10/06/2005 | N2UO This was my very first 10 GHz contest and 10 GHz experience. I finished building my transverter just hours before the contest. The first weekend was not very successful with only 3 contacts, and very thick fog up on Camelback, PA. I could not see more than a few feet away, and I was not sure if I was shooting through trees or not. I later discovered a problem with the antenna that explained the poor performance.

The second weekend was completely different. I worked 25 more stations, some almost 400 km away, for a total of 28 QSOs and an accumulated distance of 5942 km. Sometimes I could hear better on 10 GHz than on 2 meters. Three random rain scatter contacts made the weekend even more exciting. The second weekend I operated on Saturday from Camelback Mountain, PA (FN21HB) and on Sunday from High Point, NJ (FN21QH). Both sites have lots of vegetation that complicated some of the contacts.

Overall, my brand new homebrew system worked well. I run 20 W from a TWTA into a 40 inch dish. The transverter was made with surplus and homebrew connectorized modules, and the tripod was made with plumbing fittings and water pipes. The investment was minor as I purchased most of the parts at hamfests, swap meetings or scrap metal yards. The dish was free for the taking. 73, Marc -- N2UO