[Lf] [Fwd: [Lowfer] Palomar VLF converter?; antenna?]

[Andre' Kesteloot]

Mike Staines wrote:

> Dave:
>
> I have the Palomar converter and it front-ends my IC-735. There are several advantages and disadvantages to it.
>
> On the good side, it is well constructed and reliable. I replaced the 9V battery with a wall wart and it runs just fine. Because it has an 80 Meter IF I can enable the 735's 20db preamp (which is disabled below 1.6 Mhz).
>
> The down side is that it is prone to a little mixing with an AM station about a mile away and on some antenna configurations I can hear mixing with Loran on 100 Khz. Another problem is that it's internal Xtal is not accurate and the converted signal will not come out exactly on frequency. This will make it hard when you are DXing a weak signal since you need to be able to tune EXACTLY on frequency and this can be hundreds of cycles off. Yes, you can put in a pad cap but you will find that the drift of the oscillator makes it a waste of time. Turn it on about 15 minutes before you intend to listen and it will stabilize. It will still be "off frequency" but it should be fairly constant and repeatable.
>
> All in all I have found it a good unit and use it frequently.
>
> Antenna configuration discussions can start World War 3 if you are not careful <insert smile here>. Everyone has their own particular design. But I think that most would agree that for the location you describe you can't go wrong with a loop and an amplifier.
>
> Mike
> WA1PTC