Radio Receivers

Al Penney
VO1NO
 Role of the Receiver
• The Antenna must capture the radio wave.
• The desired frequency must be selected from all the
EM waves captured by the antenna.
• The selected signal is usually very weak and must be
amplified.
• The information carried by the radio wave, usually an
audio signal, must be recovered – Demodulation.
• The audio signal must be amplified.
• The amplified audio signal must then be converted
into sound waves using a speaker or headphones.
 The 3 S’s of Receivers

• Sensitivity
• Selectivity
• Stability
 Sensitivity
• Refers to the minimum signal level that the receiver
can detect.
• Measured in Microvolts or fractions of Microvolts.
• The greater the sensitivity (ie: the smaller the number
of microvolts) the weaker a signal it can receive.
• Very weak signals can be received – sensitivity is not
an issue with modern receivers.
• Between 1.7 and 24.5 MHz on SSB, the Kenwood TS-
870 has a sensitivity of 0.2 microvolts or less
 Selectivity
• Refers to the receiver’s ability to separate two closely
spaced signals.
• The more selective a receiver, the narrower the
bandwidth and/or the steeper the filter skirt.
• Specified as the bandwidth at 6 dB attenuation, and
at 60 dB attenuation (ie: the –6 dB and –60 db points).
• Filter Skirt steepness is perhaps THE key
characteristic that separates the boys from the men in
HF receiver design!
• Example: On SSB the Kenwood TS-870 has a selectivity of 2.3
kHz at – 6 dB and 3.3 kHz at – 60 dB. This is a very selective
receiver.
Ideal Receiver Selectivity
Actual Receiver Selectivity

Filter Skirt
 Stability
• The receiver’s ability to remain on a frequency for a
period of time.
• Unintended change in frequency is called drift.
• Specified as number of Hz drift over a period of time
after warmup, or as ppm (part per million) for more
modern radios.
• Not an issue for modern receivers, but is a
consideration for older designs, especially those using
vacuum tubes.
 Cross Modulation
• Cross Modulation occurs when a strong signal
is too powerful for the receiver’s front end
(first RF Amplifier) to pass through without
distortion.
• It results in the wanted signal being Amplitude
Modulated by the strong unwanted signal ie:
the unwanted signal can be heard on top of the
wanted signal.
 Curing Cross Modulation
• To prevent cross modulation, many receivers have an
Attenuator that inserts a resistive pad (circuit)
between the antenna and the receiver.
• This weakens the strong signal enough that it no
longer causes problems.
• If the interfering signal is out of the band altogether,
then an appropriate filter between the antenna and the
receiver may also help.
• FM receivers are immune to Cross Modulation as
they are unaffected by amplitude variations on
received signals.
Attenuator – Kenwood TS-950SDX
 Intermodulation
• “Intermod” is sometimes incorrectly called Cross
Modulation, but is a different phenomena.
• It is the result of two or more signals of different
frequencies being mixed together, forming additional
signals at frequencies that are not, in general, at
harmonic frequencies (integer multiples) of either.
• The mixing usually takes place inside the receiver,
but can even take place at rusty fence joints!
• Very prevalent problem on 2M and 70cm FM when
driving through downtown!
 270 MHz 275 MHz

265 MHz 280 MHz

 Images
• Signals on a different frequency than the one
tuned to, but which are received anyway.
• Occurs because of the frequency conversions
that are conducted within the receiver.
• Image rejection is specified in dB.
• The image rejection specifications for the
Kenwood TS-870 are 80 dB or greater.
 Natural Noise
• Natural noise, called QRN, is also called Static.
• It comes from objects in the galaxy that radiate RF
energy, and from natural phenomena such as
lightning.
• The presence of natural noise sets the Noise Floor for
the band in question at that particular time, and appears
as a steady hiss.
• Lightning appears as a burst of static, and can be
dealt with to some degree by noise limiters.
 Man-Made Noise
• Also called QRM, Man-Made Noise generally comes
from sparking equipment, and also from equipment
that generates RF.
• Some countries use HF radars that produce sharp
pulses.
• The best solution to most man-made noise is to
eliminate it at the source, as it is often close to home.
• Start at home, and then search the neighborhood,
using a portable receiver to track down the noise.
• Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is of great assistance
in reducing QRM.
Chinese HF Radar
 Receiver Limitations
• It does no good to make HF receivers any more
sensitive – they are already sensitive enough to hear
the natural noise floor, and cannot hear anything
below that level anyway.
• Any component that generates gain also generates
internal noise – it is unavoidable!
• So, while the noise floor on VHF and UHF is much
lower than HF, the quality of the active device
(transistor) in the front end of the receiver determines
the sensitivity of the system.
 Signals and Noise
• Another way to specify the sensitivity of a
receiver is to express how many microvolts of
signal are required to give a certain Signal to
Noise Ratio (SNR).
• Some use the Signal + Noise to Noise Ratio, or
(S+N)/N.
• These ratios are specified in dB.
 Can we Increase Selectivity?
• While it is possible to add filters (either discrete or
virtual using DSP techniques) to increase selectivity,
remember that every mode has a defined bandwidth.
• If the selectivity is too wide, excess noise will be
received. If too narrow however, the complete signal
will not be received.
• CW filters of 250 Hz are common, but going too
narrow will result in “ringing”.
• Human voice requires a range of 300 – 2700 Hz.
Using too narrow a filter will make the voice
unintelligible.
 Frequency Calibration
• YOU are responsible for ensuring that you operate
within the Amateur bands!
• Radio dials can be analog or digital.
• DO NOT assume that they are always correct!
• Older radios use Crystal Calibrators to enable you to
check the accuracy of the dial.
• Newer, synthesized, radios use a master time base in
the microprocessor to derive frequency information. If
that time base is off, so will the calibration.
• Use WWV / WWVH to calibrate your radio.
Simple Crystal Radio
AM Demodulation
“Baby Grand” Crystal Receiver
Tuned Radio Frequency Receivers
• A Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) receiver has
several RF amplifier stages followed by detector and
audio amplifier stages.
• Each RF amplifier stage must be tuned individually.
• This is a very cumbersome process!
• For technical reasons, it is also difficult to achieve
sufficient selectivity as the frequency increases.
American Beauty TRF Receiver
The Superheterodyne Receiver
• In 1918 Major Edwin Armstrong developed the
Superheterodyne receiver to correct the problems of
the TRF radio.
• It mixes an incoming signal with a locally generated
RF signal to produce an Intermediate Frequency
(IF).
• That IF is then amplified, detected and turned into
sound.
• The Superhet is still the most popular form of
receiver, accounting for 99% or more!
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 Antenna
• While technically the antenna picks up a wide
range of frequencies, in practice some antennas
are more narrow-banded.
• Resonant antennas eg: a half-wave dipole, are
better able to pick up signals around their
design frequency.
• Non-resonant antennas eg: Rhombics, can be
used over a much broader frequency range.
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 Radio Frequency Amplifier
• The RF amplifier takes the weak signals from the
antenna and amplifies them.
• This is usually a fairly broadband amp. In better
radios it consists of a number of separate modules
that cover individual bands. These modules would be
selected automatically as the radio is tuned.
• Older radios had a manually tuned continuous
preamplifier.
• This stage does have tuned circuits to help reject
strong out-of-band signals that could cause Cross
Modulation.
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 HF Oscillator and Mixer
• The HF Oscillator, more usually called the Local
Oscillator, generates an RF signal that is higher or
lower than the desired receive frequency by an amount
called the Intermediate Frequency.
• It mixes with the signal from the RF Amp inside the
Mixer.
• Output from the mixer is the sum and difference of
the two signals.
• One of those two signals is the Intermediate
Frequency. The choice is an engineering decision.
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 Filter and IF Amplifier
• The Filter can be mechanical, crystal or ceramic.
Newer radios employ a synthetic filter using Digital
Signal Processing (DSP) techniques.
• It filters out not just the non-IF signal, but is also the
primary location where selectivity is obtained.
• The IF Amp can consist of several stages. It
amplifies the IF signal. Because the IF has been pre-
defined by the receiver’s design, the IF amp does not
need to be tuned after calibration by the manufacturer.
 Receiver Filters
• Receivers often have several filters that can be
switched in as required by the mode.
• Examples of the filter widths and the usual
mode they would be used for are:
– 250 Hz CW (for severe interference)
– 500 Hz CW (for more relaxed conditions)
– 2.4 kHz SSB
– 6 kHz AM, possibly SSB if band is not busy
 Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
 Detector Stage
• The amplified IF signal is sent to the Detector,
where it is rectified and the RF filtered out.
• This leaves only a weak audio signal which is
sent to the AF amplifier before going to the
speaker or headphones.
 AM Demodulation

IF Transformer
 Superhet Example
• In order to better illustrate how a Superhet
receiver works, let’s look at an example of how
the frequency conversion process operates.
• We want to receive a signal on 3.8 MHz (3800
kHz)
• Assume our receiver has an IF of 455 kHz.
3800 kHz signal

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
3800 kHz signal

3800 kHz

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
3800 kHz signal 4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
and
3800 kHz 4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
3800 kHz signal 4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
and
3800 kHz 4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier
455 kHz
High Intermediate
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
3800 kHz signal 4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
and
3800 kHz 4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier
455 kHz
High Intermediate
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier
455 kHz
Speaker Audio
Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
3800 kHz signal 4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
and
3800 kHz 4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz

Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier
455 kHz
High Intermediate
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier
455 kHz
Speaker Audio
AF Or Frequency Detector
Headphone Amplifier
AF AF
 Advantages of the Superhet
• Much more sensitive, selective and stable than
TRF radios.
• By converting higher frequencies to the IF,
we are able to use more reliable components.
• Much easier to use.
 Primary Disadvantage
• Superhets have one big problem however –
they are subject to receiving images, or stations
that are not actually on the frequency we are
listening to.
• This occurs when a station is transmitting on a
frequency twice the IF away from the desired
frequency.
 No Image
3800 kHz
4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
and
4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz

Radio 3800 kHz

Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier
4255 kHz 455 kHz
High
Frequency
Oscillator
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz
 Image
3800 kHz 3800 + (2 x 455) 4255 + 3800 = 8055 kHz
= 4710 kHz and
4255 – 3800 = 455 kHz
4710 – 4255 = 455 kHz

Radio 3800 kHz

Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier 4710 kHz
4255 kHz 455 kHz
High
Frequency
Oscillator
3800 kHz + 455 kHz = 4255 kHz
 The Solution!
• More expensive superhets employ double or triple
conversion to improve image rejection.
• The first IF is chosen so that it is larger than the
bandwidth of the bandpass filters in the front end of
the receiver, and so the image not make it to mixer
stage.
• The first IF signal is then amplified, and converted
again to a lower IF to take advantage of the greater
selectivity available at lower Intermediate Frequencies.
Single versus Dual Conversion
Superhet Receiver
 FM Receiver
• The FM receiver is very similar to an AM
receiver up to the IF Amplifier.
• Instead of a Detector however, the FM
receiver uses two different stages:
– Limiter
– Frequency Discriminator
 FM Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Frequency
Or Frequency Limiter
Discriminator
Headphone Amplifier
 Limiter
• The Limiter Stages are high gain amplifiers
that remove all traces of Amplitude
Modulation from the received signal.
• This gives FM its greatest benefit – a very high
SNR – Signal to Noise Ratio.
• Static crashes are mostly amplitude
modulated, and so are removed by the Limiter.
 Frequency Discriminator
• The Frequency Discriminator converts
frequency variations into voltage variations.
• This is fed to the Audio Frequency Amplifier
and then the speaker or headphones.
 Receiving SSB and CW
• The SSB/CW receiver is very similar to an AM
receiver up to the IF Amplifier.
• Instead of a Detector however, the SSB/CW
receiver uses two different stages:
– Product Detector
– Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO).
SSB / CW Superheterodyne Receiver
Radio
Antenna Frequency Mixer Filter
Amplifier

High Intermediate
Frequency Frequency
Oscillator Amplifier

Speaker Audio
Product
Or Frequency
Detector
Headphone Amplifier

Beat Freq
Oscillator
 Product Detector
• Because the carrier has been removed from an
SSB transmission, it must be re-inserted so
that the original audio can be recovered.
• This is accomplished using the Product
Detector.
• The source of the carrier is the Beat
Frequency Oscillator (BFO).
Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO)
• The BFO is an oscillator that replaces the carrier in
an SSB transmission.
• CW transmissions also require a carrier to “beat”
against (mix with) to produce an audio tone.
• Older receivers use a BFO that could be varied in
frequency as the operating mode is changed from
USB to LSB to CW.
• Modern radios automatically switch the operating
frequency of the BFO as the mode is changed.
Product Detector
Beat Frequency Oscillator
 Audio Filters
• Hams sometimes employed active or passive external
audio filters with older receivers in an effort to
remove interference and improve selectivity.
• A Notch Filter can be used to remove an interfering
carrier signal (ie: CW signal).
• To improve CW selectivity, an audio bandpass filter
for 750 – 850 Hz would be appropriate.
• Modern radios incorporate DSP techniques even more
effectively, at the IF stages rather than the audio
stages.
MFJ- 784B DSP Filter
 Signal Strength Meters
• An S-Meter enables you to make comparisons between
received signals.
• Unfortunately, even on identical receivers, most S-
meters are not properly calibrated and will give
different readings when using the same antenna.
• The scale is divided into 9 increments, designated S0
to S9, up to the center point of the meter. The scale
is then graduated in dB, usually in multiples of 10.
• A signal strength report would be “S6” or “S9 plus
15 dB”.
 S-Meter Standards
• According to the standards adopted by the
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in
1981, S9 corresponds to a signal strength of 50
microvolts at the receiver’s 50 ohm impedance
antenna input.
• Each S unit then reflects a 6dB change in signal
strength.
• This is rarely achieved, as S-meters are often not
linear in their response.
• Still, they give a relative indication of signal strengths!
S-Meter
Questions?
Two Section Tuning Capacitor