[HBR] HB Receiver

[Byron Tatum]

Hello All-
    I have been thinking about a homebrew receiver design and wanted to ask for opinions. I don't believe I am the first to propose this design and I saw a HB receiver by a VK2 I believe that was similiar. Here it is :
    1. RF front end and first mixer -- A copy of sorts of the Drake 2-B, whereas the RF amplifier covers all bands of interest and the first mixer operates as another RF Amplifier on 80 meters, but as a frequency converter for bands above 80 meters.
    2. Variable IF -- The variable IF will cover 80 meters as in the Drake 2-B. I plan to use the parts from an R-25 ARC-5 set { a parts unit I cannabilized} to tune from 3.5 to 4.1 MC. My thoughts are to use the OSC. and RF sections of the tuning gang { after pulling most of the plates} and fixed capacitance across the OSC. and RF coils { from R-25} in order to get this tuning range, using a 6BE6 converter tube. IF output to be 1415 KC as in R-25 receiver. Was thinking about placing back-to-back 1415 KC IF transformers at output of the variable IF feeding into one low gain stage at 1415 KC followed by another IF transformer. { This is a departure from Drake 2-B where 80 meter variable IF is mixed down to 455 KC}
   3. Third mixer -- The 1415 KC from IF amplifer would be mixed down to 85 KC in a 6BE6 converter tube, using a L/C osc. at 1330 KC.{ Drake went in on low side of 455 KC IF in the 2-B using 405 KC osc.}.
   4. Final IF Amplifier -- Plan to use the 85 KC IF transformers from R-23 ARC-5 set. Thinking that one stage of IF using 6BA6 will be sufficient.
   5. BFO / Product Detector / AM Detector -- Plan to use 85 KC BFO coil from R-23 receiver and have front panel BFO control. Would like to have selectable detectors and decent AGC, etc. probably borrowing from HBR receiver circuits.
        These are some thoughts of mine. One question regarding the IF transformers from the ARC-5 sets : Some of them have taps on the coils, I noticed in schematics that second IF transformer has a tap on input coil connected to plate of first stage tube and tap on output coil of transformer connected to grid of second amplifier tube. Are these taps to reduce the gain? When I use a higher gain tube such as 6BA6 how should I connect these transformers?
    Thanks, Byron.