I highly recommend _Experimental Methods in RF Design_, by Hayward,
Campbell, and Larkin, available from the ARRL or your favorite book
seller. All the circuits in the book have actually been built with the
component values shown, and have been designed by people who know what
they're doing. My personal favorite oscillator is the one shown in fig.
4.4 on p. 4.3. It's a dead-simple Hartley, is very stable, and just
about bulletproof. I've made versions from 2 to over 100 MHz, and they
always oscillate. The authors say in the book that they've made versions
from 1 MHz to 3 GHz. You'll also find equations so you can calculate the
capacitors you need for a given tuning range, and a wealth of other
information.

Although it's a terrific bargain at the price, some people balk at
spending the money for it. If you're one of those, check your local
library. They might not have it yet -- if not, ask them to order it if
they haven't already.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Tom Bruhns wrote:
. . .
Are you using known-good circuits? Sounds like you probably are,
given that you understand the differences among the various types of
circuits. But it might be good to get your hands on a book with a
bunch of circuit ideas in it, if you don't already have one (or more).