EME Dual channel Receiver for AdaptivePolarization

Escribió:

> Dear Friends
>
> I'm happy to announce that the long awaited EME Dual channel Receiver for
> Adaptive Polarization is here.
>
> Six months ago I informed about my SDR project. Finally, after more than 1
> year of experimenting with different techniques and building more than 5
> different SDR radios the IQ+ will be soon available.
>
> The IQ+ is a Direct In-phase Quadrature-phase Signal Acquisition receiver
> (DIQSA), capable to work directly from 3.5MHz to 1.3 GHz; the band pass will
> depend on the filters installed. The main characteristic of the IQ+ is a
> Dual channel Receiver with both RX channels locked to the same LO.
>
> No more converters or transverters needed to reach your operative frequency;
> the IQ+ is a direct conversion receiver converting your operative frequency
> direct to audio base band especially designed for 144 and 432MHz (other
> frequencies available under demand)
> Because the IQ+ has two identical RX channels locked with the same Local
> Oscillator ( preserving amplitude and phase) it is especially designed for
> Adaptive Polarization, for JT65 work in conjunction with Linrad and MAP65
> (not MAP65-IQ). It also works for CW with Linrad and many other programs.
>
> The Adaptive Polarization will bring to you an unlimited experience for CW,
> no more "faraday rotation" problems, especially in 50, 144 and 432 MHz .
> Instead of spending thousands of dollars in complicated mechanical systems
> to rotate your antenna array (or feeder in a parabolic dish) you will be
> able to rotate your RX polarization via software.
> For JT65 you will be able to work directly with MAP65 in conjunction with
> Linrad, taking advantage of multiple decoding at different angles of
> reception in 96 KHz band pass. No more limitations like in MAP65-IQ where
> you are limited to one single channel and one single polarization. A great
> advantage for medium and small EME stations where every fraction of dB
> counts.
>
> If your station is already capable to switch from vertical to horizontal you
> just need to add an additional pre-amp with a separate RX line. Together
> with the IQ+ and Linrad you will have a full Adaptive Polarization system in
> less than one afternoon of work.
> I will deliver the IQ+ radios with a step-by-step guide on how to create a
> new system or how to convert your existing system to an efficient Adaptive
> Polarization Station. A CD with a pre-loaded version of Linrad pre-configure
> will save you hours of work to integrate your station PC with the IQ+,
> Linrad, Map65 and any other SDR software.
>
> The IQ+ exists in different versions:
>
> IQ+ V (144-148MHz) Dual channel RX receiver locked with same LO
> IQ+ U (432-435MHz) Dual channel RX receiver locked with same LO
> IQ+ pan: pan adapter single channel RX receiver for those who operate in
> 23cm and up, just introduce the IQ+ pan in your IF line and you will have up
> to 192KHz band width spectrum (limited by your audio card, the internal IQ
> demodulator is capable up to 130MHz band width) Any IF available from 10MHz
> to 432MHz
> IQ+ wide: single channel RX without any kind of filter; capable to work from
> 3.5MHz to 1.3GHz
> IQ+ VU: A dual band (2m and 70cm) Dual channel RX receiver locked with same
> LO (per band) in same box with independent LO's , allow simultaneous
> operation (available only by demand)
> IQ+ TRX: Transmitter board with +20dBm output for 144 and 432 MHz (under
> development for 2012, other frequency by demand)
>
>
> The IQ+ performance is extremely good; with a dynamic range from 103 to 113
> dB it outperforms most of the SDR radios currently on the market. The
> variation on the dynamic range will depend on how you will adjust the
> amplification levels starting from your antenna pre-amp - coaxial
> attenuation-internal preamp and audio card gain (A/D gain). Because in EME
> we work with external preamps it is practically impossible to guarantee a
> fix dynamic range for everybody. For that reason the IQ+ will give you the
> flexibility following a step-by-step guide to adjust the internal pre-amp
> and reach the best dynamic range you may obtain on your particular antenna
> -preamp system from 103 to 113 db (a signal generator will be required, all
> IQ+ are delivered with a pre-calibrated dynamic range in 103 dB).
>
> The IQ+ converts your operative frequency direct to audio base band, has 4
> audio outputs (two I/Q pairs) and for that reason needs an audio card with 4
> audio channels like DELTA44 or MAYA44.
>
> The IQ+ is compatible with more than 10 different SDR programs running under
> Linux, MAC and Windows. The initial prototype (proto1) was intensively
> tested in HB9Q with very good results. In the meantime 2 new prototypes have
> been built and soon proto3 will be sent to Leif (SM5BSZ). With his many
> years of experience he is assisting me in the optimization process. On the
> same way soon I will send a IQ+ unit to Roger (W3SZ) for testing purposes.
>
> The LO of the IQ+ is the Si570BBB from Silicon Labs (special version with
> high stability) giving the "Agility" to change your operative frequency with
> a resolution of 1Hz. Linrad and many other programs can control directly the
> IQ+ LO like PowerSDR, Winrad, CW Skimmer, Rocky, SDR-Radio and other ones.
>
> The IQ+ local oscillator introduces an innovative I2C isolator keeping
> voltages and ground loops completely separate from the PC, eliminating most
> of the artifacts, spur and birdies normally present in a SDR system without
> I2C insulation on the USB port.
>
> If the IQ+ was to be used for Radio Astronomy, an external LO connection
> option is available on demand. It needs only -7dBm power at the double
> frequency of the desired operative frequency.
> The LO stability is great enough for digital modes like JT65 making
> unnecessary any 10MHz external reference and therefore reducing the cost of
> implementation and complexity.
>
> The price and delivery time will be announced end of this June, batches of
> 30 units are programmed and many pre-orders are already in place. For those
> interested in the IQ+ (V and U, other versions later) please place a
> pre-order before June 30, 2011 and you will receive 5% discount.
> Soon I will go online with a home page where you can read more details and
> see some photos of the device.
>
> Last but not least I'm working hard with the various electronic devices
> providers for good prices. So far so good! I am confident that the IQ+ will
> cost less than 650.00 EUR per unit.
>
> Stay tuned
>
> 73 de Alex, HB9DRI