Transcript Document
Technical talks for 2008
The design of HF
Transmitters,
Receivers,
and Antennas.
The format of the talks
The talks will be semi theoretical
Speakers should be available for discussions
afterwards or on other weeks
Some will want a deeper understanding
Others just want to use technology
confidently
Practical examples will be used where
possible
Suitable group projects will be identified
Anonymous feedback forms will be used
Reference designs
In order to retain our focus we will
regularly refer to the circuit diagrams
of two kits.
The BITX20 and the
SoftRock 40/80m.
BITX20
Picture from Hendricks QRP Kits
Why the BITX20?
It’s a fairly simple transceiver
It uses few circuit variations
It does not use software
We will learn to break down
“big” circuit diagrams (next)
Don’t Panic!
BITX20 bidirectional SSB transceiver
A BITX20 single stage
We will learn to break down
small circuit diagrams even
smaller.
(Another day)
SoftRock RxTx 40/80m
Picture from Nicolas M1HOG.com
Why the SoftRock RxTx?
It uses a range of circuit variations
It is a more modern design
It introduces digital techniques
SoftRock Receiver
Many of the same principles
are used in the:
The SDR Transmitter
(avert your eyes for now if you like)
SoftRock Transmitter
These circuits were just to
set the scene.
We will come back to them
during the following talks:-
Fundamentals
Current, voltage
Conductors, resistors
Potential dividers
Kirchoff's laws
Signals & test equipment
DC / AC
Signal Generators
Graphs, Time, Amplitude, Frequency, Phase
(using visualisation tools)
Oscilloscopes (practical to follow)
RC Bridges & Grid Dip Oscillators
Electric and Magnetic Fields
Electric fields, capacitors
Magnetic Fields (Using visualisation tools)
Magnetic Materials, Inductors and
Transformers (Bifilar winding, Baluns)
Analogue circuit design
Diodes, Transistors (Bipolar, FET), Valves
Transistor circuits: Common emitter, emitter
follower, common base, biasing, feedback.
Transistor pairs: Cascode, long tailed, mirror.
Introduction to integrated circuits
ICs are not scary: lets look inside
Operational amplifiers & their internal design
Gates, flip-flops, transmission gates
The first commercial op-amp, the K2-W 1952
http://www.ieee.org/portal/site/sscs/menuitem.f07ee9e3b2a01d06bb9305765bac26c8/index.jsp?&pName=sscs_level1_article&TheCat=2171&path=sscs/07Fall&file=Lee.xml
Analogue signal processing
Superhet (supersonic heterodyne) receivers
Mixers (multipliers). Single / double
balanced
Filters (RC, RC active, LCR passive)
Filter design with passives or op-amps
Electro Magnetic Fields (e.g. radio waves)
Transmission lines / coax cables
Propagating EM Fields
Fundamental Antenna theory (dipoles)
Antenna matching / tuning
Phased arrays / Yagis
Digital signal processing
Digital Communications e.g. PSK31
A/D & D/A, Shannon’s law, sampling theory
Some more logic circuits
Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
Digital filters and their design
Demonstrations of digital signal processing
These will be non-theoretical demonstrations of
signal processing using a Field Programmable
Gate Array (FPGA) demo system.
If interested this can be followed up with more
detail and a live demonstration of programming