Audio Noise Blanker

Chris Trask / N7ZWY / WDX3HLB

Sonoran Radio Research
christrask@earthlink.net
29 July 2012
The subject of noise limiters and noise
blankers for the audio section of a receiver is a
topic that appears from time to time. Although
they are not as effective as RF noise blankers
between the antenna and the receiver, they are
considerably more convenient and less expensive.
Audio noise limiters generally consist of an
antiparallel pair of diodes placed shunt across a
signal line, such as shown in Fig. 1. Signals that
are higher in potential than the diode contact voltage are shunted to ground. The diodes can be
of any sort including Schottky, silicon, and germanium, depending on the needs of the application. The values of resistors R1 and R2 should
be the same and are dependent on the characteristic impedance of the audio circuitry.
An audio noise blanker is a bit more complicated, a typical example shown in Fig. 2. I do
not recall where this particular circuit came from,
except that it appeared in an electronics hobby
magazine in the late 1960s to early 1970s.

site signal voltages. R1, D1, and D2 form a peak

limiter, much the same as in Fig. 1, so that noise
impulses are clipped to the contact potential of
the diodes. Diodes D3 and D4 form a base clipper, so that voltages that exceed the clipping level
of D1 and D2 are passed on to a second peak
limiter R2, D5, and D6, which creates noise impulses that have the same amplitude but opposite phase as those of noise clipper R1/D1/D2.
Potentiometer R3 is adjusted for a comfortable degree of noise pulse cancellation, which is
dependent on the judgement of the listener.
As with the noise limiter of Fig. 1, the values of resistors R1, R2, and R3 are dependent
on the characteristic impedance of the audio circuitry. In addition, Resistors R1 and R2 should
be of the same value and potentiometer R3
should be twice that value. It does help if the diodes are all matched, but it is not overly important.

In this circuit, transformer T1 is an audio

transformer that provides two equal and oppo-

Fig 1 - Audio Noise Limiter

Fig 2 - Audio Noise Blanker