I am considering purchasing the following items from Ramsey Electronics
for
use with the USRP and would like some feedback regarding whether they
are
compatible. I figure there are probably folks here that have either used
these items or have at least considered them at some point.
The first item is a pre-amplifier:
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=PR-S
ERIES
My main concern is I don’t want to blow out the front end of the USRP.
The other item is a power amplifier:
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=LPA1
Presently I am planning on using the VERT400 antenna that was purchased
along with the USRP. Does anyone know how much power I can dump into it
safely? I would like to use a better antenna subject to needing to stay
omnidirectional and being limited to a length of less than 18". Any
suggestions?
I’m assuming that I can use the TX/RX output of the Flex400 to drive the
RF
amp and one antenna and use a second antenna feeding the pre-amp and
then
the RX input of the same Flex400 board. Does this sound reasonable, or
am I
overlooking something?
I am cleared to transmit with up to 100W of power centered at 447MHz
with up
to 20MHz of signal bandwidth. While I would love to at least get up to
10W,
it looks like my beer budget is more along the lines of 1W. Does anyone
know
how to get into the 5W or higher range for under $250 each? I need a
pretty
lightweight DC-powered amplifier as this will be mounted in an RC
airplane.
TIA