Being cold, wet and stormy out I thought it might be fun to pick up a simple radio diy kit, and wanted to get weather band (162.4-162.55mhz) but to my surprise I can't find anything out there now! Anyone been in the radio hobby long enough to have a simple circuit for narrow band FM reception that could be battery operated? The theory behind it is a bit over my head, but I can understand simple remove and replace instructions pretty well.
This is purely for amusement, not to save any money or anything. Just thought it might be fun with my kids.
This is purely for amusement, not to save any money or anything. Just thought it might be fun with my kids.
The simplest one is a superegenerative receiver. You can do that with a dual triode or a triode/pentode in a night. Else using what is called "converter" using it prior to a conventional radio receiver. I ignore your skills in RF, but with a few of knowledgements, the superegenerative is extremelly easy to build, easy to put in service without any complex instruments more than a VOM but some tedious in use. You need to familiarize with your own set because there aren't two equal in the Earth's surface. I have personal experience and can give you guidance although the internet is plagued of such a stuff.
Osvaldo, you may like page 65 in this 1962 magazine:
https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hobbyist-Specials/Electronic-Experimenters-Handbook-1962.pdf
Sadly, that weather service seems to only be Canada, US, and Bermuda? Long way from you, and different weather (I prefer your weather today!).
https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hobbyist-Specials/Electronic-Experimenters-Handbook-1962.pdf
Sadly, that weather service seems to only be Canada, US, and Bermuda? Long way from you, and different weather (I prefer your weather today!).
Yes, I am US (California) and WB radio covers 97% of the population, so its still a widely used broadcast service.
It is a superregen in one Compactron, which I thought would be interesting even if not useful.
California has a stunning lot of rain today? I remember when it only rained on Tuesdays. Later it was claimed "never". At least South Calif.
California has a stunning lot of rain today? I remember when it only rained on Tuesdays. Later it was claimed "never". At least South Calif.
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If you want one serious, there are some ham radios that came with those frequencies already stored in the memory. My FT7800 Yaesu has this feature, but there are much more models and brands. Else, a frequency scanner available elsewhere.
Here in Argentina, the last 3 years we have no rain over 20/30mm per month, very few. Until the limit that grass and cows are dieing because of no water to drink ore grow. In February 2022 we had 41.8 °C measured at my own WT1081 weather station. A fact very rarely here, but becoming common last years.
Here in Argentina, the last 3 years we have no rain over 20/30mm per month, very few. Until the limit that grass and cows are dieing because of no water to drink ore grow. In February 2022 we had 41.8 °C measured at my own WT1081 weather station. A fact very rarely here, but becoming common last years.
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If buying the C.Crane Skywave SSB is a fantastic little portable. Good sound for its class, well made, extremely long battery life.
https://ccrane.com/cc-skywave-ssb-a...aviation-and-ssb-bands-portable-travel-radio/
https://ccrane.com/cc-skywave-ssb-a...aviation-and-ssb-bands-portable-travel-radio/
OT: Interesting Keroes direct coupled 6BQ5 30 pages further in. Thx!
I do have FRS radios with WB receiver already, so it's not a matter of really needing one. I remember years ago, little kits for weather radios were available fairly easily, which is why I wanted to build one.
I'll look into a super regen circuit and see what I can figure out.
I'll look into a super regen circuit and see what I can figure out.
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/mid...MIi_3upIuv_AIVE8DICh0HPQbnEAQYAiABEgKaGPD_BwE
$35! All ready to go, but not a kit.
$35! All ready to go, but not a kit.
You could modify / unlock a 144 MHz VHF 2 way radio, I think, from old ham users.
Most of the RF work is similar, less trouble, or try to use the parts from one.
And you can always set the channel on your cell phone, use the internet, easy way compared to building a VHF receiver.
Most of the RF work is similar, less trouble, or try to use the parts from one.
And you can always set the channel on your cell phone, use the internet, easy way compared to building a VHF receiver.
Here, if the weather is bad, the power goes out, the cable-internet goes out too, and the cell-phone goes out an hour later. When Florida has a hurricane going zig-zag-zig, or Maine has a blizzard already 2 days old, we may like to know about weather on the 3rd day. The minimal battery radios can easily get info several times a day for a week. A fancy many-band battery radio might keep running. Plug-ins are no-go. Of course if power outage is widespread, even the NOAA WR transmitter will go down eventually. Nothing realy beats long-wave AM for pulling info from out of town, out of state, out of blackout. (If the power was out here, I could pull WBZ-AM Boston 250 miles away. It is tough when power is on because crap power lines here hash-up the AM band.) (Yes, short-wave will circle the globe but why would Peru or India be broadcasting "my" storm?)
Long wave is easy to make compared to VHF.
AM is easier than FM.
But LF refers to the 30-300 kHz band, not the 162 Mhz weather band in use in the USA, and the internet has no information on long wave weather transmitters in the USA, from a cursory search.
WBZ-AM is at 1030 kHz, on what is known as the Medium Wave band here in India. It is a designated station for emergency broadcasts. 50 kW RF power.
And yes, from my childhood, the stations at the 550-700 kHz side of the MW band were easier to listen to in the day time over long distances, 1000 and up were relatively short range, it could be that those were local level, smaller output transmitters.
And VoA, Radio Ceylon at 25792 / 25800 kHz, SW, were impossible after 9 AM or so, till sundown....the only radio I found that could receive Radio Ceylon at noon was a military HF set with a long dipole antenna, bit less than portable...
You can find ex military receivers, but at a starting price of $20, maybe it is not worth the effort of making a weather radio.
AM is easier than FM.
But LF refers to the 30-300 kHz band, not the 162 Mhz weather band in use in the USA, and the internet has no information on long wave weather transmitters in the USA, from a cursory search.
WBZ-AM is at 1030 kHz, on what is known as the Medium Wave band here in India. It is a designated station for emergency broadcasts. 50 kW RF power.
And yes, from my childhood, the stations at the 550-700 kHz side of the MW band were easier to listen to in the day time over long distances, 1000 and up were relatively short range, it could be that those were local level, smaller output transmitters.
And VoA, Radio Ceylon at 25792 / 25800 kHz, SW, were impossible after 9 AM or so, till sundown....the only radio I found that could receive Radio Ceylon at noon was a military HF set with a long dipole antenna, bit less than portable...
You can find ex military receivers, but at a starting price of $20, maybe it is not worth the effort of making a weather radio.
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