W3HWJ Radio Receiver Projects


Posted on Feb 5, 2014

The logical first choice was to start out with simple regenerative circuits. Just one or two transistors and maybe a simple audio amplifier using one integrated circuit. I already have a few simple tube radios that I bought at flea markets, so I will defer any tube projects for a while yet. Charles Kitchin has written many articles about regen radios for QST and other hobby magazines.


W3HWJ Radio Receiver Projects
Click here to download the full size of the above Circuit.

I like his approach to design and have had good luck with his circuits. The first attempt at a "Kitchin" used a printed circuit board that I bought from Far Circuits. This was an excellent learning tool and prompted me to continue experimenting and changing the design and the circuit board. To house this project, I "re-purposed" a metal container that originally contained Christmas cookies. After drilling the mounting holes for all the controls, I used a bit of steel wool to create a matte finish, cleaned with mineral spirits, and then spray painted. The labels for the controls were made with a Brother P-touch labeler. Thanks to Dave Schmarder, N2DS, for getting me interested in the Brother. It makes a nice laminated label that is good-looking, sturdy, and solidly adherent. By changing the plug-in coil, I can cover 3. 5 to over 10 MHz. It`s a bit difficult to copy SSB signals as the detector is not super stable, but it works well enough! I made a few mistakes in this version, such as mounting the speaker on the side of the case. It needs to be on the front or the top cover to direct sound toward the listener. Also, using a large value main tuning capacitor proved to be a problem, even though I used an 8:1 reduction dial. The vari-cap "fine tuning" is definitely needed to copy SSB successfully! Designing and making your own pc board is challenging and educational. I learned about ExpressPCB software, blue Press `n Peel...




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