Microwave Information / LinksI've recently been bitten by the microwave bug after purchasing my first 10-GHz wide-band FM tranceiver that was built by another Amateur. It's slick! The gunnplexer puts out between 30-40 mW (14.7-16 dBm) into a 17-dBi horn. That's just enough for me to have some fun, and I'm looking for other people in and around Albuquerque who might be interested in experimenting with microwaves as well. Parts used to build a microwave station are inexpensive and easily found through many companies or surplus stores. Below is a pic of me operating from atop Sandia Crest (10,590 feet ASL where I stand). You may click it to enlarge.
What can you do with it? Well, working DX with it isn't an option like you may be used to on HF. But what we can do is make contacts bouncing the RF off of the mountains, or by "knife-edging" over the mountains. Or we can bounce the signals off the rain of a distant thunderstorm, called rain-scattering or even get lucky (real lucky here in New Mexico) and use tropospheric ducting. Plenty of microwave contests take place throughout the year, too. The main reasons for operating on the microwave frequencies are experimenting and having fun. And the more people can settle with that, the better the time we will have. Please email me if you are interested, and I hope to hear on you the microwaves soon! Below are some pictures of me operating in the 2001 ARRL June QSO Party from Sandia Crest. Due to a ton of intermod getting into my receiver, the only station I could work was Chris N2YQP, who came up with his gear, too, but was also beaten up by the intermod. The picture on the left is me listening for anyone on frequency in Albuquerque. The picture on the right was taken by Chris N2YQP during our "desperate to make at least one contact" QSO. In the foreground you see his horn antenna, and I am in the background, just about 115 feet away! You may click these pics to enlarge. 
Below you will find some interesting links dealing with microwaves. Enjoy!
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