23cm Band

I am very new to 23cm (1296 MHz). A little while back I bought a 2W transverter from SG Labs in Bulgaria.

So far, it has only been used for some local FT8 tests and one local SSB QSO using the 2 element test antenna that it was supplied with. All these were from indoors in the shack firing out the window.

My real intention is to go on some 23cm activity sessions when the weather is better /P.

Antennas for 23cm are expensive and my fine motor skills are poor these days preventing me making one. . Whatever I get will be a compromise between gain and cost.

Some people take the band very seriously with high power and big antenna arrays. With such systems hundreds of kilometers can be spanned. By contrast, I am just playing!

The test antenna supplied with the transverter. It is a 2 element beam. Mine is attached to the transverter. Despite its low gain and being indoors, it worked remarkably well.

UPDATE January 25th 2023: I have so far have no luck trying to detect beacons. My most probable is GB3DUN on Dunstable Downs. This is a very obstructed path from me. So far, I have detected nothing at all. GB3MHZ is right through the house, so I think copying this is even more unlikely.