Can balanced mixer with 4 schottky diodes used as SSB modulator?

There are some old mixers can be found on the market, some has outputs: IF1, IF2, inputs: LO, RF. Construction is basically microstrip with two pair-series diodes (4 diodes total). Is it possible to use IF outputs as inputs? For example, put some low-frequency AC waveform, provide some LO and use RF input as output?

Provided you do it within the frequency range the mixer was designed for, it should work. Although they label inputs and outputs, internally most are symetrical. I've even seen them used as voltage controlled attenuators by passing DC through the LO port.

Brian.

I would recommend you to see the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook where various methods to generate SSB are explained, including the use of various mixers.

No.

an SSB modulator has a strong upconverted sideband portion, and very weak carrier leakage and week unwanted sideband output. A single mixer, no matter how many diodes it has, will output both the upper and lower sidebands, hence not "SSB"

You need two mixers, some power splitters with specific phase shifts, to select either the upper or lower sideband output, while suppressing the unwanted sideband.

True, but in many designs they are used to generate DSB then one sideband is removed by filtering. So the real answer is no they can't DIRECTLY produce SSB but they are often used as a component part in SSB generators.

Brian.