GB3CCX 47GHz Beacon

Having been informed the beacon was active as of 4th November, I did some path profiles using Mike Willis's software http://www.mike-willis.com/software.html which gave me two local sites to try near Berkeley & Sharpness. Both line of sight and about 40km distance. Nothing was heard from either so on Sunday 6th November I went to Birdlip at about 11km line of site, still nothing heard so I suspected the beacon was not functioning. On Thursday 10th I went to site with the beacon team at Cleeve Hill. Keith (GW3TKH/P at Cefn-y -Gelchen) and I first worked each other on FM at 75km on 47GHz while the guys were looking at the keying line at the beacon. After some testing and small changes the beacon was then heard (at 10m or so!). I then decamped to Birdlip (IO81WU80 where the beacon was heard 599). I then revisited the Sharpness site IO81SR23 where the beacon was again easily readable at 569.

Video from IO81SR23. Frequency shift is FT817 drift. Both the beacon & transverter are GPS locked.

76GHz operating

Keith GW3TKH and I have more or less identical 76GHz transverters (built by Keith). First tests were made from the Foxhunter car park on the Blorenge to the lower car park (about 1km) early this year that was extended to 3km later the same day. We failed on a 40km path over the Severn but succeeded on a 17km path from Newnham on Severn to Frocester Peak. 76GHZ seems a lot harder than 47GHz! Best DX for me so far is Cefn-y-Gelchen - IO81LS to Birdlip - IO81WU working Roger, G8CUB/P.

Power is likely to be in the uW range, Hope to measure it in the near future

 Internals of the transverters