No version of the Si5351 is specified to operate about 200 MHz. The
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original Si5351A, B, and C were specified to 160 MHz. The later revision, the Si5351A-B (or B-B or C-B) are specified to work up to 200 MHz, and that is the one you will find in just about any product you buy today. (The B suffix parts also reduce the minimum output frequency from 8 KHz to 2.5 KHz.) Popular breakout boards like the one from Adafruit still specify an upper limit of 160 MHz, but current production contains the Si5351A-B with its 200 MHz spec and the boards will work up to and beyond that frequency. Nearly all ham experimentation with the Si5351 uses the A variant. That is the least expensive version: it comes in a 10 pin MSOP package and offers three outputs. When the upgraded B-suffix version was released, an Si5351A-B-GM in a 20 lead QFN package was added that offers 8 outputs but no additional features. The Si5351B and Si5351C come in a 20 pin QFN package; they offer eight outputs and additional clocking features. (The first generation was also offered in a 24 pin QSOP but that was discontinued.) Versions with pre-programmed output frequencies are also available; they will have part numbers with additional numbers following the B suffix. For ham projects, the specific chip you want is the Si5351A-B-GT or Si5351A-B-GTR. The only difference is the packaging; the GT comes in a tube, the GTR comes in tape and reel. If you're buying for prototyping, you will get either chips poured in an antistatic bag or a cut tape. Buy whichever your favorite distributor has in stock or the one in the packaging you prefer; they are usually the same price. Hams have found that the chips can be pushed up to frequencies well above their specifications. Other specs, like power consumption, harmonic distortion, and phase noise are not guaranteed if the chip is operated above 200 MHz. The NanoVNA counts on being able to run it at higher frequencies to achieve fundamental mode operation up to 300 MHz. In the other direction, the QCX transceiver relies on operating one of the primary PLLs well below its specified lower limit of 600 MHz to make it possible to generate quadrature outputs on the 80 meter band. Unlike the Si570, a popular oscillator in other ham designs that is sold in multiple frequency grades (with the lower grades having limits that are programmed into the chip), the Si5351A is not locked in any way by the manufacturer. Users are free to push the chip all the way to its inherent limits. On Wed, Jan 8, 2020 at 7:54 AM KE8CPD <Josh.Mucinski@...> wrote:
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