Big thumbs down, as the full duplex desenses very badly. Nice radio otherwise, but stinks for satellite. I bought one of the first hundred, and have kept up with the firmware updates.
73, Drew KO4MA
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Acito [email protected] Sent: Apr 23, 2011 9:27 AM To: "[email protected]" [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] DJ-G7 for LEO
Anyone using (first hand) one of these for FM LEO's? I have read that the sub-band (when running full duplex) may not be as sensitive? How well does it work?
Bill W1PA _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Drew,
Is it just de-sense, or lower sensitivity on the sub-band? I have one on loan I am going to try (A-B compare to my FT-530 with the Arrow), as soon as I find a SMA-BNC adapter in my shack.
I read the QST review and the author said "no issue" except for same-band sub-band, but he is not an experienced LEO user (as he stated in the review).
Bill W1PA
-------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Glasbrenner" [email protected] Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 6:47 AM To: "Bill Acito" [email protected]; "[email protected]" [email protected] Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] DJ-G7 for LEO
Big thumbs down, as the full duplex desenses very badly. Nice radio otherwise, but stinks for satellite. I bought one of the first hundred, and have kept up with the firmware updates.
73, Drew KO4MA
Hi Bill!
Is it just de-sense, or lower sensitivity on the sub-band? I have one on loan I am going to try (A-B compare to my FT-530 with the Arrow), as soon as I find a SMA-BNC adapter in my shack.
Actually, it's both. There is very noticeable desense, and the sub-band VFO is less sensitive than the main band. The main band is for ham bands only, where the sub-band VFO has the wide-band receiver.
You *may* be able to work with the DJ-G7 using memory channels in the main band, but won't have full-duplex operation that way. I have not tried it using memory channels for the satellites.
I read the QST review and the author said "no issue" except for same-band sub-band, but he is not an experienced LEO user (as he stated in the review).
The CQ magazine review was also a huge disservice. The DJ-G7, although a good radio for non-satellite work and with analog FM at 1.2 GHz (the main reason I kept one of the two I bought at Dayton in 2009), is a disappointment for satellite work. Go with your FT-530 for satellites.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
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Andrew Glasbrenner -
Bill W1PA -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)