At this moment I am planning a new system based on modules from Kuhne Electronics and a waveguide switch from OE2JOM

At the end of January 2017 all modules have arrived and I have started building my new system

It should be giving about 0,8 Watt output and an overall noise figure below 6 dB

When it is ready it will look a bit like the system from OE2JOM

This project is my first project in microwave building the new way.

In the old days I always build my modules myself, sometimes using ready PCB's and prepared housings but always assembling the microwave module myself with soldering all components and tuning the module for optimal performance.
The new way of building microwave is gathering modules and building these together.
For me personal this is a big improvement as for my age its becoming more and more difficult to build these modules. Its becoming much more difficult to work with SMD components an\s in my early microwave years.

I started by individual checking of the different modules

First I checked the LO and the transverter.

I started preparing of the housing of the new system

I needed to build in a ground plate to hold the different modules

At this time I was also experimenting with a Raspberry Pi 2 using a small 5 inch display.

When this was working I came up with the idea if I could build a Pi with an SDR radio for displaying the spectrum on 47 GHz to be able to see signals which are not audible yet.

After searching the internet I found a SDR program which should work on the Pi called CuteSDR. At first I installed this on my windows computer which worked fine connecting to internet webSDR radios.

I started with installing CuteSDR program on the Pi which succeeded but then I did not succeed in getting it to work with a funcube dongle pro plus.
It took me some time before I found a solution using GqrxSDR for the Pi in combination with the funcube dongle.
This was working fine as I wanted but the display was a little too small so I decided to go for a 7 inch display.
Of course this new display needed other software but I was able to get things going without problems.

The first experiments with the 5 inch display and GqrxSDR

SDR receiver for spectrum display and waterfall,
Using Funcube dongle pro plus and Raspberry Pi with screen

Front panel of housing

Housing

Using a small Switched Mode PS to convert 12 to 5 Volt for feeding the Raspberry Pi