Filters for AR8600 and AR7030 Arrived.

Two new Collins Mechanical filters have arrived.

A 2.5kHz SSB filter for the AR8600. This will be mounted in the Mk 2 I have, and is intended for use as back-end for some microwave converters/transverters. Initially the main use will be for the QO100 reception system on 10.489GHz, down converted to 739MHz, and probably switchable to the 10.368GHz down converted to 618MHz.

The original SSB filter in the AR8600 is not very good, the main weakness is a poor selectivity, resulting on poor rejection of the unwanted sideband. The SSB filter should solve that problem.

A quick alignment of the AR8600, especially of the BFOs for SSB, and the D/A converter for the fine frequency steps.

Now I need to make space on the lab desk for doing this, so a bit of tidying is in order. 

The CW 500Hz filter will go into the AR7030 receiver for HF ... well, 15kHz - 32MHz. This is a very nice receiver, albeit with a relatively high current consumption.

The AR7030 also needs a replacement of the backup battery. Yes, with time the batteries go empty. I have a few other radios and other stuff that needs new backup batteries, but this one comes first.

This year, I suspect, will be a year for getting much more of the equipment I have up and running for my propagation monitoring system and some of the microwave activity. So maintenance, repair, and renewal is on my program, as well as some building projects.

Last year's challenge was operation, so I did not write so much about "working a QSO a day" or so. This year I will write more about my progress or completion of many projects, large and small.