I would abandon FM and get on SSB/CW- that's where the real fun and DX are.
With 500W and a couple of stacked Yagis on 2M you can routinely work 500-600 miles and you don't need no stinkin' repeater.

Just my opinion,

Dale W4OP

Thanks Greg for your kind words. As you know, it's  a passion to keep these rigs alive.
So far, I have resisted the Alda pair. Now, if a 5 band version  becomes available......
Dale W4OP

I have just added the Knight Kit Ocean Hopper #749 restoration photos to my restoration page at:
http://www.parelectronics.com/vintage-knight-ocean-hopper.php

Enjoy,

Dale W4OP

Perhaps this  was mentioned on the SARK website and I missed it. Does the SARK allow the user to move the reference plane to the end of a piece of coax?

Dale W4OP

It would appear this falls into the same category as the EH, Tak Tenna, Isotron and now the phased field antenna. As Don wrote- the radiator is the outside shield of the coax.

Dale W4OP

Can someone who now has the SARK comment on the RF input? On-site photos show a short pigtail with a female type N (from memory). How does the pigtail attach to the SARK- I hope it's SMA or??
Tnx,

Dale W4OP

I don't think the original poster understands that VSWR is an indication of the degree of mismatch between the antenna and the feedline and a tuner located in the shack does not alter this mismatch- or the increased loss in the cable as a result of the mismatch.

Dale W4OP

I also have the RigExpert 200A- until the SARK came out this was the best instrument going. However, there is so much jitter in the R/X page as to make the instrument of less use than it could be. RigExpert says there are many issues involved with the jitter- not just the A/D bits- so not seeing a solution to it.

Dale W4OP

It certainly will not perform as a beam- the parasites will be invisible. My guess is that the VSWR will be so high that the vast majority of your power will be lost in the coaxial cable.

Dale W4OP

I have the same transverter- also without a manual.

The unit will go to TX mode when you ground the PTT line. Normally this is accomplished by the  2M transceiver.
The downside to this unit is the L.O. instability. You will need to either substitute a PLL L.O. or an oven to stabilize the crystal temperature. At the very least, solder the crystal directly to the PCB, doing away with the socket. You will then still need to allow 1/2 hour or so for the temperature to stabilize.

If you find a manual- please let me know. I would like to have it for my files.

Regards

Dale W4PO

It may be OK as a VSWR meter but it uses a sampling line and because the sampling line appears as a different electrical length on different frequencies, the meter will only be accurate as a wattmeter on one band.

Dale W4OP

I already own an Agilent network analyzer. My need is for a portable device. It's not very handy to have to haul a notebook + the SDR VNA out to an antenna test range and then make a shade hood so you can see the notebook dispay screen.

Dale W4OP

Hi Bob,
I agree. I think YouKits already has one but it is not a quality vector instrument- just  rehashed designs already out there.
It's just a matter of time though....

Dale W4OP

The designer and the company selling the SARK are very slow to respond. Updates on the SARK page are very few and far between. The latest I heard from  SEEED was that the units have been delayed.
Although I  like the stable R+/-JX screen, I think I'll stick with my RigExpert AA-200. It is very easy to use, light years ahead of the MFJ, Palstar, AEA offerings and  also allows archiving plots for publication via USB.

Dale W4OP

Most of the CB meters use a sampled line for detecting the RF. This  may be OK for  VSWR over a broad range, but because the lines look shorter and shorter electrically as one goes down in frequency, the power scales are useless except on the band for which the meter is calibrated.

Dale W4OP