KL7UW
3456-MHZ Microwave
How I got started in microwaves:
In 1970 I attended my first meeting of the San Bernardino Microwave Society in the upstairs
meeting room of a bank in Corona, CA. I learned about them reading in QST of their breaking
the 3300 MHz world-record with a 400+ mile shot up the central valley of California. At that time
the SBMS members used surplus WBFM receivers and tube-type power supplies and AFC
circuits to run low-power klystrons (50-200mw). The club was established by two mw pioneers
in the late 1940's and drew some very talented individuals from the southern calif. defence-
aerospace industry.
At the time I was working as a young engineer for Hughes Aircraft Co. near the LA Int'l Airport
and sharing an beach-front apartment with a fellow worker. My Heath SB-110 was not of much
use without external antennas so I was not very active in ham radio, so I joined the society and
enjoyed vicarously their mw exploits. The single's scene on the the beach...and the blonde that
caught me (for seven years), probably had more to do with my lack of ham activity.
In July, 1971, I went to work out on the high desert for Philco-Ford at the NASA Goldstone tracking
facitily 55-miles north of Barstow, CA. My new boss was a member of the SBMS, Dick, K6HIJ,
who was a senior engineer with Jet Propulsion Lab, the NASA Center that operated the tracking site.
Dick was at one end of the record-shot I mentioned, above.
My job title was microwave engineer. Dick ran the Microwave Test Facility which primarly built and
tested prototype equipment that was to be introduced into the world-wide Deep Space (tracking)
Network. I got to design and build several circuits under Dick's tutelage. We also tested
the DSN transmitter klystrons (10-20 kW), tested the feed-cones for the big dishes, and built custom
waveguide. We had just about every piece of HP mw gear made!
I came on board at Goldstone as the last two Apollo Moon missions were being conducted. Dick
set up a ten-foot comm dish in his yard with a simple circular horn, diode mixer, and signal
generator to pick up the carrier of the Apollo orbiting the Moon. It was pretty neat to hear the
changing doppler as the orbiter circled behind the Moon and the signal dropped out and came
back about 20-minutes later!
I started accumulating some mw parts by joining in the SBMS
surplus hunts in LA and eventually had a simple 3335/3365 MHz
station using a BC-683, HV power supply, 707-B klystron (100mw),
polaplexer feed with homemade diode holder (1N21), and a 6-foot
comm dish. I was able to make one contact in the mid-1970's
with Chuck, WA6EXV and Bill, WA6QYR who were on a foothill of
the eastern Sierra's about 100-miles from me. I had the 6-foot
dish propped up on a wood post I buried in my front yard.
WA6FMX, Gordon, assisted me, providing a 2m liason FM radio for
the shot. That was my only mw contact until many years later.
Photo shows: HW-12, HV Power Supply, klystron, Sixer, and BC-383
with wavemeter, polaplexer feed, and desk mic in foreground.
I had many promotions at Goldstone, working as a mw receiver
engineer with 2-GHz MASER low-noise amplifiers, running a
pilot training program for station operators, and as a project
engineer on the S/X-band experiment on the Mariner-10 Venus
encounter to measure planetary atmospheric density by observing
the differential bending of mw signals at two frequencies.
I finished my Goldstone carreer as the Systems Analyst at the
210-foot "Mars" tracking station. I changed jobs one more time
working at Jet Propulsion Lab in the DSN Engineering Section
in Pasadena from 1976 until 1979 when I moved to Alaska.
Read more about that in my personal info.
Photo of making 3-GHz polaplexers from a can of Coors beer.
Current activity on 3456 MHz:
At this point I am not QRV on 3456, but have two (each) DEM 144/3456 transverters and 20w
power amps. I had not intended to get on this band, but when I picked up two 24-GHz Harmonic
Up/Down convertors, 3456 was the desired first IF.
So, following the philosophy that if you want to open up a new mw band one should have two
stations, I bought two for 3456, as well. Later, I acquired the Toshiba amps as too good a deal
to pass up.
At this point I need to assemble the two transverters and a couple dishes to populate this band in
Alaska. There is burgeoning activity occuring in the Pacific NW on 3456, so I will be looking toward
possibly making a trip down there on a good acivity weekend to get in some operating (eventually
on 3.4/10/24 GHz).
Check back as I add more on here on my progress!
Return to Home Page
I started accumulating some mw parts by joining in the SBMS
surplus hunts in LA and eventually had a simple 3335/3365 MHz
station using a BC-683, HV power supply, 707-B klystron (100mw),
polaplexer feed with homemade diode holder (1N21), and a 6-foot
comm dish. I was able to make one contact in the mid-1970's
with Chuck, WA6EXV and Bill, WA6QYR who were on a foothill of
the eastern Sierra's about 100-miles from me. I had the 6-foot
dish propped up on a wood post I buried in my front yard.
WA6FMX, Gordon, assisted me, providing a 2m liason FM radio for
the shot. That was my only mw contact until many years later.
Photo shows: HW-12, HV Power Supply, klystron, Sixer, and BC-383
with wavemeter, polaplexer feed, and desk mic in foreground.
I had many promotions at Goldstone, working as a mw receiver
engineer with 2-GHz MASER low-noise amplifiers, running a
pilot training program for station operators, and as a project
engineer on the S/X-band experiment on the Mariner-10 Venus
encounter to measure planetary atmospheric density by observing
the differential bending of mw signals at two frequencies.
I finished my Goldstone carreer as the Systems Analyst at the
210-foot "Mars" tracking station. I changed jobs one more time
working at Jet Propulsion Lab in the DSN Engineering Section
in Pasadena from 1976 until 1979 when I moved to Alaska.
Read more about that in my personal info.
Photo of making 3-GHz polaplexers from a can of Coors beer.
Current activity on 3456 MHz:
At this point I am not QRV on 3456, but have two (each) DEM 144/3456 transverters and 20w
power amps. I had not intended to get on this band, but when I picked up two 24-GHz Harmonic
Up/Down convertors, 3456 was the desired first IF.
So, following the philosophy that if you want to open up a new mw band one should have two
stations, I bought two for 3456, as well. Later, I acquired the Toshiba amps as too good a deal
to pass up.
At this point I need to assemble the two transverters and a couple dishes to populate this band in
Alaska. There is burgeoning activity occuring in the Pacific NW on 3456, so I will be looking toward
possibly making a trip down there on a good acivity weekend to get in some operating (eventually
on 3.4/10/24 GHz).
Check back as I add more on here on my progress!
Return to Home Page