Hilberling GmbH is based in Schacht-Audorf near Rendsburg in Schleswig-Holstein and is one of the few European manufacturers that builds amateur radio equipment in small series with an emphasis on in-house development and hand production. The company name is named after Hans Hilberling, DK7LG, founder and chief designer, whose interest in radio technology goes back a long way.
In the article you will read
History of Hilberling amateur radio products
DK7LG's interest in radio engineering was evident in his youth. Even before founding the company, he designed and built several devices of his own design: a five-band mobile transceiver MT80-10 for the 80 to 10 m bands with an output power of 100 W at a 12 V supply, a shortwave receiver RX16 with a range of 9 kHz to 16 MHz, a modular transceiver MT80/20 published in the magazine CQ DL in 1977, a modular receiver RX14 for the 20 m band published in CQ DL in 1981, a spectrum analyzer SA 677 with a range of 100 kHz to 1.5 GHz, a panoramic receiver PC 200 for the 2 m band with a display on a TV screen, and an SSTV device with a drum scanner and a radar tube with afterglow.
After the establishment of the GmbH in 1988, when the company focused primarily on the development and production of high-frequency modules for industry and laser systems, DK7LG continued to develop amateur radio equipment in parallel. The prototypes date from this period. PA modulov pre rôzne frekvenčné rozsahy, ktoré sa neskôr stali základom pre sériovú výrobu. Firma sa pravidelne zúčastňuje na medzinárodných rádioamatérskych výstavách – HamRadio Friedrichshafen od roku 2006, HamVention Dayton since 2007, InterRadio Hannover since 2010 and FunkTag Kassel since 2017. In 2018, Hilberling GmbH celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Chronology of commercial amateur radio products: the PT-8000A transceiver has been on the market since 2010, the HPA-8000B linear amplifier since 2016, and the FCC-certified version of the HPA-8000B-54 for the US market since 2017.
Products for the QO-100 satellite: UDL-16 transverter and HHX-2400 irradiator
Satellite QO-100 (Es'hail-2 / AMSAT P4-A) at 26° E is the first geostationary amateur transponder. To operate on its narrowband transponder (NB-TPX) with an uplink frequency in the 2.4 GHz band and a downlink frequency around 10.5 GHz, it needs operátor transvertor.
The Hilberling UDL-16 Multi-Transverter is designed for this purpose. It functions as a pre-device for an existing transceiver and allows operation on the QO-100 NB-transponder without a computer or software. The supported input bands of the transceiver are 6 m, 2 m, 70 cm and 23 cm, while the frequency ranges are 50.5 to 51.0 MHz, 144.5 to 145.0 MHz, 432.5 to 433.0 MHz and 1296.5 to 1297.0 MHz. A total of 16 band combinations are available - four for simplex and twelve for duplex operation with a separate RX output. The supported modes are SSB, CW and Data.
The output power of the UDL-16 at 2.4 GHz reaches 20 W PEP at a load of 50 Ω through a low-pass filter with a bandwidth of RBW 10 MHz. The input power from the transceiver is adjustable in the range of 25 mW to 10 W PEP. TX/RX switching is provided by PIN diodes with HF-VOX with a typical dynamics of 50 dB and hysteresis of 3 dB, or an external PTT input. The device is protected against overheating and SWR greater than 3.
Frequency stability is ensured by a GPS-controlled OCXO reference signal with an accuracy of the order of 10⁻¹¹ after thermal stabilization. The OCXO warm-up time is approximately 2 minutes. The transceiver can also be synchronized via the 10 MHz REF OUT output. The device is powered by 12 to 16 V DC at a current draw of 10 A, or via the transceiver's coaxial cable. The UDL-16 is designed in IP67 protection, which allows outdoor installation directly near the antenna. The RS-485 data interface is used for remote control and PTT input.
The UDL-16 is supplied with a combined irradiator with LNB - model HHX-2400. The uplink frequency is 2.40 to 2.41 GHz, the downlink 10.4895 to 10.50 GHz. The HHX-2400 is available separately for 149 EUR including VAT. During the first test with a 35 cm offset parabolic reflector and a power of 20 W, the signal level was recorded at around -73 dBm, which corresponds to a beacon signal at the S9 level.
Video: UDL-16 na HAM RADIO Friedrichshafen 2022
DK7LG predstavil UDL-16 Multi-Transverter osobne na výstave HAM RADIO 2022 vo Friedrichshafene. Nasledujúce video zachytáva toto predstavenie produktu priamo z výstavného stánku.
PT-8000A, HPA-8000B and accessories
PT-8000A transceiver
The PT-8000A is the flagship of the Hilberling amateur radio production. It is a VLF/HF/VHF transceiver with two independent receivers and one transmitter. The reception range covers 9 kHz to 30 MHz, 50 to 54 MHz, 69.9 to 70.5 MHz and 144 to 148 MHz, while the 110 to 143.9 MHz band is also available for reception. The transmitter covers the 160 m to 2 m bands including all WARC bands and the 4 m band. The output power is 200 W PEP on HF and 100 W PEP on VHF. The device works in all modes.
The frequency reference system is based on a SAW-VCXO at 640 MHz, disciplined by a 10 MHz crystal furnace (OCXO). Seven DDS oscillators with an operating frequency of 1 GHz are used for both the receiver and the transmitter. The phase noise reaches -160 dBc/Hz at a 10 kHz offset from the receiving frequency of 14.2 MHz. The frequency stability of the OCXO is 5 × 10⁻⁹. A reference signal for external devices is available at the 10 MHz OUT output terminal.
The automatically tuned Preselector provides band preselection in the range of 1.8 to 30 MHz. The PA output stage (PT8-PA200) uses 50 V UHF FET transistors and operates continuously from 1.8 MHz to 148 MHz without switching the PA bandpass filters. The TX output has a unique solution in amateur radio technology with seven diplexers and higher harmonic filters that prevent harmonic frequency reflections from the filters and antenna. The DSP section works with 16-pole analog and digital filters. The PT-8000A is supplied including a power supply and a T9 microphone.
Linear amplifiers HPA-8000B and HPA-8000B-54
A pair of linear amplifiers are available for the PT-8000A transceiver. The HPA-8000B covers the 160m to 4m (1.8 to 70 MHz) bands and the HPA-8000B-54 covers the 160m to 6m (1.8 to 54 MHz) bands. Both amplifiers have an output power of 1 kW and operate in all modes including AM, FM, SSB and CW. They include a built-in power supply for a voltage range of 200 to 260 V. The HPA-8000B-54 version is FCC certified and is also intended for the American market.
| Parameters | HPA-8000B | HPA-8000B-54 |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency range | 1.8 - 70 MHz | 1.8-54MHz |
| Output power | 1kW | 1kW |
| Fashions | AM / FM / SSB / CW | AM / FM / SSB / CW |
| Power supply | 200-260V AC (internal) | 200-260V AC (internal) |
| Certification | CE | CE + FCC |
| Price (including VAT) | 6,400 EUR | 5,900 EUR |
T9 microphone and precision key AISI 304
Hilberling accessories follow the design philosophy of the main products. The T9 stationary dynamic microphone is milled from aluminum, has an impedance of 600 Ω and is mechanically isolated from vibrations and shocks of the table structure. It is available in two finishes - black anodized or gold finish. The PT-8000A is included with the T9 microphone in the basic price.
The Precision Morse key is made of AISI 304 stainless steel, also known as V2A or material number 1.4301. It is available in two finishes: natural polished and black (titanium nitride alloy coating). Both versions correspond to the material and surface standard of the other products in the range.
Conclusion
Hilberling GmbH is a case study of a company where the founder's personal interest in amateur radio technology directly shapes commercial products. All equipment is developed and manufactured in Germany in small volumes with an emphasis on measurable technical parameters - frequency stability, spectrum purity and mechanical quality of workmanship. The portfolio covers the entire chain from VLF reception via HF/VHF transceivers and kW linear amplifiers to a complete solution for geostationary satellite operation via the QO-100. For those interested in detailed technical documents, complete schematics, block diagrams and operating manuals for all products are freely available on the hilberling.de website.