The transistors used in the circuits in this book in transistorised short wave receivers the most important components are, of course, the transistors themselves. A simpletobuild superhet receiver electronic design. The second one appeared on these forums some years ago. The superheterodyne principle is the single most important circuit design concept utilised in rf communications electronics. Armstrong in about 1928 and quickly became popular with engineers and consumers alike because of the performance improvements the designs provide. The servicing of printed circuits 21 siemensediswan sr2,2 21 mullard portable superhet 27 weymouth 6 transistor receiver 27 the teletron transidyne chapter three british receivers the ace courier. Just build the radio,then later on,revisit all this other stuff,perhaps with the additional insight of having played with a real radio. Regency tr1 transistor radio book in color full of facts. Superheterodyne designed to receive standard am amplitude modulation and fm.
The unique design of the superhet 550t allows you to place the parts over its corresponding symbol in the schematic drawing on the surface of the printed circuit board during assembly. Learn how to choose components, construct the different types of radios, and troubleshoot your work. Some of these circuits can be found on the radio constructors website. Radio constructors circuit archive transistor superhet all pages open in new windows.
The secret to getting it to drive a speaker would be to increase the supply voltage and add an impedance matching transformer to drive a speaker. Books for radio and electronics experimenters, hobbyists and circuit builders by authors like bradley, warring, morgan and sinclair. The rf mixer within a superhet or superheterodyne radio receiver is of particular importance. Page 5 introduction the elenco superhet 550t am radio is a superheterodyne receiver of the standard am amplitude modulated broadcast frequencies. The modified circuit, using the component numbering of fig. Simple homebuilt radio page projects and schematics. The device has got only one oscillatory circuit in the if amplifier being marked as mft, whose frequency does not need to be set to some specific value meaning the receiver will work ok even if its. You can calculate the impedance then select a transformer turns ratio so that the primary tuned circuit has a high enough q for good selectivity and its q is not reduced too much by the load of the next stage. Transistor superhet receivers 1961 vintage radio book cd. Rf front end circuit from a transistor radio with self oscillating mixer. Build your own transistor radios electronic resource. Transistor fm superhet receiver phils valve radio site. Coil is a copper wire wind into fixed number of turns.
Am superhet radio may 10 th, 20 this post documents my build of the 8 transistor am superhetrodyne receiver featured in ronald quans excellent book build your own transistor radios. Initially connect the circuit as shown in the figure. Simplest am radio circuit homemade circuit projects. Following the invention of the transistor, the first commercial transistor radio was released in 1954. Free transistor circuits books download ebooks online textbooks. Uk vintage radio repair and restoration transistor radio rf. Full text of transistor superhet receivers internet archive. The tuning dial incorporates a reduction drive mechanism which is very useful since the receiver covers several mhz. Feb 01, 2017 everyone should build at least one regenerative radio receiver. From my book 210 mhz shortwave receiver and 1 transistor vfos, in which i describe a 5 transistor the audio amplifier excluded shortwave radio for 210 mhz. I would start by looking at some of the older valve tube radio designs as they are generally simpler and easier to understand. Special circuits 246 transistor ignition systemsmeter protection circuittunneldiode fm transmittertransistor testers2diode protective circuitslamp dimmer section 1 basic semiconductor devices transistor circuits for a wide range of applications are discussed in this book, along with many different diode and transistor types.
This book built the reader up through a series of steps to a fullyfunctional 3transistor medium. The first transistor is configured to work in the reflex mode. It should be noted that several of the circuits probably will not work with modern transistors and will require modification. The normal domestic radio uses one basic circuit, the superhet, and six, seven or possibly more. The output received from the above circuit would have greater content of sawtooth noise compared to the actual fm reception. Superheterodyne receiver book page 3 all about circuits. The limiter removes the noise in the received signal and gives a constant amplitude signal. The receiver has very good selectivity, but the sensitivity is the same as for a good one transistor receiver. The elenco superhet 108c amfm radio kit is a superheterodyne receiver of the standard am amplitude modulation and fm frequency modulation broadcast frequencies. Radio constructor was a british magazine aimed at the radio electronics hobbyist which ran from the 1930s to the late 1970s. Radio circuits practical analog semiconductor circuits. New transistor module allows you to switch between the modern integrated circuit ic technology and the original transistor technology.
You can also see the one tube radio schematic from my book retro radio to get inspireduse the 6088 tube. I wondered how many years back reflex radios had been used. Short alignment procedure for superheterodyne radios. This is a radio circuit usable for a first experiment and not more than that on the superheterodyne heterodyne receiving principle. Various scanned technical and historic books that should be of interest to vintage radio collectors etc.
Diodes and transistors pdf 28p this note covers the following topics. A high performance regenerative radio circuit salad. The unique design of the superhet 108 allows you to place the parts over their corresponding symbol in the schematic drawing on the surface of the printed circuit board. A hobbyists guide to highperformance and lowpowered radio circuits quan, ronald on. The problem was already known about and mentioned in a transistor radio repair book published in the mid1970s. A hobbyists guide to highperformance and lowpowered radio circuits offers complete projects. Transistor superhet receivers electronics pdf cdrom ebay. I used crystal earphone for the trf and regenerative radio, and they worked amazingly well. The af117 is commonly used in am radio stages, and the af1146 types are found in fm radios.
Superheterodyne designed to receive standard am and fm broadcast frequencies. A smart technique can be seen employed in the following single transistor fm radio circuit to attribute better efficiency to this simple design. Guide to highperformance and lowpowered radio circuits offers. Full text of tested superhet circuits for shortwave and. Up for auction in cdrom format is a book entitled radio circuits. Pictures 2 and 3 are the complete circuit diagrams of the fm tuner and amplifier.
A three transistor receiver american radio relay league. An improved version of the above medium wave radio can be studied in the following paragraphs. What is the best and simple circuit diagram for a radio receiver to receive radio waves in citizens band. Here are 2 schematics for a 1 transistor superhet receiver.
How i built a shortwave armstrong fet regenerative receiver. There is an af118, but this is not found in transistor radios its a high voltage transistor intended for use in video circuits, but it is occasionally found elsewhere for example, the leak stereo 30 hifi amplifier. They were pretty popular until the superheterodyne took over. A diy guide to designing and building transistor radios create sophisticated. The device demonstrated the use of transistors for consumer electronics. Absolutely terrific book about superhet and other styles of radio design. From my book 210 mhz shortwave receiver and 1 transistor vfos, in which i describe a 5 transistor the audio amplifier excluded shortwave radio for 2.
For the radio constructor we have an archive of vintage circuits schematics to build. Aged nearly 11 at the time my transistor circuit design skills werent quite there yet. Chapter 9 the superheterodyne now that we understand the fundamentals of am and fm, it is time to look at the typical radio receiver. Ive seen it on some sw receivers for high end selectivity, but poor quality audio. Again, try this on a set you can afford to mess up for practice.
Full text of tested superhet circuits for shortwave and communication receivers using micro alloy transistors see other formats no. We pointed out that it consists of just a few parts. Before the complete circuit diagrams shown later in the book can be understood, the advan tages and disadvantages of all the different types of circuits must be. Simple fm radio circuit using a single transistor homemade.
I have built three radios from this book trf radio from page 57, the regenerative radio from page 90 and 8transistor superheterodyne radio from page 105. No part of this book shall be reproduced by any means. The electronic diagram of the simplest superheterodyne am receiver in the world, with reproduction over the loudspeaker, is shown on pic. Basic semiconductor physics, diodes, the nonlinear diode model, load line analysis, large signal diode models, offset diode model, transistors, large signal bjt model, load line analysis, small signal model and transistor amplification.
Oct 10, 2017 when i first read about this in wayne lemons book titled transistor radio servicing made easy i was skeptical, but it works. Everyone should build at least one regenerative radio receiver. Hamer called it an aj6, which i now see stands for all japanese 6. Mar 25, 2020 simplest am radio circuit last updated on march 25, 2020 by swagatam 73 comments the following circuit was taken from an old electronic book, it is indeed a very nice little two transistor radio receiver circuit which utilizes very few components yet is able to produce output over a loudspeaker and not just over headphones. To learn more about the hobby of ham radio, write arrl american radio relay league, 225 main street, newington, ct 06111. The output of the if amplifier is applied to the limiter circuit. Many of the circuits have no bias for the base of the transistors. Similarly, i was really surprised how well the commercial 8transistor superheterodyne radio worked. The arrl handbook,or rsgb manual,especially older ones,have quite a lot on superheterodynes. The main advantage of the regenerative radio is that a complete receiver could be implemented with a single vacuum tube using headphones and battery power. Bring the radio near enough to a fluorescent light to hear the hash sound generated by the light. Circuit description the ne602 ic is a combination oscillatormixer. Transistor superhet receivers 1961 vintage radio book.
Transistor superhet receivers american radio history. Part of the idea of this design also came from a similar transistor version. Thats because a lot of gain exists in the circuit, and unless the placement of parts is done properly. Up for auction in cdrom format is s book entitled transistor superhet receivers by clive sinclair 1961, 98 pages. Early radio receivers worked on a principle called tuned radio frequency trf, patented in 1916. Btw, what i wanted to convey is the single transistor radio is performing well within such a simple circuit. This book focuses in the superheterodyne design in transistor based radio receivers and covers all aspects of design, servicing and construction. As a result, im always impressed by the ingenious circuits designers have come up with to get the job done. I wanted to see if there was some way to make the tracking more accurate and see if i could find a method for reliably setting up the hardware. For more crystal radio circuits, simple one transistor radios, and more advanced low transistor count radios. The massmarket success of the smaller and cheaper sony tr63, released in 1957, led to the transistor radio becoming the most popular electronic communication device of the 1960s and 1970s.
Highvalue source bias resistor r9 is bypassed only at radio frequencies by capacitor c10 c9 is omitted, and c is increased to 47 f to decouple the stage. The amfm radio project is divided into two parts, the am radio section and the fm radio section. The amfm radio kit comes with a training course of 56 pages is divided into 9 lessons. Over time several years these transistors have a tendency to develop internal shortcircuits between the can and one of the other connections normally the collector or emitter. There are several excellent reasons for this unique state of affairs. To learn more about ramsey electronics ham radio kits, write for our complete catalog. At the risk of oversimplification, a superhet converts whatever incoming radio signal you have selected, 1400 khz, lets say, to an intermediate frequency. When i tune the storebought superhet back and forth, my 1 transistor homebrew superregen receiver picks up a fullquieting spot that goes away when i switch the commercial radio off, 30 feet.
Simple superheterodyne sw receiver harks back almost 100. And, be sure to tell us how youre doing with your sr1 receiver. Aitendo selling an alldiscrete, 7 transistor am superhet kit. This simplest ever circuit of the reflex superheterodyne radio receiver includes only two semiconductor components a transistor and a diode. In this book are described five shortwave all transistor radio receivers ranging from a seven transistor superheterodyne to a ten transistor communications receiver covering all wavebands. A diy guide to designing and building transistor radios.
Oct 17, 2015 this is the main part of the circuit as it tunes the radio to the required local frequency. Handbook tested transistor circuits american radio history. To operate the fm radio circuit following steps are to be followed. Rogers circuit diagrams canadian radio corp cdrom pdf. Aug 17, 2015 1 tube am radio circuit from the 1920s how to make it. Superheterodyne receiver book page 2 all about circuits. Simple superheterodyne sw receiver harks back almost 100 years.
The following page of a book from the thirties shows a circuit to the right thats strikingly similar to the macrohenrydyne. Uk vintage radio repair and restoration transistor radio. This circuit is required when a phase discriminator is used to demodulate an fm signal. Valve tube and transistor with informationprojects and technical help. Bernards radio manuals tested superhet circuits shortwave and communication receivers using micro alloy transistors mats bernards publishers ltd. Transistor superhet receivers chapter one the transistor superhet of all the many types of receivers that have been designed the superhet, invented by armstrong in 1918, is almost the only type in common commercial use today. A three transistor receiver the fet as a regenerative detector by walter f. Clive sinclair transistor superhet receivers bernards publishers ltd. A hobbyists guide to highperformance and lowpowered radio circuits offers complete projects with detailed schematics and insights on how the radios were designed. This book is one of the ones that i considered the most fun. Simple am radio receiver electronics forum circuits.
Well, thats what i ended up building, an armstrong type regenerative radio, but unlike the regenerative radio i built in 1958, this time i decided to use 1970s technology instead of 1920s technology and use a field effect transistor fet in place of the venerable old 1h4 thermionic tube that i used as the detector of that early project. The included detailed manual provides easy to follow instructions to learn these techniques and complete this kit. In addition, circuits are given enabling other units such as beat frequency oscillators, four waveband converter, shortwave aerials, etc. A high performance regenerative radio september 30, 2012 august 4, 2015 raycharlesring rf i have built countless regenerative radio circuits throughout the years and some have worked well some havent.
This applies as much to transistors as it does to valves. Electrical engineering books electrical projects electronic engineering electronic circuit hobby electronics electronics projects ham radio equipment radio design electronic schematics. Over time several years these transistors have a tendency to develop internal short circuits between the can and one of the other connections normally the collector or emitter. Superheterodyne designed to receive standard am amplitude modulation and fm frequency modulation broadcast frequencies. Price transistor superhet receivers transistor receivers book 2 by clive. There are lots and lots of superhet circuits available online. Hope you find them helpful in building your own versions of the simple radio circuits here. Good oldfashioned discrete transistor superhet kit the. Click a row in the table below to download the file.
This popular book explains in simple language and in easy stages all the varieties of circuits that are found in radio receivers. The regenerative circuit remained a favorite design for homeconstructed shortwave broadcast radios and amateur receivers throughout the 1930s. The tracking was not very accurate but still worked. Ive been doing some thinking and tinkering with this 5 transistor superhet, mainly with the tracking. The letters w and z should be interchanged on the circuit.
Superheterodyne transistor radio circuit from around 1975 a superheterodyne receiver, often shortened to superhet, is a type of radio receiver that uses frequency mixing to convert a received signal to a fixed intermediate frequency if which can be more conveniently processed than the original carrier frequency. This post documents my build of the 8 transistor am superhetrodyne receiver featured in ronald quans excellent book build your own. The regency tr1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio. The repanco transistor car radio the transistor detector. The circuit is the output transistor that provides power gain into a 50 ohm antenna. An outside wire antenna, which captures the various radio signals coming our way.
Once built it can be expected to work immediately without any hassles. A diy guide to designing and building transistor radios create sophisticated transistor radios that are inexpensive yet highly efficient. The most important factor in assembling this superhet 108 amfm transistor and ic radio kit is good soldering techniques. The next stage is the input of a transistor that has a certain fairly low impedance. A site for the novice or established collectorrestorer of vintage radio sets and electronics. This book aims to provide a wide variety of radio and electronic projects, from something that will. The following parts are used in the transistor audio amplifier section. First sold in 1954, it was a novelty due to small size and portability.