6. Measurements
The measurements in this section were performed on assembled kits. There will always be
differences from one kit to the next, due to component tolerances, adjustment differences,
how you wound toroids, etc. In addition, it is often difficult to make good RF measurements.
Therefore, everything you read in this section should be interpreted as an INDICATION
only. Your actual results may (and probably will) differ. The following information just gives
a guide of very roughly, what you might expect to see.
6.1 Equipment
For reference, and for the sake full disclosure, the following equipment was used in making
these measurements:
OWON XS3102A 12-bit 100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope
ADVANTEST R3361C 2.6GHz Spectrum Analyzer with 50-ohm tracking generator
QRP Labs 50-ohm Dummy Load kit http://qrp-labs.com/dummy
XONAR U5 24-bit external USB sound card
Argo and Spectran audio analysis software from http://weaksignals.com
QRP Labs Ultimate3S for test signal generation http://qrp-labs.com/ultimate3/u3s
Simple 14.000MHz battery-powered crystal oscillator signal generator
Two generic yellow DVMs
12V fixed power supply, and variable voltage bench supply
6.2 Transceiver current consumption
The current consumption of your radio may be an important consideration if you intend
portable battery-powered operation. Current consumption depends on supply voltage.
These measurements were carried out on a 40m band version of the kit. They will not differ
much for other bands. The receive current graphs shows measurements with and without
the LCD backlight. The transmit current graph below is measured with the backlight off.
111
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
