[Boatanchors] Boatanchors Digest, Vol 140, Issue 9

[Drew P. via Boatanchors]

On the Elenco AM/FM Superhet 108 Kit, Bob wrote:

"Lo and behold,

They grudging sent a replacement tuning capacitor.

Good grief!  I even hear a LOT more AM than I had been!

Now I'll break out the Signal Generator, the Frequency Counter, The
Hitachi Oscilloscope AND even a REAL VTVM!

Now I can stop trying to pull out hair that isn't there!"

"Ask and ye shall receive"...more signals than you thought possible!  I am glad to learn of your success with your Elenco, Bob. This is a really fun kit, very satisfying when you get it working right. Back in my previous life as an electronics instructor, where my students assembled, tested, and troubleshot these kits, I graded them on the basis of how many stations they could receive. (Also with modifiers for items such as work ethic, workmanship, applied knowledge). Sounds like, under my system, you would rate a grade of "A".

Also, try connecting this unit to a decent speaker as did one of my students.  The volume certainly won't blow you out of your seat, but the sound quality is surprisingly good. Another student played "coil follies", somewhat successfully modifying the AM section to receive SW signals.  Yet another tried substituting bigger output transistors in an effort (unsuccessful) to increase audio power.  A fun time was had by all.

Drew