Hi Tom,
It is fairly daunting to begin the process but once you get your mind into it things flow. I suggest building the radio in 50 ohm modular blocks, that way you can test it with Nano VNA and Tiny SA as you go. The trouble with the old books is that they do not include advice on how to use modern parts, such as MMIC amplifiers and double balanced mixers from Mini Circuits. These modern parts are terrific. I still found that i had to use an older circuit for the variable gain amp for the purpose of having an AGC, the Motorola MC1350 is great IF amp chip for this purpose. These days you do not need crystal oscillators, you could just use an off-shelf DDS's and Arduino to control both the VFO and the BFO. Start by piecing things together, borrow bits from designs you like, feel free to use anything from my radios (the 20m SSB transceiver and the 6 & 10m SSB transceiver from Homebrew challenge III). Good luck and keep us posted! - Gregory Charvat, N8ZRY |
