EME3400 SERIES KITS
- EME3.4G Series Description:
UPDATED! June 2022 - EME3.4G-CV7 Converter KIT:
- EME3.4G-MLT1 Multiplier KIT:
- EME3.4G-AMP1 KIT:
- EME141-3400 PA KIT:
- EME3.4G Transverter Block:
- EME3.4G Oscillator Multiplier Block:
- Changes and Updates:
The EME171B Universal Microwave PC board was designed as a low cost way of experimenting on the microwave bands, and allows various building blocks like Transverters, multipliers, and RF amplifiers to be constructed.
A complete Transverter for 3400MHz can be easily constructed using a number of Kits and components available from Mini-Kits. The picture below shows a prototype chassis with a fully working transverter for 3400MHz. Pipe cap cavity filters are used to effectively filter out image and local oscillator frequencies, allowing IF frequencies down to 144MHz to be used.
The use of Cavity filters using pipe-caps have been used by Hams for many years, and make excellent filters that can be easily adjusted in frequency and bandwidth. They also allow relatively narrow filters to be constructed which more effectively filter harmonics and oscillator noise, allowing low Transverter I/F frequencies to be used. Cavity filters also improve the stability of the design making it easier to mount into a smaller enclosure, compared to printed strip line filters that can radiate RF.
Most of the EME3400 series Kits require at least +10vdc, so that they can easily be used for portable battery operation. Only the EME3.4G-AMP1 Kit has the requirement of +12 volts for it's high 1dB compression Gali-84 amplifier, to produce a clean signal from the transmitter.
The EME3.4G series Kits use modern low noise high gain amplifiers, including the Mini-Circuits Gali, and Avago MGA series, which makes it very easy to now construct a high performance Transverter with fewer devices. A low noise MGA-86563 GaAs MMIC is used for the Transverter receive amplifier, guaranteeing performance and requiring no input matching.
The EME3.4G-CV7 Kit is a simple Up / Down Converter that can be used as the basis to construct a complete Transverter, or Receiver only converter that can be tuned for use between 2700 and 4500MHz. The mixer, filter, and diplexer circuitry is bi-directional and allows the board to be used as a receive downconverter, and transmit up converter to produce a -16dBm output @ 3.4GHz. The pipecap filter is narrow enough to allow an IF frequency as low as 144MHz to be used. The converter board can be used to construct a complete 3.4GHz Transverter as shown in the Block Diagram, and shows which Kit products are required and typical gain and power levels.
This Image shows the component side of a early prototype EME3.4G-CV17 Frequency Converter Kit
This Image shows how the pipecap and the QF0.086 coaxial cable is fitted to an early prototype board. Later EME171B boards have a voltage regulator on the board.
A range of local oscillator multiplier and amplifier filter Kits are available for either construction of multipliers for transverter local oscillators, Beacons, or ATV transmitters. The 3400MHz Multiplier Block Diagram shows which Kits products are required and typical gain and power levels.
- EME3.4G-MLT KIT1 3400MHz Multiplier Kit ( suitable for RX only Converters )
- EME3.4G-FLT KIT1 3400MHz Filter Kit ( Used with the EME3.4G-MLT KIT1 for extra L/O filtering. )
The Image shows the component side of a completed EME3.4G-MLT board
The Image shows a EME171 Version 1 board and how the pipecap is fitted. Later EME171B boards have a voltage regulator on the board.
The Image shows the output from the EME3.4G-MLT Oscillator multiplier board when driven with a +3dBm 561.2MHz input and clearly shows that further filtering is required.
The Image shows the output from the additional EME3.4G-FLT Filter board which cleans up the output producing a clean 3256MHz signal.
The Image shows the frequency response of the filter on the EME3.4G-FLT board. The filter is the same on the EME3.4G-MLT board and with both boards gives good LO rejection at 3456MHz.
-
The Image shows the component side of a completed EME3.4G-AMP board
-
The Image shows a EME171 Version 1 board and how the pipecap is fitted. Later EME171B boards have a voltage regulator on the board.
The Image shows the Frequency response and S21 gain from the EME3.4G-AMP1 Driver Amplifier board.
The Image shows the RF output from the EME3.4G-AMP1 Driver Amplifier board. Further filtering would be recommended to reduce the unwanted outputs.
