Low-band AM Tx: Digital VFO/Controller

Lockdown has made 2020 a year unlike any other. Melburnians were dealt a long and painful period of isolation with a CoronaVirus second wave, from around July to September, still in force, and looking like continuing to (at least partially) keep us housebound for some months yet. Days merge together, work and leisure time is largely indistinguishable. People are rediscovering reading, knitting, and endlessly bingeing TV. Makers are melting solder and stringing wires in the air.

Some winter nights were passed dreaming up an AM transmitter, and this VFO module is the first piece of it. It is designed for use in a two-band AM transmitter capable of around 200 watts carrier power, but could easily be used for other projects, such as a transceiver, or a transmitter for CW or digital modes. This module provides a 5v square wave clock at 1.8MHz or 3.5MHz (or any frequency you desire up to 144MHz), and transmit control lines needed to sequence a transmitter. It also includes a few ‘nice to haves’ including a transmit timer, CW ident, over-beep (or any CW character such as di-da-dit or da-di-dah), and a sleep mode which dims the displays when idle.

A 300w switching regulator for a QRO AM transmitter power supply

Laurie VK3SJ is an accomplished RF designer and homebrewer in Melbourne’s 160m scene. You can hear his excellent AM signal regularly on the 160m AM Coffee Break net most weekdays. Laurie has spent a great deal of time experimenting with Class D, E and Pulse Width Modulators. He has an interesting Class D AM transmitter design with a pulse width modulator. Laurie’s design has been built by Wayne VK3ALK, who I met online in the Class E Forum on AMFone. After lots of emails and a few calls with these homebrew AM experts, I decided to proceed with my build of a VK3SJ AM transmitter for 160m.

Shortwave Broadcast Radio ‘signatures’, 1960s to 1980s, courtesy VK3HK

Recorded off air, 160m AM, June 2019.

160m 100W Class-E AM transmitter (FAT5)

The FAT5 project is a 100 watt Class E AM transmitter from Dave GW4GTE and Eric GW8LJJ, dating back to 2011. The name derives from Dave’s desire to design a 100 watt AM workhorse using contemporary FETs to rival the ubiquitous AT5, a widely used war surplus boat anchor for low band AM.

Homebrew 160 meter AM/CW transmitter receiver

The VK 160 and AM SOTA event (1st April 2017) provided the deadline pressure needed to complete this build. The rig is a separate transmitter and receiver, so seeing as there are no shared modules, I shall call it a trans-receiver rather than transceiver. The designs for both transmitter and receiver are by Drew Diamond VK3XU. See Drew’s Projects Volume 3 book for full details, available from the WIA or RSGB. I posted details of the 160m AM receiver when I first built it, a year ago. At that time I also built the transmitter and power supply. I got the transmitter going but blew up the PA FET (BUZ90). During the long wait for replacements, I shelved the build and moved onto something else. Now, thanks to SOTA, it is finished.