[Boatanchors] Receiver questions

[Jim]

See http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Jim


>I was using a Drake 2-B this morning. This receiver has some very nice
> things about it
> (the preselector, and the variable IF bandwidths). On the other hand, the
> product detector
> isn't very strong, and I imagine that front end large signal handling is
> moderate.
>
> In the 3-30MHz range, what receiver(s) has(ve) the "best" (CW and SSB,
> primarily):
>  - performance in the presence of large adjacent interferers?
>  - product detector?
>  - legibility?
>  - audio?
>  - AGC?
>  - product detector?
>
> Using tube-only technology, it seems to me that the best architecture for 
> an
> HF receiver would
> be something like the Squires-Saunders(sp?) SS1:
>  - no RF amplifier
>  - beam deflection mixer (single conversion)
>  - crystal filter immediately following the mixer
>  - frame grid IF amplifier tubes (e.g. 6EH7)
>  - beam deflection product detector(?)
>
> Questions:
>  - IF- or audio-derived AGC?
>  - audio? (Single-ended triode for AM? <g>)
>  - single conversion means problems with oscillator stability, or
> difficulties
>    with birdies if using heterodyne schemes. Double conversion is much
> easier
>    but significantly weakens the front end performance. What to do?
>  - how useful are audio CW filters?
>
> I would like to look at real circuits, so observations about receivers for
> which
> schematics are readily accessible would be helpful.
>
> 73, ian K3IMW