JUNIOR - ARDF Direct conversion receiver for the 80 m band

The AATiS (Working Group for Amateurs and Telecommunications in Schools) has developed a
simple receiver for the 80m band. We will use this for our fox hunting as part of the holiday program.
The circuit:

The components:
The structure:
AS064 fox hunting receiver "Foxy" tips

Tips for the construction and the error search Drilling template
The kit can only be set up together with the description in the AATiS eV practice book 10

Switching change : Instead of resistor 22k now 12 k , see circuit and placement plan at the end of the
page.
Ferrite

 Twist 20 turns (different from the exercise book) in the middle of the bar
 only fix the windings on the coil edge with adhesive tape, do not cover the entire coil with
adhesive tape (the copper wire is sensitive)
 The insulation of the copper wire is quite persistent. Either one burns the lacquer with fresh
soldering tin from the wire tip (the process takes at least 20 seconds with smoke development), or
one removes the lacquer before the soldering with fine sandpaper. The connections are then
carefully cleaned and tinned by residues.
Please remove only 5 mm varnish at the end, after the length is fixed.
 Pay particular attention to the soldering connections at the antenna input, otherwise there will be
malfunctions at the receiver.
 Please short connections in the housing. Do not twist the wires!
 Most common cause of failure so far: Not completely removed paint insulation before
soldering!

Drilling in plastic housing

Do not use a drill with a large diameter for the pot holes, otherwise the housing will splinter!

IC TCA440
Please put it very carefully into the holder - do not press again!

Headphone
AS064-Foxy is designed for 30-60 Ohm headphones (typical open-headphones for entertainment
electronics or sound cards). High-impedance headphones, earclips or hi-fi headphones change the
volume feeling for mid-tones - very unfavorable to the direction!

Buzzing due to resonance

 Resonance amplification can lead to buzzing at certain positions of the HF controller or when the
auxiliary antenna switch is actuated.
Remedy: Use the antenna trimmer to pull the resonance just below the band start at 3.5 MHz.
 This also significantly improves the signal strength compared to the 75m radio transmitters
without significantly reducing the sensitivity of the receiver.
 Such resonance disturbances can only be circumvented with an expansion of the FOXY to the
single super (455 kHz-IF). Then a BFO would be required, which would somewhat double the
circuit and tuning effort.

Shielding the housing

 Spraying the housing with conductive lacquer or gluing with aluminum foil prevents the partner
fox hunter from being disturbed at a distance of 1-2m from the RX oscillator.
 Attention! In the area of the internal ferrite antenna, this shield must not result in a short-circuit
winding around the ferrite rod !. A slot at the top and at both ends of the rod should be left out, the
auxiliary antenna must also remain isolated.
 A housing coated in this way can also be grounded by a contactor or screw. The headphone jack
must remain mass-free - it is also the on / off switch!

Circuit
Component scheme
Drilling template