I want to present my design for a single-dish portable station as described below and partly shown in the pictures. For me it should meet the following requirements:
· Easily detachable construction (transport by car)
· Single offset dish 60cm, dual band feed
· Stable tripod mounting
· Comfortable adjustment of dish heading
· Compact “radio-box” to carry two full-duplex transceivers + SDR
· 12V operation (battery) possibility
A new adapter bracket (picture 1) was constructed to mount the Triax 64 dish in a stable way to the tripod pan-tilt head. The dish's own (elevation)adjustment is fixed and not used. Another bracket (left side in picture 4) is added to carry the plastic box with Mini-GPSDO 27,841846MHz + 30MHz low-pass filter + battery pack 5V.
As my modified Octagon LNB was readily available to be combined with the 5,25 turns LHCP Helix, I choose this for the moment above the patch-feed to be used as dual feed. The Helix/LNB mounting has been improved from the quick-and-dirty tape-construction to the detachable- and adjustable Helix-reflector mounting as shown in picture 2 & 3.
The construction allows also for LNB skew-adjustment rotation at any time. Releasing the two wingnuts (pictures 2 & 3) on the sides will then allow for LNB –focus adjustment, the Helix reflector is moved too. The Helix reflector is held in place also by the front-section of the Octagon LNB.
Last item to be finished is a compact housing for the FT817 (144MHz TX driver) and a TM-455E (435MHz RX). The modified MKU2424A (=B) up-converter will be placed on top. A compact 13.8VDC/22A SMPS supplies the power when 230VAC is available, when not, a 12V gel-battery could be used. Hook-up for SDRplay RSP2 is also foreseen. Hope to work you soon via QO-100 with this portable station!.
I am curious who has similar- or totally different portable constructions, please let us know and show.
73 Ed PA1EW/P