bring their systems and demo or discuss with the group.  

The LO & PLL segment will start with me showing the phase noise results of my 5760 and 10368 MHz systems using the N5AC A32 PLL board. This session is also open for others to contribute their thoughts and present their work.

The first afternoon session should also prove very interesting. As WA8RJF and I made our “road trip” in October of 2010 to MUD in southern California, we passed through some fantastic terrain in West Texas which prompted us to consider trying to operate from some of these “mountain” locations in the second half of the 2012 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest. Knowing that it should be a lot cooler in West Texas in September, might make for some interesting long haul 10 GHz contacts with a little camping thrown in….We have already starting throwing around this idea amongst some of the locals here and it seems this might be a good motivator for us….I for one will also bring 24 and 47 GHz…Should be fun.

The Northern Lights Radio Society have had good luck with a similar yearly event called “Aurora”. Bob and I wanted to give it a try and see if maybe the NTMS needs to migrate  to something similar. So when it comes to the General Discussion time slot, we will appreciate your input. In these times, when attendance is decreasing at most radio events, we need to look for possible change that can help rejuvenate the masses. We want to keep you coming to the meetings and sharing your ideas and operating our microwave bands.

We would like to hear back from you. We hope you can attend even if it is for a short while. You are certainly welcome to attend only part of the event if you can not be with us all day. The only request is that you RSVP if you are coming and if you want the lunch, please send me a $10 check made out to the North Texas Microwave Society. Otherwise bring $10 to the event but you must RSVP so we know how much food to order. My address is

Al Ward

2306 Forest Grove Estates Rd.

Allen, Texas 75002

In addition, if you plan on bring a rig to test or troubleshoot, please mention the frequency and the type of measurement you may be interested in.

See you soon.

Best 73

Al W5LUA NTMS President

Bob WA5YWC NTMS Vice President

October 22, 2011

 

Roger, N5PGH, Presenting his LC Meter project

 

N5PGH, LC Meter Circuit board

 

N5PGH, Finished LC Meter

 

Dave, WW2R, showing his version of digital power meter from QST article

 

Internal view of WW2R digital power meter

 

Front Panel view of WW2R Digital Power Meter

 

WW2R, Digital Power meter rear view

Dave, WW2R, showed off Elecraft power amplifier

Douglas, KA2UPW, & Kent, WA5VJB demoing Funcube Dongle Pro and software by receiving W5HN 432 and 902 beacons

 

Al, W5LUA, presenting talk on MDS (Minimum Discernable Signal) measurements.  Bring your radio to the workshop at Bob’s, WA5YWC, QTH in April