Easy AM and Shortwave transmitter plans

Ham radio guy Mike, KB3KG, put together a terrific maker blog over at http://makerf.com with plans galore for low power radio gear.
     Some of the relevant sections include:

• Fun with Crystal Oscillators, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
• More Fun With Crystal Oscillators: Amplifying RF
• A Mighty Simple Shortwave Transmitter
• So You Want to Be a Shortwave Pirate
• An Altoids Tin Low Pass Filter For Shortwave Transmitters

     There are some great general interest posts on Mike's blog, too, so click on over and enjoy Mike's hard work.

     Simple, safe experimental circuits designed to get you hooked on RF - enjoy the addiction!

Jameco Electronics steps up with AM and FM low power radio kits

At a time when more and more low power radio kits (and electronic kits in general) are disappearing from the market, Jameco Electronics has stepped up with two simple, low cost low power radio kits for beginners.
     On the AM side, we have the Super Simple Low Power AM Radio Transmitter Project based on the 555 timer chip.
     One of the nicest features of this kit is the experimenter's breadboard included on the parts list, meaning there is no soldering required.
     Building on a breadboard also means this kit is infinitely reconfigurable and delightfully hackable, making this kit a great stepping stone to greater things.
     Once the base kit is built, experimenters can search the web for schematics and ideas for additional components to add to increase audio quality and range.
     Your range will be dependent on your antenna skills (search this blog for AM Antenna info) and your fun will be limited only by your imagination.
     Over on the FM side, Jameco brings us a nice application of the often maligned BA 1404 FM Transmitter chip, with the Electronic Rainbow FM Stereo Transmitter Kit.
     This kit comes with a printed circuit board and your careful soldering will be required.
     If you're curious about what that would look like, Jameco offers the FM kit data sheet here for your review.
     Transmitters based on the BA 1404 can provide nice stereo sound and range can be greatly increased with the addition of a good antenna (search this blog for FM Antenna info).
     For additinal range, or extra power to overcome a less than idea antenna, check out Mycal's 1.2 Watt Bullet Proof Amp For The FM-10 or FM-25 or the Low Power 250 mW FM Amplifier Kit
     If you've been wondering what it might be like to throw your signal into the aether, these kits can be a great place to start!

Internet Archive archives low power radio info

One of the toughest challenges of running this blog has to be the rate at which great web resources disappear suddenly, leaving me to say to myself "Dang, why didn't I steal that?"
     Fortunately, to good old Internet Archive has bailed out my bottom many, many times with archived copies of the 'disappeared.'
     While not exactly easy to navigate, the Internet Archive more than makes up for that with astounding content.
     That 'not too easy to navigate' thing was probably why I only recently discovered several new archives of low power radio material, most of which are working and one that is expected to return soon.
     So with that, please to be enjoying:

textsPirate Radio Files

• Pirate Radio Files - "PDF documents related to operating a MicroPower radio station capable on free (i.e., non corporate-controlled) speech."
• Operating Your Own Low Power FM Radio Station - "PDF files about the illegal FCC hijacking of all FM radio broadcast, and what you can do in the face of it."
• The History Of Free Radio Berkeley - "Founded on April 11, 1993 as a Free Speech voice challenging the regulatory structure and power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)."
• Micropower Radio - "The item is not available due to issues with the item's content."

     And, as always, while you're there, be sure to visit the Audio Archive section where you will find over 3.5 million audio items ranging from wax cylinder and 78 rpm recordings to Old Time Radio to classic audio books to the newest independent music, podcasts and spoken word - much of which is either already in the public domain or is offered under a variety of Creative Commons licenses. 

     With probably one billion hours of audio content available, the Audio Archive could really help a low power broadcaster offer exciting alternative content to listeners anywhere - go there!