Miniature MW Transmitter

Here is a very simple, inexpensive and interesting project which provides lot of fun to a home experimenter or hobbyist. This simple transmitter can transmit speeches or songs within a short range.

The circuit uses only one transistor. The entire circuit can be easily assembled on a prototyping printed circuit board. After assembling all the components properly put the whole assembly in a plastic enclosure provided with a telescopic antenna. Now keep your MW radio and the transmitter on a table about one meter away from each other. Switch on the radio receiver and turn to a clear spot where no broadcasting station is present. Now switch on the transmitter and turn the gang condenser. At some position loud hissing sound will be heard from your receiver. Stop the gang condenser at this position. Speak some thing to the speaker which serves as the microphone. Now turn the radio receiver to get clear and loud sound.

The transmitter have a range of 200 meters. You can increase the range by using an external antenna and sensitive receiver at receiving end.

AM DSB Transmitter for HAMS

This circuit of AM transmitter is designed to transmit AM(amplitude modulated) DSB (double side Band) signals. A modulated AM signal consists of a carrier and two symmetrically spaced side bands. The two side bands have the same amplitude and the carry same information. In fact, the carrier itself conveys or carries no information. In a 100% modulated AM signal 2/3rd of the power is wasted in the carrier and only 1/6th of the power in each side band

In this transmitter we remove the carrier and transmits only the two side bands. The effective output of the circuit is three times that of an equivalent AM transmitter.

Opamp IC741 is added here as a microphone amplifier to amplify the audio signals from the condenser mike. The output of the Opamp is fed to the double balanced modulator build around In4148 diodes. The modulation level can be adjusted with the help of preset VR1.

The carrier using cristal wired around BC548 transistor T2. The carrier is further amplified bt transistor T1, which also acts as a buffer between modulator. The working frequencey of the transmitter can be changed by using the cristals of the diffreent frequencies. For multi-frequency operation, selection of different cristals can be made using a selector switch. The level of the carrier coupled to the DEM(double Balanced Modulator) cna be adjusted with the help of preset VR2.

The output of the DBM contains only the product (of audio and carrier) frequencise. The DBM supress both the input signals anf produce the double side band supressed carrier(DSBSC) at its output. However, since the diodes used in the balanced modulator are not fully matched , the output of the DBM does contain some residual carrier. This is known as carrier leckage. By adjusting the 100-ohm preset(VR2) and the trimmer (c7) you can nullify the carrier leckage.

To receive DSb signals you need a Beat Frequency Oscillator(BFO) to reinsert the missing carrier. If you dodn't have a BFO, or want to transmit only AM signal, adjust preset VR2 to leak some carrier so thar you can receive the signals on any ordinary radio receiver. In AM mode 100% modulation can be attained by adjusting presets VR1 and VR2.
The DSBSC signal available at the output of the balanced modulator is amplified by two stages of RF libnear amplifiers. Transisor 2n2222A(t3) is used as an RF amplifier., which provides enough signal amplification to drive the final power amplifier around transistor SL100B. The output of the final power amplifier is connected to the antienna.

All coils are to be wound on ferrite balun cores(same ast used in TV balun transformer of size 1.4cm x 0.6 cm) using 24 SWG enameled copper wire. proper heat-sink should be provided for SL100B transistor used as final power amplifier.

Range of the order of a few kilometers can be easily achieved by proper choice of the site, type of antenna (such as a resonant half-wave dipole of lenght 10 meters for 7.08 Mhz frequency) and proper matching of transmitter to the antanna. Use good quality shielded wire of short length to connect the crystals.

AM Transmitter

Notes:

It is illegal to operate a radio transmitter without a license in most countries. This ircuit is deliberately limited in power output but will provide amplitude modulation (AM) of voice over the medium wave band.

The circuit is in two halfs, an audio amplifier and an RF oscillator. The oscillator is built around Q1 and associated components. The tank circuit L1 and VC1 is tunable from about 500kHz to 1600KHz. These components can be used from an old MW radio, if available. Q1 needs regenerative feedback to oscillate and this is achieved by connecting the base and collector of Q1 to opposite ends of the tank circuit. The 1nF capacitor C7, couples signals from the base to the top of L1, and C2, 100pF ensures that the oscillation is passed from collector, to the emitter, and via the internal base emitter resistance of the transistor, back to the base again. Resistor R2 has an important role in this circuit. It ensures that the oscillation will not be shunted to ground via the very low internal emitter resistance, re of Q1, and also increases the input impedance so that the modulation signal will not be shunted. Oscillation frequency is adjusted with VC1.

Q2 is wired as a common emitter amplifier, C5 decoupling the emitter resistor and realizing full gain of this stage. The microphone is an electret condenser mic and the amount of AM modulation is adjusted with the 4.7k preset resistor P1. An antenna is not needed, but 30cm of wire may be used at the collector to increase transmitter range.

Micro Power AM Broadcast Transmitter

Micro Power AM Broadcast Transmitter

In this circuit, a 74HC14 hex Schmitt trigger inverter is used as a square wave oscillator to drive a small signal transistor in a class C amplifier configuration. The oscillator frequency can be either fixed by a crystal or made adjustable (VFO) with a capacitor/resistor combination. A 100pF capacitor is used in place of the crystal for VFO operation. Amplitude modulation is accomplished with a second transistor that controls the DC voltage to the output stage. The modulator stage is biased so that half the supply voltage or 6 volts is applied to the output stage with no modulation. The output stage is tuned and matched to the antenna with a standard variable 30-365 pF capacitor. Approximately 20 milliamps of current will flow in the antenna lead (at frequencies near the top of the band) when the output stage is optimally tuned to the oscillator frequency. A small 'grain of wheat' lamp is used to indicate antenna current and optimum settings. The 140 uH inductor was made using a 2 inch length of 7/8 inch (OD) PVC pipe wound with 120 turns of #28 copper wire. Best performance is obtained near the high end of the broadcast band (1.6 MHz) since the antenna length is only a very small fraction of a wavelength. Input power to the amplifier is less than 100 milliwatts and antenna length is 3 meters or less which complies with FCC rules. Output power is somewhere in the 40 microwatt range and the signal can be heard approximately 80 feet. Radiated power output can be approximated by working out the antenna radiation resistance and multiplying by the antenna current squared. The radiation resistance for a dipole antenna less than 1/4 wavelength is

R = 80*[(pi)^2]*[(Length/wavelength)^2]*(a factor depending on the form of the current distribution) The factor depending on the current distribution turns out to be [(average current along the rod)/(feed current)]^2 for short rods, which is 1/4 for a linearly-tapered current distribution falling to zero at the ends. Even if the rods are capped with plates, this factor cannot be larger than 1. Substituting values for a 9.8 foot dipole at a frequency of 1.6 MHz we get R= 790*.000354*.25 = .07 Ohms. And the resistance will be only half as much for a monopole or 0.035 Ohms. Radiated power at 20 milliamps works out to about I^2 * R = 14 microwatts.