2025 Annual Summer Tune-Up Clinic and Cookout
RSVP is required if you plan to stay for lunch!
RSVP here
When: Saturday, August 2, 2025–8 AM through early afternoon
Where: Prouty Park, West Bloomfield, NY (Daylight Dr, south of the West Bloomfield town hall)
Precise location: FN12fv57bo
Who: All members, prospective members, and guests who have things to test, or want to watch and learn about VHF/UHF/microwave equipment building, calibration, antenna testing, etc
The summer Microwave Clinic provides you with opportunities to:
- Get guidance on construction–perhaps the last step or two to finish a project
- See how others have built their gear
- Get on the air and make a contact with a newly built or tested piece of gear! Toronto-area ops are often active on 10 GHz during this event and the path to that area is great from the park shelter!
- Measure the noise figure of your preamps/LNAs and transverters up through 10 GHz!
- Measure the power output of your microwave gear and optimize drive settings (bring what you need--IF radio, cabling, etc)
Antenna Range
Measure your antennas on K0SM’s antenna range, from 902-24+ GHz
- Learn how antenna measurements are performed
- Optimize feed position in your dish
- Compare two antennas against each other
- See how your setup performs relative to other builders!
Lunch!
Plan to stay for lunch (RSVP required)! We will cook up burgers, hot dogs, and side dishes, all provided by the RVHFG. Please bring your choice of beverage.
Coffee and donuts will be provided in the morning
Note: The park does not permit alcoholic beverages or dogs (exception: service animals are permitted)
Prouty Park is a carry-in, carry-out facility.
Measurements
Equipment and assistance provided will include the following:
- Power supplies with PowerPole connectors
- Soldering station for minor repairs and parts installation (you bring the parts) such as connectors or LO swap-outs
- Noise figure meter:
- Direct measurements of LNA/preamp gain and noise figure up through 24 GHz
- Transverter or receive converter gain and noise figure for any band, as long as the IF frequency is 28-1296 MHz
- 10 MHz GPSDO
- HP spectrum analyzers (26.5 GHz, with external mixer usable to 122 GHz)
- HP Power meter/frequency counter (20 GHz or more), 10 MHz reference locked
- HP signal generators (10 kHz to 20 GHz)
- Complete antenna range setup thanks to Andy, K0SM
- Millimeter wave noise figure meter (26-40 GHz WR28, WR42 18-26 GHz) thanks to K2DH
- Millimeter wave power meter (WR42 10 W at 24 GHz; WR28 3 W at 47 GHz) thanks to K2DH