wm boxes, and fitted wit plugs that fine up with the power ‘connectors in the tuner of Part lor the power unit of Part Il, The 50-Mc. converter is at the right. A Complete Two-Band Station for the V.HF. Beginner Part IV—Crystal-Controlled Converters for 50 and 144 Mc. BY EDWARD P. TILTON,* WIHDQ that will enable the v.b.f. neweomer to get started without a communications receiver, two transmitter rf. assemblies, 2 modulator and power supply, and a standing-wave bridge. This final article of the series presents easy-to-build converters that are capable of exceptional vif. performance. They work nicely with the tuner of Part I, and when the builder ean afford the step to @ good communications receiver, these cot verters will give him 50- und 144-Me. reception that will equal almost anything that money ean buy. Tes far, we have deseribed a simple tuner Noise Figure and Signal-to-Noise Ratio First, let's talk about v.h.. reception generally. ‘The xbove expressions deserihing reeeiver per formance are often confused, Noise figure is a mathematical statement of the degree to whieh a receiver is less than perfcct in the amount of noise generated within it. ‘This quality is independent of receiver bandwidth, Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure of the receiver's ability to respond to weak signals. It is directly related to receiver selectivity, as well as to noise figure. ‘Thus, for optimum v.h.f. reception we need both low noise figure and high selectivity. These converters will give noise figures as low us ean be obtained vith relatively simple circuits ut reasonable cost, ditor, QST, = —00ce but to achiove the best possible signal-to-noise ratio with them requires the highest selectivity that is ussble for the mode of operation involved Our simple tuner is deficient in this respect, obvi- ously. It will give you a good start at low cost, but «wood communications reeciver that tunes 14 to 18 Me. will be necessary before you get the full benefit of the fine performance of these con- verters. Wo we a converter to change the very high signal frequeney to x lower frequeney, whore am- plification ean be done more effectively. ‘This is aso done in communications receivers, whore 2 14-Me. signal, for example, is converted to 455 ke. or lower frequeney, where most of the mpli- fieation takes place. Because few communications receivers cover the 50-Me. band and none cover the 144-Mc. band, we need converters to extend the frequeney range of the receivers used on lower amateur bands. Frequency conversion is secom- plished by feeding ia rf. encrgy that will beat with the incoming signal in a mixer stage. ‘The ‘output of the mixer is either the sum or the differ- ence of the signal aad injection frequencies. Our 50-Me. converter has Me. exystal oscillator bh beats with the signals in the range betwoon 50 and 54 Me., giving an intermediate frequency £1.) of 14 to 18 Me. Amplification and detection can take place at this frequency, as in our simple ‘tuner of Part I, or the i.f. output ean be fed into OST for1 communications ree to 18 Me. In most v.h.f. converters there are ony or more rf, amplifier stages that work ab the signal fre- quency. ‘These are the principal source of the receiving system's sensitivity, us they determine the noise figure of the entire system if they are working properly. ‘One more basic point before we get to the eon- verter construction. At 50 Me,, noise coming in on the antenna is a limiting factor in receiving ability, even in the quietest locations. Such “antenna, noise” is much lower at L44 Me. Phi is une rewon why we have two tubes in the umplifier of the 144-Mo. converter and only one in the 50-Me. model, ‘Phe butter has n sensitivity than you ever will be able to use, even with « single amplifier stage, The L44-Me. con- verter with its tivo stages just about reaches the point, where xntenuz noise becomes a limiting factor in weak-signal reception, Both converters use a new type of tube called the Nuvistor, capable of hi ver eapable of tuning L4 low-noise amplification in the v.hf. range. The CW Nuvistor is also well suited for use in the other stagos of the converter, and it is inexpensive sndsmall insize,so we use it throughout both units The 50-Mc. Converter In the first photograph the 50-Me, converter # the right. ‘Three 6CW4s aro used. The first, ized rf, amplifier, is in the upper eenter portion of the picture, At the bottom right is the mixer tube, and to its left is the erystal oscillator. ‘Tho Sti-Mo. erystal is in the left center, and above it is the antenna connector. Tarn now to the cireuit diagram, The tuned eirenits Lo und Ls, with the small coupling capacitor, Co, are used to give some selectivity in the rf amplifier grid circuit. ‘The tuning screws for the coils are visible at the top of the first photograph, Similar circuits are used bo- tween the aunplifier plate and mixer grid (Ls, Le and C3) and these are at the right side of the top view. The oscillator coil, Ls, is in the lower eenter ‘Phe mixer plate coil is in the Tower right eorner, Bottom view of the 50-Me, converter, rotated vertically from the top view. The antenna connector ‘and trap revit ore October 1961 the lower left comer. 29TAL O56, Bowie Fig, 7—Schematie diagram and parts information for the 50-Me. converter. Resistors Ys watt unless specified. Fixed capacitors are ceramic; decimel valves in uf, others in wat. C1—3-30-uf, mica trimmer. Cs, Ca— No. 22 insulated hookup wires 2 inches long, twisted together for epproximately 1¥% inches. Ce—Same, but I-inch wires twisted for Ve inch, J1—Coaxial connector, $0-239, Je—Phono jack. 4Ja—8-pin plug (Amphenol 86-RCPR}, U5 tums No. 18, Ye-inch diem, 8 tpi. (B & W No. 3002). Li—10 tums No, 28 enam, close-wound on Vicinch iron slug phenolic form, tapped at 3 turns; 0.65 to 1.3 ih. (iiller form No. 20A0CORBI). Lay La, eB turns No, 28 ena. elore-wound on Vsinch The ucutralizing coil, L4, is mounted horizon- tally, with its adjusting stud coming out of the side of the bos. The i.f. output connector is in the ‘upper right comer of the top view. ‘The trap cireuit, 11s, is optional. Its purpose is to absorb Channel-2 video signals that might cause interference to 50-Me. reception, as the re sult of the second harmonic of the oseillator (7: Me.) beating with a Channel-2 TV signal. (72 Hf = 58) Unless you are near a Channel-2 TV station you will not need the trap, und the con- nection from /; ean be made directly to the tap on In, “The bottom view of the converter is inverted vertically from the top view. The antenna con- noctor and the trap cireuit are in the lower left corner. To the right are the coils fo» und La, and the if, output connector. Neur the iniddle is the rf. amplifier socket, und in line with it ut the top is the mixer socket. ‘The erystal oseilistor tube socket is at the upper left. "The oscillator plat coil, Ly, and the mixer grid coil, Ls, are in the same plane to the right. Direetly below Ls is the plate coil, Ls. ‘Phe i.f. output evil, pper Tight comer, connected through 2 sl id to the output connector in the lower right. ‘The neutrulizing coil, L, is just above the latter, with ite tuning serew projecting through the side wf the box. ‘Phe coupling enpacitors, Cs, Cy and Ca, are made by twisting insulated wires together to form small capacitances where needed. This is « con venient and inexpensive way of doing the jub, 380 Iron-slug phenolic form. Range 0.43 t0 0.85 sh. Lx 01 for 0.54 hy Ls for 0.66 a for 0.73 ph (Miter ils No, 20A687RBI) Le and Ls ore a inch apart € 10 ¢ Lato Lois 4 incly L to Lats Ya Inch, Li—No. 32 enam, close-wourd Ya inch on Va-ngh irony pphenolie form; 3.8 to 8.5 shy set for 69 1h, (Willer coil No. 20A686RB). s—Universel-wound coil, 47 to 10 shy set for 7:9 ah. ‘Wiler coi No, 208826RB)) 1.8 turns No. 32 encm, close-wound on Minch icons henole form 0.67 10 1.25 phy set for 0.94 ph. {okiller coil No. 20A106RBI- Yi—36-Me. crystal (International Crystal Mfg, Co. FA-5). and since the values are not particularly eritieal, the twisted wires serve just as well as would a fixed or variable capacitor uf conventional design. Power is taken from the 150-volt and 6.3-volt sourecs in the power supply described last month, The Spin power plug, Js, is mounted in the side ‘of the converter ease. [t should be positioned so that it will fine up with the sucket on the side of the tuner, or the similar soeket on the modultor, if the tuner is not used. The 144-Me. Converter ‘The 144-Me. rf, amplifier uses two 6CWds instead of one, and an oscillator-multiplier sys tem is needed for developing the injection volte for the mixer, Hand-wound eoils sre used in the ra. citeuits, insteud of slug-tuned coils, The tinst amplifier is» neutralized triode stage, as in the Av-Me. converter, but is followed by a geoundled- rid stage, in the manner of the familiar seri cascode v.b.f. amplifier. The eryatal oscillator works on 43.38% Mc., und drives 1 erystal-diode frequency tripler to 180 Me. ‘This injection fre- quency beuts with signals at 144 to 148 Me. in the mixer, producing an if. of 14 to 18 Me., as before. Looking at the top view weve the rf, amplifier nd mixer tubes in line vertically at the right ide of the converter, The erystal oscillator is ut the lower left. The expacitor Us, which tunes the diode tripler circuit, is in the lower center of the picture, Just above is a grommet inserted in the hole over the trap capacitor, (s, of whieh more luter. ‘The antenna connector is in the QST forInterior of the 144-Mc, cowerter. Detalls of parts arrangement ar is brought through @ shielded lead from the upper right corer, dowa the side of the picture and coll, ‘across the bottom, to the output connector, Js, at the lower left. iniddle of the top portion, connector is in the upper left The battom view was made by rotating the unit, vertically, so the antenna connector appears xt the bottom. The first amplifier grid cireuit, LiCi, is in the lower right corner. Above it is the neu tralizing coil, /2, mounted on the side of the hos. ‘The tivo tinned-wire coils side by side just above and to the right of center are for the amplifier plate, Ls, ant miser grid, La. ‘To their left is the trap cirenit, yg, tuned to the second harmoni cof the oscillator, $6.67 Ale, ‘The eoil with its axis it right angles fo these is Ls. Tt is tuned to Me. by Cs, which appesrs in the upper center of the picture, The oseillator plate coil, Las, and the inixer plate coil, Lg, ure in the upper left and right ‘omers, respectively. and the if, output The Diode Multiplier and Trap Circuits Frequency multipliention with be new fo many readers, but it is a simple nel Tce y of developing injection voltage in the v..E, range. Diodes do the job easily, anc nt lose cost than a vaenum tube. ‘Phe erystal works at low impedanee, so it is connected he tal diodes October 1961 nud the oscillator coil and on the tuned circuit a's. The kattor should ly high-C’, so that the desired harmonic, in this instance the third, will be accentuated, sand ather harmonies of 43.3 Me. suppressed. ‘There will be some energy at unwanted he monic Frequencies passed on to the mixer grid cirenit. The trap, LaCs, is inserted in the lead to Ls to suppress the second harmonic, 86.6 Me. As with the Channel-2 problem in the 50-Me. cone verter, this frap circuit need be included only if ora’ interference makes it nevessury. Inthe Hartford ares, an f.m, station just above 100 Me. role throngh around 14.2 Me, (100.8 ~ 86.6 = 14.2), but the trap removed the interfering signal completely when tuned to twiee the erystal fre quency. Removing the olfending barmoni from the mixer circuit was the best way of han- ding the problem, A trap in the antenna. eireuit to ubsorb the interfering signal was tried but it resulted in a slight deterioration of the converter hoise figure at TH Me. Construction The converters are built in wluminum Mini- 31boxes, 3 by 4 hy 8 inches in size. The Nuvistor sockets have small metal tabs that are bent down, aginst, the underside of the clussis to provide grounding, These are clamped under washers by 440 screws and nuts on opposite sides of the sockets, ‘Phe socket hole should be by-inch diam- eter, with small notehes filed out for the tabs. "The ceramic trimmers in the 144-Me. converter, C4, Cy, und C5, also require notehed holes. Leads in rf. cirentits should be as abort. as possible. Power wiring can be placed for neatness, Jhut Keep insulated power leads close to the chas- sis, Use terminal strips for holding resistors in ' Toraplates for drilling the principal surface uf each bo ‘are available at no cost from the ARRL Technical Depar meat, Fiegae and a ctamped selfavddressal vavelope. a state whieh templates you Want, giving the ejujpment an the issue of UST. Templates ate aiko available. for the tuner, Bart 1, and the tivo teaasmitters, Part IL, degcrbed inthe July and August sewer of UST, respectively. ‘Tape the template tothe auriuce of the chassis and center-paneh the holes, Sizes are wiven for all the tole. ‘hut itis well to check the parts you have to be sure that they require holes of the sizes xivea on the template, Diff vaken from the used ia the uri way may rere ‘minor change in hole shape, size ut location ‘Gleeny pints aaaete frown div original negetives ea be eu plied for any equipment bullt a the AGEL laboratory, wt a ‘ost of $1.50 per print. Be sure to give the bee an! pase ‘umber of the photogrusls needed, RAMP, ews RF. AMP. ecws ane. place, and Ings bolted to the chassis for geound- ing, Adjustments ‘The crystal oscillator is checked first. ‘The meter in the bridge unit described last month, oF any other I-ma, meter, may be used to measure oscillator plate voltage, or voltmeter will serve if you have one for the 100-volt. «Lc. range. To uso a. I-ma. nucter, connect a 100,000-ohm resistor in the positive lead und ground the negative lead. It is not important for this purpose that, the 1000-ohm resistor shown in Fig. 6, Part HIT, be ineluded. Working on the converters is easier if a 3-wire power cable with suitable plags is used, rather than plugging the converters directly into the tuner or power unit. Tests may be made with all tubes in their sockets, as the dropping resistons in the plate leads prevent excessive eurtent. Ap- ply power to the converter. ‘Touck the free lene ‘of the 100,000-ohm resistor to the B-plus end of the oscillator plate coil. The meter indicates 100 volts dc. for full scale. The voltage reading obtained will depend on whether the tube is oscil- lating or not. Yhe oscillator current runs through 1 10,000-ohm resistor, sv the more current the tube draws the lower the voltage will be. When Mixer cows. 3 Lume. XTAL OSC, ecw 4335 bs iit oe ee 5 Fig. 8—Schemotic diagram and parts information for the 144-Mc. converter. Resistors Yi watt unless specified. Fixed capacitors are ceramic unless specified. Decimal values in uf, others in ih Gy Co Co I1-7.S-muf ceramic trimmer (Contratab 829-71. Cx—4-80-yuF, coramic trimmer (Mallory ST-554-N). Cs—-20-ypf. miniature variable (Hammorlund MAC-20}, Cr, Cr—0.001-uf.button-type bypass (Centralab ZA-102) Do not use dsk-ceramic or other wire-lead capaci. tors for these points. Cx—No, 22 invlated hookup wires 1% inches tong, tisted together for approximately 1 Inch, CRi—Crystal-diode rectifier. Most available types will ‘works DR-303, CK-710 and IN34 trie 4h—Coaxial connector, S0-239. Je—Phono feck. Jx—8:-pin plug (Amphenol 86-RCPE). 1, Le=6 turns No. 18, Yeinch diam. YA Inch long. Tap ot 20 turn 32 Li5 turns No, 28 enamel, clote-wound on Yi-ineh iron- slug form. Range 0.24 to 0.41 uh, set for 0.33 uh, (Miller coil No. 20A337RBI). La6% turns No, 18, Ysinch diam, % inch long. 45 turns lke La, Ya inch long, tapped at 2 turns, Ls ond Le are perallel, % Inch apart, to €. Ls—Universal-wound coll, 47 to 10 uh, set for 7.9 uh. (Millar eoil No. 20A826RBI), Li=9 turns No. 28 enamel, close-wound on Visinch iron tog form. Range 0.58 to | yh. set for 0.82 sh, (willer coll No. 208827 RB). t= 1% tums insulated hookup wire around Ls Ly—8 turns No. 18, Yiinch diam., % inch long. Yi-43.333-Me. erystal (International Crystal Mfg. Co. FAS). QST forcuit oscillates, plate current drops, and the ndicated voltae rise Use of Ohm's Law will tell you what the plate current is, though this need not, be found except as 2 mutter of interest. With the eore stud all the way up, the circuit probably will oscillate, and the meter indication will be around 0.7 (70 volta). Turn the stud into the coil, watching the meter. It will rise to around 0.9 (90 volts) and then drop suddenly as oscillation stops, to around 0.5 (50 volts). ‘These represent actual plate eur- rents of 8, 6, and 10 ma., respectively. Readings ‘may vary ennsiderably from the above, due to differences in crystals and other parts. "The important points are the gradual rise (inereasing vigor of oscillation) and then the sud- don dip as oscillation cquses. Set the slug for the highest reading (lowest oscillator plate current) at which the ostillator will start each time power is applied. The frequency can be checked with a rated wavemeter or grid-dip meter. It should be the frequeney marked on the erystal, and no other. ‘The 50-Me. converter is now rewly to receive strong signals, as soon as it is connected to the receiver ur tuner. The latter has a cable and plug for connection to the i.f. output jack, Je. To use 2 communications receiver, make up a exble of any small coax, putting a phono-pin plug on one end. ‘The other end connects to the receiver antenna terminals. This may require u coax fitting for some receivers, but most have serew terminals, Connect, the inner conductor to the antenna terminal and the outer sheath to the ground terminal or the receiver chassis. Do this with the shortest possible leads, to keep down pickup of signals at 14 Me. Now a 50-Mec. signal is needed. ‘This can be from a grid-dip oscillator, a nearby 50-Mc. sta~ tion, the harmonic of your transmitter, or ideally, a oot signal generator. Forany except the last, con~ net: some kind of antenna to Ji. A short pice of wire will do at fist, and the length can be varied, to suit the strength of the signal. Sct the stud in Jy at about the middle of its range. Next, peak the screws in La, La, Ls, Ls and La for maximum signal strength. Now disable the r.t. amplifier stage by disconnecting the 10,000-ohm resistor from Ls, or by removing the heater lead from Pin 12 of the sucket. Adjust Le for minimum signal. Replace the heater ur plute voltage and readjust, all eoils exeept Li for maximum signal again, ‘Phe converter should be close to optimum per- formance if everything has been done properly to this point. If the Channel 2 trap is used, adjust it so that no interference is heard from the local ‘TY station. If the station is very near by, it may still be heard as long as the cover is off the con- verter ease. It should disappear when the ease is assembled. Recheck the adjustment of La wid Ls after final adjustment of the trap. Further work to improve weal-signal reception should be done with a noise generator, though sutisiactory results can be obtained on weal six- nals if the work is done with eare. The aim should be better signal-to-noise ratio, rather than merely greater signal strength. This will not be noticeable October 1961 Not every QST rig gets quite such ex- tensive field testing, but this one went with the author on a 7000-mile field trip to the Rocky Mountain States early this summer. Several times we found 6 open, und had scores of DX contacts with nearly all sections of the country. In the June V.ILF. Party, with the help of KSTQP and KSUNK, WLHIDQ/5 worked 18 ARRL Sections in all call areas except WL and 2 from a spot near Albuquerque, New Mexico, using both phone and c.w. A communications receiver was pressed. into service to deat with the heavy QRM, but the simple tuner was used during the first hour's work, just to prove that do the job. On 144 Me. the entire station will outper- form anything you could buy for twice the money, and some of the rig’s fea- tures cannot be found in anything ready-made at any price. with the simple tuner, but it ean be achieved with & communications receiver as the i Using the receiver 8 meter, or the audio sound of a weak signal, tune for maximum signal w#th respect to noise. As a final check, put a 50-ohm resistor across Jr. Observe the noise level. Now remove the re- sistor and put on an antenna system with 50-hm. feed. If the vise rises appreciably, you are hear- ing the external noise that limits your v.h. reception. The only improvement you ean make from here on is to put up a bigger or higher au- tena, or move to a quieter location. Adjustment of the 144-Me. converter is sim- ilar, except that the multiplier tank cirenit, LsCs, should be adjusted for maximum signal. External noise may not be discernible in quiet loeations on 144 Me., aud the antenna cheek outlined for 50 Me. may be inconclusive, Adjust- ment of all 1. circuits should be made carefully for greatest, margin of signal over noise, using weak signals, The minimum-signal method of adjusting the neutralizing coil, Lz, should be followed initially, but readjustment for optimum signal-to-noise ratio (or lowest noise figure, using a noise generstor) may produce a worthwhile im- provement, Do not use the second-harmonic trap, LCs, unless it is necessary to climinate f.m. inter ference, as this circuit introduces o able to complicate the adjustin Tn most areas 2meter activity is spread over more of the bund than is the case with 50 Me. ‘The converter response canbe made uniform across most or all of the band by tuning the if output coil, Ls, for maximum response near the high end or middle of the band. This coil affects only the gain of the converter; detuning it docs not reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. ‘The x (Continued on page 184) 33Seeing Double? LW-51 Double Deluxe Less than 7” wide Both 2 & 6m. with No RF Switching For pre-release information write 77? eLectRONIc LABORATORY JACKSON, MICHIGAN ROUTE 2, $300.00 for your Central 20A see page 151 HARRISON HAM | HEADQUARTERS, USA" Tranky the frog anna ZI JAYS? tes DX time so for the most & Award-ing season ever, see the a3 A IABPY-HANDY-HAMS fat ‘THE AMA= ‘TEUR HEADQUARTERS of Southern New England, % A complete stock of name brand equip- +& mont which includes COLLINS, CLEGG. sk GONSET, HALLICRAFTERS, HAMMAR- AH HY-GAIN, E. 8. JOHNSON and * NATIONAL RADIO is al ways maintained. Sak. H. EDWARDS CO., INC AE 1G Hatford Ave, Providence 9, RL « Tl, GA 1-6158—~6159—66t SpE Urwouay Brasit CRON. an $B BID ALB | PVIADA. SMD 20-8 He PYRGVS 0351 I BACT Eewader PYURKN 02 Ton: UE Bo HCIKA,...9,108- S887O- A208 pena ee Colombia PRIAX T0582 B18 BOT HAGUE... 12.810 Ite As ane HSB T B08 8B | pert. 45508- se Aa oe oe Trinided and Totase wee verre. Wie Be = tabao, Venera uneasy: ano. Dane rsp at OME SDE ae A Paraouy {08M (Pe SDI, OE Maelande Wt Indi 2 Sioa 74 30 PUBAL. 69600 $016 Toy WPR, sowunl.VEAARE, ope, UATENE op Shek ln HF Sr rts REN Rat AYRWAVRD RISCT IM. HVQQMR Ide ARI RX Uae ROP VAT. Write KSEE ree Ha Yor VELAR VERAWE CAWP LUZIT OHSS die TADP IEW 249K IKUS ZN 25u) PYIARZ SMSEPI The AVN Sith 900 SRXVQ2WR ZRIAK: Pha Winwo kote waagd. wellve Wists RSta KOMTE Waatba PONE IN Criby hud EAS OCP aD vn A Complete Two-Band Station {Continue from page 38) amplifier plute znd miser grid cirenits, C2-Za andl Cerba have ouly a minor effect on noise figure, so they cam also he “'staxgor-tunod” to some extent to achiov uniform response. \ fair fnal check on the Lit-Mc. converter performance is to detune the diode multiplier cireuit, Lal's, und note its effet on the signal-to- noise ratio, If the r.f. aimplifier is working prop= rly it should be possible to detune this cireuit so that the gain drops an 8 unit o tivo, before there is any effect, on the signal-to-noise ratio observable on weak signals, Receiver Consiizrations Selecting 2 communications reeciver is a special problem for the v.bf. man. He necls a good keneral-coverage dial, if he is going to tune the entire H-to-18-Mec, range for v.h.f. reception with converters, Most receivers are deficient in this respect, and some are «lmost useless. A good readable scale and « slow tuning rate are im- portant attributes not likely to be found in low priced receivers. Often a used receiver of good quality is a better investment for the v.i.f. man than & uew one of moderate price. ‘Phe ham-handsouly receiver is out, ws it wi not tune enough fre:meney range on any amateur band to give satisfactory Lf, coverage when usd with these converters. The erystal oscillator snd output eireuits of the converters ean be modli- fied to permit use of the 10-meter range on such receivers, but performance and dial characteris- fies of some communications receivers are not particularly good on the 28-Me. range. Even the pest do not cover the foursmexaeyele spread ‘Continued on page 108)AVAILABLE OCT, 15th NUVISTOR CONVERTER MODEL 201 vd Cones 85 3 1A A carefully conceived desion (featured in July QST, pooe 64) mesial sol ashy ier ea | Order dee fom Tepetonee +s ‘Motching power supply, Model 154 $15. 10 ARDLOGK PLACE TAPETONE ‘"wimigetrase $330.00 for your Heath TX-1 Apache see page 151 HARKiSON ‘HAM HEADQUARTERS, US A", Are You TRADING? labret de merch —iate serial eum WRITE TODAY! Bill w9ZS0-KBIUH COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO. 518 State St, LaCrosse, Wis. Phone 4.7373 needed to tune an entire v.h.f. band with a single converter crystal, with the exception of those which have a special range just for this purpose. Some receivers cover Lf to 15 Me. on one range. With these you can change converter crystals in onder to tune successively-higher L-moueyele sop ments of a v.h.f. band, Examples: For 5) to 51 Me., you use the 36-Me, crystal shown. To cover 51 to 52 Me,, you merely put in a 37-Me. crystal. ‘To wover 144 to 145 Me., you need tho 3 Me. erystal specified. Replacing this with on 43.667 Me. gives a 131-Me. injection frequen ud coverage of 145 to HG Mc. No change other than the erystel need be made for at least two megacycles coverage with such 2 receiver. ‘Many experienced v.h.f. men use a special technique with two-dial general-covernge receiv- ers, They tune the low end of a v.h.f, baud with their dials set the same as for tuning the L-Me. band, and they tune with the bandspread dial (14.000 Me. is Li Me, 14.1 Me. is HH.1 Me., und so on.) When they reach the high end of the bandsprend range, they reset the generul-rover= e dial higher, so that « full turn of the band d dial gives another 300, 400 or 500 ke. of prated coverage. This will not give exuet dial calibration in tuning progressively higher ranges, but it makes tuning for wesk signals easier than when the fast-moving general-cover- age dial is used. With receivers baving crystal calibrators, it is» simple matter to keep a fairly accurate cheek on the frequency being tuned in this manner. So there you have it — the first complete v.h.f. station to be deseribed in many a yeur, if we ex: clude the simple transceivers of the self-eont type. You can build the works yourself, re and all, and you will have the base on which to build for more power or better receiver perform= ance later on, “Will it work?” the neweomer may ask. Perhaps the best answer is the resulte tl the rig hus delivered to date. At various stages of its design and construction, the station was used, as a whole or in parts, for many hours of operation both 50 and 144 Me at the home stations of WIHDQ and WLYDS. Some practice with the simple tuner is needed to learn how to use it with maximum effectiveness, but we both agree that it is capable of hearing at least anyone we could work on cither band with 15 watts input, The voice quality with the trans- tor is good, and the ear. siial is ubove re- proach. And the simple receiver ix quite eapable of handling c.w. and s.s.b. signals in usable fash- ion, which is more than can be said for some v.b.f. “packaged stations” now available commer cially. As we write, requests for drilling tempintes are coming by the dozen in every Headquarters mailbag. Nobody builds anything any more? Don't you believe it — there are plenty of hams who like to build gear, and hundreds of them are already at work on all or part of this station. They will be better hams for it. se spr