Amateur Radio In The

Bands Above 1 GHz

Brian Yee, W6BY

Winter 2017

What is this microwave stuff anyway?

We may define it as:

– Everything above 300 MHz (Wikipedia)

– Everything above 1 GHz (little or no

commercial gear available)

– Everything above 3 GHz (0.01 meter)

– Frequencies where lumped elements

become impractical

And it is not always line of sight (10 GHz record is 1700 miles)

Amateur Radio Microwave Frequencies 1240 – 1300 MHz (60 MHz)

2300 – 2310 MHz and 2390 – 2450 MHz (70 MHz)

3300 – 3500 MHz (200 MHz)

5650 – 5925 MHz (275 MHz)

10000 – 10500 MHz (500 MHz)

24000 – 24250 MHz (250 MHz)

47.0 – 47.2 GHz (200 MHz)

75.5 – 81.0* GHz (excludes 76 – 77 GHz) (4.5 GHz)

119.98 – 120.02 GHz (40 MHz!)

142.0 – 149.0 GHz (5 GHz)

241.0 – 250.0 GHz (9 GHz)

All above 300 GHz

– For a total of more than 20 GHz!

Why Get Into Microwave?

You might be interested in microwave if:

– You like something different from HF or repeaters

– You like to build things (including test equipment)

– You have limited antenna space or have

antenna restrictions

– You like to experiment with wide band modes or

digital modulation

– You like backpacking, portable or mountain-topping

– You like to push the limit of what can be done

– Enhance your professional career

How much activity is there?

Clubs:– Local: 50 MHz and Up Group

– Out of area: SBMS, NTMS, Northern Lights, Pakratts, etc.

Activities:– House to house communication

– Local beacons and linear translators

– Microwave activity days

– Conferences (Microwave Update, various local conferences)

– Moonbounce (EME)

– Nets, email reflectors

– Cactus Intertie repeater system (a Bay-Net sponsor)

– Microwave contests

Contesting

Various contests throughout the year include: VHF/UHF contests, spring and fall

SBMS 2 GHZ and Up in May

June Contest

10 GHz and Up Contest (two weekends in Aug and Sept.) –biggest turnout

EME contest in October

Stations can generally broken down into

these categories: Hilltop

Rovers

Home stations

Contesting: Hilltops

Frazer Peak, 8000 Ft ElevationDave AF6KD on Mt. Diablo

California is blessed with

numerous accessible

mountain peaks with great

views and good RF paths

Steve

KB8VAO

Contesting: Rovers

Randy W3RWN in 100 degree heat

Tomato truck hazard:

Pat N6RMJ near Kettleman City

Roving gives you the

opportunity to explore new

places and radio paths.

W6BY, N6RMJ, N6NU on Highway 5

Some other activities

Jamesburg Earth Station Maker Faire

Okay, so how do I get started?

Join an email reflector

Attend a local club meeting

Find an Elmer (many can test things for you and educate you on how things work)

Tag along on a contest or microwave activity day

Gather some parts together and just build something (swap meets, surplus stores)

Put a rig together! (It’s about as hard as building a two tube transmitter of the 60’s)

Do I need fancy test equipment? No!

Get on the air!!

50 MHz and up Group www.50mhzandup.org (meets first Thursday of the

Month at TI auditorium)

San Bernadino Microwave Society (SBMS) http://ham-radio.com/sbms/

Paul Wade’s web page http://www.w1ghz.org/

Downeast Microwave http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/

Kuhne Electronic http://shop.kuhne-electronic.de/kuhne/en/shop/amateur/

ARRL UHF/Microwave Experimenter’s Manual

ARRL UHF/Microwave Projects

Dubus Magazine http://www.dubus.org/

Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)

http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/presentations/AF6NA/

exciting_10ghz_world-af6na.pdf

References

http://www.50mhzandup.org/http://ham-radio.com/sbms/http://www.w1ghz.org/http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/http://shop.kuhne-electronic.de/kuhne/en/shop/amateur/http://www.dubus.org/http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/presentations/AF6NA/�exciting_10ghz_world-af6na.pdf

Thank you!