[Central-Electronics] VFO for 10B and 20A

[k7fm]

Hi Dave:

Needing a vfo, this is a great chance to do a little building.

There are a number of options.  The DDS is a good choice

I had an old LM frequency meter without a calibration book, so I decided to
build a suitable vfo.  I stripped it, then built an fet vfo from 5 - 5.5
MHz.  That covers 80 and 20 meters.  I had a bnc output on the front and a
fet follower, to go to a digital frequency meter.  Then, I built 4 crystal
oscillators and fed a double balanced mixer for the other bands.  Since I
wanted to have fun with making my own calibration book, I just used old
crystals in the junk box.  As long as they were "close enough" to mix with
the vfo output to reach the desired band, that was good.  Total cost was
zero, and I used up a few spare parts.

There are a number of vfos out there that cover 5 -5.5.  I found an old
external Yaesu vfo covering that frequency for 50 cents at a swap meet.

Or, if you can find a stable signal generator, you can even use one of
those.

It is even easier if you just operate on a couple of bands.  You can have a
home brew vfo going in an hour or so.

Doug DeMaw and Wes Hayward have given us a lot of ammunition to build stuff
with.

73,  Colin  K7FM