<div style="color:black;font: 12pt Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of you are familiar with my portable 10 GHz system .... a DB6NT transverter with a DK2FD 6.2 watt amp on a 65cm dish. Looking back through my documents I see the 6.2 watt amplifier was purchased in early 2004, and although I can't find my original DB6NT information, I think that it was purchased a full year prior to that, 2003 or 2002. In any case, since 2004, my system has been unchanged, aka 16 years or so. Over those 16 years I estimate maybe 7,000 to 10,000 Q's, most during the 10 GHz contest but also including RS Q's, June & September VHF, Aug UHF, and SBMS.
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<div>During last falls 10 GHz contest some commented that my signal wasn't as strong as usual compared to other stations .... not terrible but perhaps noticeably down. I finally got to looking into things and discovered that there is about a 4 dB loss going through the transmit side of the original SMA T/R relay so my 6 watts was maybe around 2 watts. Again, not terrible but noticeable. Receive seems OK, its the transmit side. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">So tomorrow I will replace that SMA T/R relay and see where we stand. </span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I suppose it pays to actually check things out every once in a while, not every 16 years.</span></div>
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<div>73, Jon</div>
<div>W0ZQ</div>
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