As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in the
resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at such
"round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

thank you,
Tobin
--
http://web.pas.rochester.edu/~tobin/

Tobin Fricke wrote:
As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in
the resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at
such "round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

thank you,
Tobin
--
http://web.pas.rochester.edu/~tobin/

You could build a direct conversion receiver with a crystal oscillator.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Tobin Fricke wrote:
As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in the
resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at such
"round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

You might look at the Ramsey electronics 10 MHz WWV receiver kit. It's
a pretty basic crystal controlled superhet/ceramic filter/AM detector
with AGC.

Tim.

Tobin Fricke wrote:
As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in the
resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at such
"round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

Are you looking to decode the data transmissions or listen to the voice
signals. If the former it may take something more sophisticated
because you will have to feed a decoder.

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:39:46 -0800, Tobin Fricke
wrote:

As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in the
resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at such
"round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

thank you,
Tobin
The 30 meter Vectronics direct conversion receiver kit can be tuned to
receive WWV. I built one, and before I moved the range up to the 30
meter ham band at 10.100MHz, I used it with WWV at 10.000 MHz to
calibrate my frequency counter.
Ted KX4OM

"John S." wrote in message
ups.com...

Are you looking to decode the data transmissions or listen to the voice
signals. If the former it may take something more sophisticated
because you will have to feed a decoder.

Well, the 60 kHz WWVB transmissions were designed to be decoded, and there
are a fair number of projects out there to do just that. However, depending
on where you are, you can typically only hear WWVB for a small part of the
day.

...

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:39:46 -0800, Tobin Fricke
wrote:

As a project to learn more about building radio receivers, I'd like to
build a WWV receiver (or maybe a receiver for the Canadian station CHU,
since it's nearby and the format sounds easier to decode). I'm looking
for suggestions for how to design such a radio, reading material, etc.

I was thinking it might be easier to design a fixed-frequency receiver
(rather than a tunable one) because I could just select the L and C in the
resonant circuit to give the right frequency. Or, since WWV is at such
"round number" frequencies, maybe I could somehow use a crystal
oscillator?

thank you,
Tobin

How about a simple one to three transistor regenative reciever. There
are several on the net.

Here's a few:

w1.859.telia.com/~u85920178/rx/regenrx.htm
http://www.techlib.com/electronics/regen.html
http://www.tricountyi.net/~randerse/regen.htm

Try Google for more.

Allison
no spam, no uce!

xpyttl wrote:
"John S." wrote in message
ups.com...

Are you looking to decode the data transmissions or listen to the voice
signals. If the former it may take something more sophisticated
because you will have to feed a decoder.

Well, the 60 kHz WWVB transmissions were designed to be decoded, and there
are a fair number of projects out there to do just that. However, depending
on where you are, you can typically only hear WWVB for a small part of the
day.

..

True, but his message did not make that clear. A receiver that tunes
to the HF voice signals won't work well on the LF band.

wrote:
How about a simple one to three transistor regenative reciever.

In principle that's a great idea, but the gotcha is that very near
WWV's 10MHz frequency there are a lot of powerhouse SW broadcasters.
Here on the East Coast in the evenings, there are at least 10 SW
broadcasters each of which are 10x more powerful all within +/- 100kHz
of 10MHz, several of them within 10kHz of 10MHz.

If I fire up my regenerative receiver (my trusty old Space Spanner that
my Dad bought for me when I was in 2nd grade!) WWV 10MHz reception does
not work at all in the evenings due to those broadcasters, my
particular regen just does not deal well with all those stations packed
so tight together. The adjacent broadcasters block up the receiver or
sometimes the regen locks onto them instead!

On 5 or 15 or 20 MHz, or on the west coast, the regenerative may welll
work better. (There are SW broadcasters near 5 and 15 but not nearly so
close and not nearly so packed.)

If the OP is looking for a build-it-yourself SW receiver for picking up
the powerhouse SW broadcasters, then a regen is a fine choice. In fact
my complaint is that my regen doesn't pick up WWV because of all those
other broadcasters outgunning it here :-).

Ten-Tec and others sell really nice regenerative receiver kits for SW.

Tim.

"xpyttl" wrote in message
...
However, depending on where you are, you can typically only hear WWVB for a
small part of the day.

Does a bigger antenna help? Or is there just so much more background noise
than signal that it's a lost cause?

Hmm... isn't the data rate something like 1bps? Maybe they could do some
direct sequence spreading at 100Hz or so and improve the link margin a handful
of dB... :-)