![](\"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/bitx20.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nContinuing with our workshop inspiration theme, I spotted this in the BITX-20 mailing list this morning. The response is from Farhan: <\/b><\/p>\n
blake,<\/span> Continuing with our workshop inspiration theme, I spotted this in the BITX-20 mailing list this morning. The response is from Farhan: blake,i would suggest a different route. a long and winding one, that willfinally lead to a bitx.the idea is to learn. you do this by understanding what you build andbuilding what you understand. by … Continue reading “How to Get Ready to Build a BITX-20”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,66,68,71,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bitx20","category-farhan","category-india","category-test-gear","category-workbench"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3854,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852\/revisions\/3854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
i would suggest a different route. a long and winding one, that will<\/span>
finally lead to a bitx.<\/span>
the idea is to learn. you do this by understanding what you build and<\/span>
building what you understand. by ‘understand’, i specifically mean, being<\/span>
able to measure. here is what i suggest, buy yourself a bunch of 2N3904s<\/span>
from the local radio shack and some resistors and caps. then build this :<\/span>
http:\/\/www.phonestack.com\/farhan\/testosc.gif<\/a>
this is an oscillator. if you plug a coil between the open ends, it will<\/span>
become a vfo, if u plug a crystal, it becomes a crystal oscillator. you can<\/span>
use your frequency oscillator to check the frequency it is oscillating at,<\/span>
etc.<\/span>
with this, you would have mastered the first of the three blocks that make<\/span>
up almost every radio circuit. but next, you must make another test<\/span>
instrument. a power meter. most of us ham start out with a simple RF probe.<\/span>
while that was fine and dandy for its day, now we can do much much better.<\/span>
we can make a very accurate power meter that enable you to measure things<\/span>
as finely as anybody in this business. W7ZOI has designed a super simple<\/span>
power meter. it is available as a kit.<\/span>
read about the power meter here :<\/span>
http:\/\/www.kangaus.com\/Documentation%20files\/Power%20Meter%20Documentation%20May%202011.pdf<\/a>
you can purchase the kit at www.kangaus.com<\/span>
(I have no business interest with kanga or any other kit manufacturer)<\/span>
with the power meter in place, you can now measure the power levels coming<\/span>
out of any circuit with great accuracy.<\/span>
now, you can build a single stage feedback amplifer (there are six of them<\/span>
used in the bitx) on a copper clad board. using the test oscillator as an<\/span>
input, you can measure how much gain the amplifer has (measure the<\/span>
oscillator output, then connect the oscillator to the amp and ,measure the<\/span>
amp output. the, amp output – oscillator output = amp gain).<\/span>
of course, while building both these blocks, you will discover what<\/span>
voltages to expect at which junction of components in both these blocks.<\/span>
next, you can build a step attenuator. which is a really simple thing and<\/span>
of immense value in the home lab. here is a design<\/span>
http:\/\/www.arrl.org\/files\/file\/Technology\/tis\/info\/pdf\/9506033.pdf<\/a>
or you can now buy it in a kit form from<\/span>
http:\/\/www.qrpkits.com\/attenuator.html<\/a>
finally, you can build a simple signal generator like this :<\/span>
http:\/\/www.phonestack.com\/farhan\/siggen.html<\/a> . this will allow you change<\/span>
frequencies and measure what a circuit does at different frequencies. you<\/span>
can use this to test how the filters are doing and get them to ‘spot’ where<\/span>
you want them to.<\/span>
so, there it is, a signal generator, a power meter, step attenuator, test<\/span>
oscillator. four, very simple test instruments that you can build<\/span>
yourself. they will give you one helluva education in radio. and within<\/span>
weeks, you will understand and start building on your own!!<\/span>
– farhan<\/span><\/b>
> Quoting bfabman :<\/span>
><\/span>
> Hello Everyone, I have been watching the group for a few months now<\/span>
> with interest. I have no electronic experience to speak of, but I have<\/span>
> a burning desire to make one of these, and I am wondering what all of<\/span>
> you think of someone like myself building one as my first real radio<\/span>
> project, to be used for qrp mountain topping. I don’t have any<\/span>
> electronic test equipment for the final alignment, other than a<\/span>
> standard DIG vom meter. (I am willing to buy some equipment if<\/span>
> necessary) I think that this would be an awesome winter project just<\/span>
> don’t know if it would be over my head. If I got it all built, could I<\/span>
> actually get it aligned and working properly. I did make a Norcal<\/span>
> frequency counter project last year and it turned out very well. Thanks<\/span>
> for your opinions before I spend the money. Blake<\/span>
><\/span>
> Paul Daulton K5WMS<\/span>
> beacon WMS 185.302 khz qrss30\/slow 24\/7<\/span>
> Jacksonville,Ar 72076<\/span>
> em34wu<\/span><\/b>
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http:\/\/soldersmoke.com\/book.htm<\/a> Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http:\/\/www.cafepress.com\/SolderSmoke<\/a> Our Book Store: http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/contracross-20<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"