In radio engineering, a transverter is a radio frequency device that consists of an upconverter and a downconverter in one unit. Transverters are used in conjunction with transceivers to change the range of frequencies over which the transceiver can communicate.
In electrical power engineering, a transverter is a universal electrical power converter that can combine, convert, analyze and control any combinations of DC or AC power.
Although not as convenient as a wide-range radio, amateurs who have invested a great deal of money or time in a fine-quality radio may find it more economical to extend the radio's range when new bands come available, rather than replace it. Some transceiver manufacturers are supportive of add-on transverters, and design in circuitry and cabling attachments for them.
Transverters are most commonly used in amateur radio to convert radio transceivers designed for use on the HF or VHF bands to operate on even higher frequency (microwave) bands. A transceiver used in this fashion is referred to as an IF radio, indicating that it connects into the "intermediate frequency" electronics in the chain of transceiver stages.
Common transceiver/transverter combinations include transverters for 50 MHz, 70 MHz, 144 MHz, 222 MHz, and 432 MHz designed for use with 28 MHz IF radios, and transverters for 50 MHz, 902 MHz, 1296 MHz, 2304 MHz, 3456 MHz, 5706 MHz, and 10368 MHz designed for use with 144 MHz IF radios. Some transverters include transmit/receive switching built into the design, whereas other units require external switching. The use of external switching is popular in applications where preamps and amplifiers are included.
Some transverters are built into waterproof enclosures for installation on a radio tower or other antenna support structure to get the device as close as possible to the antenna so as to reduce signal loss in the transmission line.
The high-speed multimedia radio article discusses the radio transceivers that use 802.11 (WiFi) with the transverters to achieve Wireless Broadband communication in the frequency bands reserved for Amateur radio operators.
Transverters can also be used in applications where the transverter frequency is lower than the transceiver frequency, and the design constraints in these cases are often more relaxed. Several low frequency bands are available around the world to amateur radio operators, licensed experimental stations, and some unlicensed hobbyists. Transverters for these LF bands generally use HF transceivers as the IF radio.
Some transverters are used for communications where one or more of the stations are underground, such as mines, or underwater, such as shallow-water submersibles.
Historically "transverter" was the name for an electromechanical device, invented in Britain in the 1920s, to produce high-voltage direct current from AC sources for efficient power distribution over long-distance lines. [1]
Modern transverters are even more versatile, and generally all solid-state. They are used to convert and combine different types of electrical power such as solar panels, batteries, wind generators, fuel cells, the grid, generators, and both DC and AC loads. By automatically analyzing and converting the power between different voltages and AC or DC, the transverter enables energy to flow between all types of devices.
With the advent of the Smart Grid transverters are becoming very popular since they combine renewable energy, demand management, and community energy storage within the home or office. Transverters also locally correct for power factor, which creates significant reductions in transmission loss for the grid. [2]
An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a periodic, oscillating electronic signal, often a sine wave or a square wave or a triangle wave. Oscillators convert direct current (DC) from a power supply to an alternating current (AC) signal. They are widely used in many electronic devices ranging from simplest clock generators to digital instruments and complex computers and peripherals etc. Common examples of signals generated by oscillators include signals broadcast by radio and television transmitters, clock signals that regulate computers and quartz clocks, and the sounds produced by electronic beepers and video games.
The ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes, excluding applications in telecommunications. Examples of applications for the use of radio frequency (RF) energy in these bands include radio-frequency process heating, microwave ovens, and medical diathermy machines. The powerful emissions of these devices can create electromagnetic interference and disrupt radio communication using the same frequency, so these devices are limited to certain bands of frequencies. In general, communications equipment operating in ISM bands must tolerate any interference generated by ISM applications, and users have no regulatory protection from ISM device operation in these bands.
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ranges as microwaves; the above broad definition includes both UHF and EHF bands. A more common definition in radio-frequency engineering is the range between 1 and 100 GHz. In all cases, microwaves include the entire SHF band at minimum. Frequencies in the microwave range are often referred to by their IEEE radar band designations: S, C, X, Ku, K, or Ka band, or by similar NATO or EU designations.
Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in which electric power is delivered to businesses and residences, and it is the form of electrical energy that consumers typically use when they plug kitchen appliances, televisions, fans and electric lamps into a wall socket. A common source of DC power is a battery cell in a flashlight. The abbreviations AC and DC are often used to mean simply alternating and direct, as when they modify current or voltage.
Power-line communication carries data on a conductor that is also used simultaneously for AC electric power transmission or electric power distribution to consumers.
A rectenna is a special type of receiving antenna that is used for converting electromagnetic energy into direct current (DC) electricity. They are used in wireless power transmission systems that transmit power by radio waves. A simple rectenna element consists of a dipole antenna with an RF diode connected across the dipole elements. The diode rectifies the AC induced in the antenna by the microwaves, to produce DC power, which powers a load connected across the diode. Schottky diodes are usually used because they have the lowest voltage drop and highest speed and therefore have the lowest power losses due to conduction and switching. Large rectennas consist of an array of many power receiving elements such as dipole antennas.
A DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit or electromechanical device that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. It is a type of electric power converter. Power levels range from very low to very high.
The radio spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies from 30 Hz to 300 GHz. Electromagnetic waves in this frequency range, called radio waves, are widely used in modern technology, particularly in telecommunication. To prevent interference between different users, the generation and transmission of radio waves is strictly regulated by national laws, coordinated by an international body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Power electronics is the application of solid-state electronics to the control and conversion of electric power.
A motor–generator is a device for converting electrical power to another form. Motor–generator sets are used to convert frequency, voltage, or phase of power. They may also be used to isolate electrical loads from the electrical power supply line. Large motor–generators were widely used to convert industrial amounts of power while smaller motor–generators were used to convert battery power to higher DC voltages.
A Gunn diode, also known as a transferred electron device (TED), is a form of diode, a two-terminal semiconductor electronic component, with negative resistance, used in high-frequency electronics. It is based on the "Gunn effect" discovered in 1962 by physicist J. B. Gunn. Its largest use is in electronic oscillators to generate microwaves, in applications such as radar speed guns, microwave relay data link transmitters, and automatic door openers.
The UHF connector is a name for a threaded RF connector. The connector design was invented in the 1930s for use in the radio industry, and is a shielded form of the "banana plug". It is a widely used standard connector for HF transmission lines on full-sized radio equipment, with BNC connectors predominating for smaller, hand-held equipment.
Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunication authorities. Globally, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions. Individual amateur stations are free to use any frequency within authorized frequency ranges; authorized bands may vary by the class of the station license.
High-speed multimedia radio (HSMM) is the implementation of high-speed wireless TCP/IP data networks over amateur radio frequency allocations using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware such as 802.11 Wi-Fi access points. This is possible because the 802.11 unlicensed frequency bands partially overlap with amateur radio bands and ISM bands in many countries. Only licensed amateur radio operators may legally use amplifiers and high-gain antennas within amateur radio frequencies to increase the power and coverage of an 802.11 signal.
A bias tee is a three-port network used for setting the DC bias point of some electronic components without disturbing other components. The bias tee is a diplexer. The low-frequency port is used to set the bias; the high-frequency port passes the radio-frequency signals but blocks the biasing levels; the combined port connects to the device, which sees both the bias and RF. It is called a tee because the 3 ports are often arranged in the shape of a T.
Mobile radio or mobiles refer to wireless communications systems and devices which are based on radio frequencies(using commonly UHF or VHF frequencies), and where the path of communications is movable on either end. There are a variety of views about what constitutes mobile equipment. For US licensing purposes, mobiles may include hand-carried,, equipment. An obsolete term is radiophone.
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to an antenna which radiates the waves, and received by another antenna connected to a radio receiver. Radio is very widely used in modern technology, in radio communication, radar, radio navigation, remote control, remote sensing, and other applications.
There are several uses of the 2.4 GHz band. Interference may occur between devices operating at 2.4 GHz. This article details the different users of the 2.4 GHz band, how they cause interference to other users and how they are prone to interference from other users.
The Yaesu FT-ONE is an all-mode solid state general coverage HF amateur radio (HAM) transceiver. The use of FM required an optional FM board to be installed. The unit was designed for fixed, portable or mobile operation, although the size and weight (17 kg) made it more suitable for fixed use. The FT-ONE was built by the Japanese Yaesu-Musen Corporation from 1982 to 1986. At its release, the FT-ONE was launched as the successor to the FT-902 and as the new Yaesu top of the line transceiver. The FT-ONE was not only Yaesu’s first fully synthesized, computer-controlled amateur band transceiver but it was also the first transceiver with a general coverage receiver. The FT-ONE was sold in the U.S., Asian and European markets. It was released in 1982 with a list price of $2800.00 US.
This glossary of electrical and electronics engineering is a list of definitions of terms and concepts related specifically to electrical engineering and electronics engineering. For terms related to engineering in general, see Glossary of engineering.
