[time-nuts] Re: Ublox NEO-M8T-0-10​as a LO question

[Chris Wilson]

Hello everyone

 Monday, March 29, 2021

 Thanks for the replies, some went a little over my head, which is not hard :) I am wondering how people successfully use a Leo Bodnar programmable GPS source to provide an external LO for an LNB as opposed to its internal xtal. What is different, in simple terms please, between my Ublox output and the Leo Bodnar one?


Best regards,
 Chris        mailto:chris at chriswilson.tv


LJ> On 3/29/21 10:14 AM, John Ackermann N8UR wrote:
>> That's probably a really bad idea.  The phase noise from the TIMEPULSE 
>> output is pretty bad compared to a "real" RF source, and by the time 
>> it's multiplied up to 10 GHz you'll have more noise than signal. 
>> Attached are some phase noise plots and a couple of spectrum analyzer 
>> captures to give you some idea what to expect.

>> BTW, even the Bodnar unit may not look too good at 10 GHz -- remember 
>> that you increase phase noise by 20 dB for 10 times multiplication.

>> John

LJ> What's the signal bandwidth from Es'Hail?

LJ> The optimum strategy is a *very quiet* crystal oscillator that you 
LJ> discipline with the 1pps, and choose that oscillator so its frequency is
LJ> what you need.

LJ> What we've done in the past is use the reference to clock a NCO in FPGA,
LJ> and use one of the well known spur reduction techniques that pushes the
LJ> spurs away from the center before running it to the DAC. This degrades
LJ> the performance at, say, 100kHz away, but improves the performance 
LJ> within 1 kHz. This relies on knowing what the loop bandwidth is in your
LJ> 10GHz LO PLL, since inside that bandwidth it's the reference, but 
LJ> outside it's the DRO or GaAs oscillator.


LJ> There might be some DDS chips that implement this kind of thing - the 
LJ> latest chips from ADI are pretty sophisticated.





>> On 3/29/21 12:25 PM, Chris Wilson wrote:


>>>    29/03/2021 17:20

>>> Can I use my Ublox NEO-M8T-0-10​  as a LO for  a  modified satellite 
>>> LNB on 10 GHz? It needs 25 MHz and the Ublox is my only GPS locked 
>>> source for such a frequency. I want to receive the Es Hail downlink 
>>> with excellent stability. I can lock the receiver to 10 MHz which is 
>>> available from my Trimble Thunderbolt. If the Ublox would do I would 
>>> not have to buy something like the Leo Bodnar GPS. Thanks.


>> _______________________________________________
>> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at lists.febo.com -- To unsubscribe send an email to time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com
>> To unsubscribe, go to and follow the instructions there.

LJ> _______________________________________________
LJ> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at lists.febo.com -- To
LJ> unsubscribe send an email to time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com
LJ> To unsubscribe, go to and follow the instructions there.