(N2EY) wrote in message om...
scharkalvin wrote in message ...
Ashhar Farhan wrote:
old timers will remember that goodman (w1dx, i think) broke ground
with a receiver using single conversion, high if frequency, full
hang-agc in a simple 5 tube receiver called the miser's dream. i guess
it was published in qst as well as the handbook of 60s.
i am interested in brewing that receiver. if anyone has the circuit, i
will be obliged. u can mail the scanned copy to

thanks.
-de farhan (vu2fax)

I have the HB that the article was in (1967), but the book is buried at
the moment. I hope in a month or two to (finally) get to unpacking
my ham stuff, I'll be happy to scan it then for you. Drop an email
reminder in the fall.

You folks are talking about two different but related receivers.

The whole thing started with a 1957 QST article titled "What's Wrong
With Our Present Receivers?" which showed the weaknesses of the
multiconversion designs of those days, and how they could be overcome
by the use of recently announced packaged high frequency crystal
filters. That article described a 2215 kHz IF strip and rear end to
demonstrate the principles. The IF was chosen because a National
NC-300 receiver was avaliable for use as a front end, and the '300
used a first IF of 2215 kHz.

In QST for May, 1965, W1DX (By Goodman) described a 7 tube receiver
called the "Miser's Dream". This double-conversion rx was based upon a
pair of 2215 kHz packaged xtal filters from Hycon Eastern - later
versions of the filters used in the "What's Wrong" IF strip. Similar
filters were also made by Blackhawk. These filters were $44 each in
1959, and the receiver used two of them, one for CW (250 Hz) and one
for SSB (2.7 kHz?). It used the famous Eddystone 898 sliderule dial,
RF Q-multiplication, audio-derived hang-AGC, S-meter and plug-in coils
a la the HBR receivers. It is pictured on the cover of that QST issue.
The article does not give complete construction data - it shows a
block diagram, and partial schematic. It's more of an idea article
rather than something you'd want to duplicate wire-for-wire. Lots of
good solid rx design philosophy presented in clear readable terms that
is well worth reading today.

While the Miser's dream was relatively simple, it was obviously not
inexpensive to build, considering that many of the key parts were
expensive and almost certainly had to be bought new. The dial, tuning
capacitor and filters alone would cost about $120 in the mid-1960s.


The 1967 ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook features the "Junior Miser's
Dream" (JMD) receiver. This is a single-conversion 5 tube rx that is
obviously derived from the 1965 article, meant for easier duplication
and lower total cost. The "JMD" rx uses a two-speed Miller
planetary-drive dial that was popular and relatively inexpensive at
the time, RF Q-multiplication, bandswitching, and Miller slug-tuned
coils in the front end. Selectivity is from a two-crystal filter at
3300 kHz. I recall that the JMD did not include AGC or an S-meter. The
article points out that the Miller coils used in the front end are an
important part of the performance and that substitutes should not be
used.

Both receivers used built-in solidstate power supplies, a single-ended
7360 first mixer and no RF stage. Both were relatively simple compared
to many of the multiconversion multibottle designs of the time. Both
suffer from relatively poor image rejection and drift on the higher
bands. The former is due to too few tuned circuits ahead of the first
mixer, and the latter to the instability inherent in a simple tunable
LO operating at relatively high frequencies. The main problem with
duplication today is finding the parts.

--

For about a dozen years or so I owned a small 7 tube receiver that was
obviously based on the Miser's Dream. I bought it at a hamfest in the
early '80s and sold it to another ham some years back. I don't know
who built it or when, but the construction quality/craftsmanship was
excellent. I built a small power supply for it, which was also sold.
This little receiver uses an uncalibrated National dial, IF in the
~1500 kHz range, and covers 80 and 40 meters by means of band imaging.
Instead of an RF Q multiplier it uses a dual tuned input circuit. No S
meter but it had the audio-derived hang AGC.

Schematics of the little receiver and power supply may be seen at:

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/littlereceiver1.jpg

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/littlereceiver2.jpg

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/littlereceiver3.jpg

And a picture of the receiver itself:

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/littlereceiver.jpg

The wood cabinbet was added by the ham who bought it from me.

Between those schematics and the QST article it should not be too
difficult to recreate a schematic of the Miser's Dream. Coil data
would have to be derived all over again.

--

My suggestion for a "2003 Miser's Dream" would combine features of all
three receivers, and be based on available parts. I'd dispense with
the RF Q multiplier and use a double-tuned input circuit with either
big air-core coils or toroids. Depending on the crystal filters
available, either a band-imaging design or a multiband premixer-LO
system would be used. The 7360 beam-deflection first mixer could be
replaced with a 6JH8, or perhaps a 6ES8 in the classic Pullen circuit.
A variable capacitor with integral dial drive from a junked BC-221
frequency meter or ARC-5 transmitter would not only reduce cost but
also do a better job. Power supply would be external for size, heat
and weight reasons.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I'm looking at my worn copy of the 1966 ARRL handbook. On page 124 is
the Junior Miser's Dream receiver. The 1966 version used two
International crystals for the IF filter: one at 3300 kc's(I know it's
kHz now) and the other at 3301 kcs. On page 139 is the HB-65 five
band receiver which didn't have a crystal filter in the IF section but
did have a double tuned front end. There's also a four transistor
regenerative receiver on page 120 which used SK3004 and SK3006
transistors. The two SK3006's are in a two transistor
detector-oscillator configuration. Bill Young WD5HOH