Re: [amsat-bb] Off-the-shelf cheap hack 2.4GHz signal source

[Margaret Leber <maggie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill Hurlock wrote:

> I have several of the X10 camera and the RF freq drifts pretty badly with
> temp. The cameras are located outside so they are always in a changing temp
> enviroment. They do make a quick check siganl source and they are pretty
> cheap.
> Margaret Leber wrote:
>> Folks who are looking for a jackleg 2.4 GHz test signal source may need
>> to look no further than their own house or local Radio Shack.
>> I'm currently listening to audio from my VX-5R (tuned to a broadcast
>> station) playing though an "X-10 Wireless Audio/Video Sender"...

OK, thanks. That lets me know that the drift is most likely the X-10. It 
was *way* more than the S2 beacon, even with doppler. I could sit and 
watch the discriminator meter move <grin>. Fortunately, having the 
meter, it was pretty easy to track the frequency drift. Evidently the 
reciver end of this combo has a very wide passband or significant AFC.

The sender was *indoors* for this test; I don't think the temperature 
varied much. It's prolly just inherently unstable by our standards. But 
it beats the hell out of trying to listen to your microwave oven. I 
don't know if I'd buy one of these just for a signal source, but I've 
seen them at hamfests and I bet some folks on this list have them 
gathering dust someplace too.
73 de Maggie K3XS

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