VHF Airband Receiver
a double-conversion superhet for 108-137 MHz NAV and COM reception
Published in issue 308, March 2002
This receiver, specially designed for the VHF airband, couples decent performance to simple construction, all at an affordable price. It does not contain exotic parts and may be adjusted without special instruments, so we reckon the design makes an ideal entry-level receiver for aviation enthusiasts with two feet firmly on the ground.Eavesdropping on police, ambulance and fire brigade communications, to mention but a few examples, is a hobby with a persistent attraction to many. This has been the case ever since these services started using unprotected mobile communications. The exact reasons for the ‘addiction’ are hard to pinpoint. Curiosity, of course, but there’s more to it. A possible enticing factor is that scanner listening is somewhere in the twilight zone between ‘illegal’ and ‘allowed’, which no doubt adds to the excitement enjoyed by many scanner enthusiasts.
Resistors: R1 = 220Ohm R2 = 68kOhm R3 = 330Ohm R4 = 470Ohm R5,R16,R25 = 1kOhm 8 R6,R21 = 1kOhm R7,R14 = 5kOhm 6 R8 = 8kOhm 2 R9 = 39kOhm R10 = 12kOhm R11 = 47kOhm R12 = 1kOhm 2 R13 = 22kOhm R15 = 100kOhm R17,R18 = 330kOhm R19 = 150kOhm R20 = 2kOhm 2 R22 = 560Ohm R23 = 33kOhm R24 = 47Ohm (1W) R26 = 1kOhm 5 R27 = not fitted R28 = 100Ohm P1 = 50kOhm logarithmic potentiometer P2 = 20kOhm multiturn P3 = 100Ohm linear potentiometer. Capacitors: C1,C2 = 22pF C3,C10,C13,C19,C21-C24,C27,C29,C38,C41 = 100nF C4,C8,C9,C11,C15,C16,C33,C40 = 1nF C5 = 18pF C6 = 2pF2 C7,C43 = 15pF C12 = 8pF2 C14 = 4pF7 C17,C44 = 22pF adjustable (trimmer) C18 = 470µF 16V radial C20 = 22µF 16V radial C25 = 3nF3 C26 = 1nF8 C28,C42 = 10µF 16V radial C30, C32 = 220µF 16V radial C31 = 22nF C34 = 68pF C35,C36,C37 = 33pF C39 = 5pF6 Semiconductors: D1,D2 = BAT85 D3,D4 = KV1235 D5 = LED, red, high efficiency D6 = 1N4001 D7 = LED, green, high efficiency D8 = zener diode 6.2V, 0.4W IC1 = SA612AN or NE612 IC2 = TCA440 IC3 = LM386 IC4 = LP2951CN T1,T3,T4 = BFR91A T2 = BC557 Miscellaneous: BT1 = 9V battery (PP3) or 8 NiCd batteries (1.2V) FL1 = 45M15AU FL2 = SFR455H or -E (CFW455H or -E) K1 = mains adaptor socket, PCB mount L1,L2,L4,L8 = 100nH L3 = 820nH L5 = 560nH L6 = LMC4101 (Toko) L7 = 5 turns Æ 1mm silver-plated wire on Æ 5mm former (no core) S1 = switch, 1 make contact TR1 = 7MCS4718N (Toko) X1 = 44.545MHz quartz crystal (case connected to ground) LS1 = loudspeaker 8Ohm 1W PCB, order code 010064-1 (see Readers Services pages) Enclosure: e.g., BIM, dim. 150 x 80 x 50mm, order code 06.11.5005 (normal) of 06.11.5105 (enamel finish) Many RF parts for this projects, including inductors, varicaps ceramic filters and trimmers are available from Barend Hendriksen HF Elektroni
|
Click below to download a PDF copy of this article from Elektor magazine.
Please note. In view of the complexity of international markets, Elektor cannot guarantee the availability of components for this project.
|