Elecraft 2m transverter thoughts and comments.

[VK3MEG]

HI guys i have an elad FDM-DUO sdr and i'm considering the Elecraft 2m transverter. i would love some feed back from those of you that use them. main use would be beacon hunting ssb cw etc mnore rx than tx.
i'm a buyer rather than a builder i have an ic7100 already on 2m/70c this would be in addition to the shack
cheers

[VK4MIL]

Hey Steve,

The XV144 would be a great addition to the shack I like mine it has great ears and is very stable as I use it with my Flex1500 SDR you cannot beat a waterfall for finding signals
But I'm pretty sure you will have to build it though

Cheers
Colin

[VK4CRO]

I used one with my K3 and was impressed with rx
you probably have to build as USD high
regards Ron Cro

[VK1DJA]

I used an XV-144 with a K3 as well. I measured the Noise Figure as 8 dB (I think) that I thought was not brilliant. I might have messed up the construction. They could be available second-hand as Elecraft has since released a 2M transverter as an add-on board within the K3/K3S. I ended up designing and building my own transverter.

For around the same cost ($US400 plus shipping), there are the Kuhne (the cheaper of the two 2M transverter offerings) and the Anglian transverter (from G4DDK). There is minimal construction for the Anglian, just a few components.

Cheers

Dave VK1DJA

[VK6ADF]

Hi Steve, if you are more interested in rx than tx, how about using a converter rather than a transverter. Cheaper than a transverter and probably easier to obtain on the second hand market. When I was using my SDR-IQ I bought a 6m converter and that worked ok. Can't see why similar for 2 and 70cm wouldn't work.

Not answering your initial question I know but just offering other thoughts.

Oh and also a FDM DUO owner of a few weeks.

[VK4CRO]

My Elecraft K3/10 has the 2m t/verter installed And a 2m amp mounted on a Jaycar heat sink whick repaces a
panel on the rear of the K3 where the 100w amp module fits .
Pics explain
73,s Cro

[VK3MEG]

Hi Steve, if you are more interested in rx than tx, how about using a converter rather than a transverter. Cheaper than a transverter and probably easier to obtain on the second hand market. When I was using my SDR-IQ I bought a 6m converter and that worked ok. Can't see why similar for 2 and 70cm wouldn't work.

Not answering your initial question I know but just offering other thoughts.

Oh and also a FDM DUO owner of a few weeks.

thanks phil my 2m use isnt massive one of the ukrainian transverters might be an option . but i'm only testing the waters i have my 7100 for 2m.

btw i'm finding my fdm duo the most used rig in the shack suprisingly with out the water fall display for the majority of time as i find i'm realy an old school ham after all but last night 10m was wide open and the water fall was invaluable. the rx is exceptional and the cw with a winkeyer very good the on screen decoder is exceptional. i hope you enjoy yours there is a very steep learning curve but its all good
cheers
steve
vk3meg

[DJ2TX]

We saw (in JT65a Mode,on the waterfall) 2 people in the last weeks using the elecraft 2m x-verter.
All i can tell you is that these folks had a terrible drift.It was so bad that often they where impossible to decode,even tho the signal was strong.
Not a good thing in my book.
And yes,it was also told that the noise figure of that x-verter is really bad.For example the guys using the 6m x-verter with the K3 all felt so def,that each and every one had to add a preamp.
IMHO i would look for something else for my money.The K3 is on fantastic transceiver,but the x-verters are only usable if ssb and maybe cw is all you do.
As even on tropo JT65 gets more and more use,one would need to modify them.But that drift was so bad,that i really dont know if a crystal heater alone would be enough...
best 73s,
Ollie DJ2TX