Just curious,

Has anyone here built their own shortwave receiver? Something comparable to a
low-end commercial receiver, (perhaps no FM though) no audio amplifier section
either. (Just pre-amp) Something very modular so you could experiment with
filters and things along the stages.

Years ago.. I had a ton of books on the subject, but they were tube-technology
and in all the moving I've done.. most were thrown away.

Is it possible using these tools:

Cheap, crappy oscilloscope. (old tube-type, basic, it drifts as it warms up)

Circa 1955-1965'ish RF generator. (analog tuner, tube based, might not even work)

TTL puls gen.

High-voltage power supply.

Clunky soldering iron.

That is what I'd have to work with if I tried it, the reason I discarded so much
of that old stuff is that it's just too expensive to experament. (and all the math
gave me a headache!)

Something a little better than those "spring kits", should use crystal oscillators
NOT regenerative. Ideally a web resource some place that I haven't already googled,
with "alternate plans".

Can't really justify spending much $$ on something like this.

Jamie
--
http://www.geniegate.com Custom web programming
(rot13) User Management Solutions

wrote in message
. ..
Just curious,

Has anyone here built their own shortwave receiver? Something comparable
to a
low-end commercial receiver, (perhaps no FM though) no audio amplifier
section
either. (Just pre-amp) Something very modular so you could experiment with
filters and things along the stages.

I tried to reply off list- but looks like you have an anti-spam address.
Lots of people are building their own receivers- and many of them above
average designs.
I have posted this before, but here it is again for those that may have
missed it:
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi13jpg.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi14.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi15.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/W7ZOI11%20copy.jpg

5/2.5/.5 KHz homebrew xtal filters; selectable and defeatable AGC; tone;
audio notch filter; preset BFO for USB/LSB/CW; AM detector; S meter

Loosely based on W7ZOI Progressive RX from the late 1980's.

Look also at Pete KE9OA's neat receiver on his site and many others.

73,

Dale W4OP

Many radios have a 455khz output. Building your own demod might be the
place to start. These days you could even do a digital demod. For AM,
you could phase lock your sample clock (oversampled) to the carrier
and do a decimation demod. Nothing obvious pops into my mind for a
digital sideband demod.

In: _I7ge.7551$hb1.3677@trnddc05, "Dale Parfitt" wrote:
Has anyone here built their own shortwave receiver? Something comparable
to a
low-end commercial receiver, (perhaps no FM though) no audio amplifier
section
either. (Just pre-amp) Something very modular so you could experiment with
filters and things along the stages.

I tried to reply off list- but looks like you have an anti-spam address.

Yea, I do. Anything to this address gets a higher "spam score".

Lots of people are building their own receivers- and many of them above
average designs.
I have posted this before, but here it is again for those that may have
missed it:
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi13jpg.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi14.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi15.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/W7ZOI11%20copy.jpg

5/2.5/.5 KHz homebrew xtal filters; selectable and defeatable AGC; tone;
audio notch filter; preset BFO for USB/LSB/CW; AM detector; S meter

Loosely based on W7ZOI Progressive RX from the late 1980's.

Look also at Pete KE9OA's neat receiver on his site and many others.

I couldn't find Pete's web site? (I did a google for KE9OA)

Would you say it was rewarding to do something like that? What were the costs
and such?

Did you build the case yourself too?

Seems like it would be fun to do something like this, but whew! where to start?

Jamie
--
http://www.geniegate.com Custom web programming
(rot13) User Management Solutions

On Tue, 10 May 2005 19:12:58 GMT, "Dale Parfitt"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
Just curious,

Has anyone here built their own shortwave receiver? Something comparable
to a
low-end commercial receiver, (perhaps no FM though) no audio amplifier
section
either. (Just pre-amp) Something very modular so you could experiment with
filters and things along the stages.

I tried to reply off list- but looks like you have an anti-spam address.
Lots of people are building their own receivers- and many of them above
average designs.
I have posted this before, but here it is again for those that may have
missed it:
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi13jpg.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi14.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi15.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/W7ZOI11%20copy.jpg

5/2.5/.5 KHz homebrew xtal filters; selectable and defeatable AGC; tone;
audio notch filter; preset BFO for USB/LSB/CW; AM detector; S meter

Loosely based on W7ZOI Progressive RX from the late 1980's.

Look also at Pete KE9OA's neat receiver on his site and many others.

73,

That's bad-ass.

Dale W4OP

In: _I7ge.7551$hb1.3677@trnddc05, "Dale Parfitt" wrote:
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi13jpg.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi14.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/w7zoi15.jpg
http://www.parelectronics.com/pics/W7ZOI11%20copy.jpg

Where would a person find the mechanical parts for the tuning assembly?

Is there a good source for the small pulleys, chords and weighted tuning wheel?

(I'd go to a hardware store and ask, but I'm not sure what one would call these
parts)

Jamie
--
http://www.geniegate.com Custom web programming
(rot13) User Management Solutions