73, Aug 1973, p. 26.
Ham Radio, Sep 1973, p. 85.
QST, Mar 1974, p. 148.
The SB-450 TRC is a 450 MHz transverter by SBE (Linear Systems, Inc.) It allows operators to operate on the 450 MHz band using an existing 2-meter FM rig.
Key features and specifications
Power and Operation: Feeding the transverter with 10 watts of 2-meter power yields 4 watts of output on 450 MHz via its varactor tripler. While specifically designed to match the SBE-144, it works with any 2m rig provided the drive never exceeds 12 watts. The transmitting section draws no DC power while transmitting.
Transmitting & Crystals: Because the transmitting process is a straight tripling mechanism, the 2m rig requires extra 450-only crystals installed (or a synthesizer). For example, transmitting on 449.500 MHz requires a crystal output of 149.833 MHz. Although this falls outside the standard 2m band and might see a slight drop in output due to the transmitter circuitry being peaked for 146–148 MHz, most rigs feature sufficiently broad output circuits.
Receiver Section: The receiver converts via a 300 MHz local oscillator signal to its mixer, placing the signal into a usable portion of the band. For instance, receiving 444.500 MHz requires a 2m receive crystal that tunes the rig to 144.500 MHz.
Because it functions as a front-end converter added to the 2m rig, the setup retains all original characteristics such as selectivity and audio quality. The 450 conversion gain sits close to 1.0:1 to avoid injecting unnecessary gain into systems that may already be adequate.
