cmor wrote:
Great thought on making it directional, hopefully even the slow cousin
can figure out how to wrap foil.

As for the receiver would a simple MK484 based one suffice? Or would a
Superheterodyne provide better performance?

Lastly is their a cheap commercially available receiver I could plug
my antenna into to compare the performance to my home built one?

Thanks,
Chris

The MK484 should be a good device for your project, almost everything
you need on a single chip. I have used the ZN414, these devices were
fun to play with ...

Ham swaps are a good place to look for "cheap" equipment ...

You should be able to set up the MK484 as "hot" as you would like ...
why bother with looking for other equip? Chuck a low noise MMIC in
front and off 'ya go ... as others point out, noise will be your only
limiting factor.

Would be interested in how your final project turns out ... keep me
posted if possible ...

Regards,
JS

I'm a little at a loss as how to "chuck" a low noise mmic in front. I
thought these were reserved for higher frequencies. I had trouble
finding much info as to how I could use one. I did find this little
guy as an alternative:

Amtel ATR5261
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/p...ts/doc4913.pdf

Could I use that as a low noise amp?

And to clarify, I could have some connection such as: antenna ----
lownoiseamp ------ MK484 ------ amplifier (LM386?) ------
speaker

Thanks for bearing with my limited knowledge. I think it could be
useful little deal if it ever turns out.

-Chris

cmor wrote:
I'm a little at a loss as how to "chuck" a low noise mmic in front. I
thought these were reserved for higher frequencies.

Last time I used 'em, used a dc-to-1Ghz MMIC. But, a quick search of
net made your point hit home here, some begin bandwidth at 400+Mhz!
Maybe ebay, old stock?

I had trouble
finding much info as to how I could use one.

This device: (click on the data sheet link on the page.)

http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/data...UPC1651G.shtml

covers HF through UHF and is an example of the type of device I referred
to--in fact, this one may be usable for your needs (it is usually the
upper most freq that is limiting)--but, you should be able to find such
a unit, as this, which covers dc-1Ghz+ in its' specs.

This is a simple 4 terminal device: B+, Gnd, input, output ... your ant
to input, output to your front end ... simple!

I did find this little
guy as an alternative:

Amtel ATR5261
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/p...ts/doc4913.pdf


Appears like an interesting device, however, also looks "overly complex"
for your particular needs ...

Could I use that as a low noise amp?


Absolutely!

And to clarify, I could have some connection such as: antenna ----
lownoiseamp ------ MK484 ------ amplifier (LM386?) ------
speaker


Looks good! And, why not just "breadboard" it first, then commit to
hard wiring it; such as this breadboard:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.co...p?number=G8534

Thanks for bearing with my limited knowledge. I think it could be
useful little deal if it ever turns out.

-Chris

The longest journey begins but with a single step--don't let anything
discourage you. A breadboard and some parts and you are almost there ...

Regards,
JS

cmor wrote:

...
-Chris

Here is a link to 2 MMICs on ebay: (sorry, just had chit to do and was
slow to search)

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-HP-MMIC-S-MSA-...QQcmdZViewItem

An extra would be nice, in case a catastrophic mistake occurs while
constructing the device.

The data shows 0Hz to GHz, that should be wideband enough! :-)

Regards,
JS