AT
DOWN EAST MICROWAVE ~ part 1: The basement
Here
are Sam, G4DDK and Mike, AA9IL, outside the DEM factory at Frenchtown,
NJ. Factory it certainly is but it is also the basement of the house! Casual
driving past this place would give no clue as to what lies in the depths
below ground! Next door to DEM was a community hall which had been taken
over for the day by DEM. They staged a microwave "flea market" attended
by a number of local traders and amateurs with gear to trade. It was a
mine of useful goodies! Among other items I purchased were a number of
nice millimetre band multipliers,
and a 1 watt solid state amplifier for 5.7GHz.
Several tours of the "factory" were arranged.
These lasted around a half hour and gave us a good
insight into what DEM were about. They really have the amateur VHF and
microwaver's interest at heart. Being active amateurs themselves helps
a lot!
Down in the basement we were able to see some of
the latest assembly line items and discuss the newer techniques being used
by DEM. A number of surplus items were on sale and a nice solid state 1
watt amplifier for 5.7GHz caught my eye ... a bargain at 25 dollars! DEM
also stock ATC chip caps at a very attractive 10 for $8 price ...just couldn't
resist a couple of packets of those as they are much more expensive in
the UK!