This book is revised and brought up to date (at irregular intervals) as necessitated by technical progress. THE RADIO HANDBOOK Fifteenth Edition The Standard of the Field — for advanced amateurs practical radiomen practical engineers practical technicians WILLIAM 1. ORR, W6SAI ml ; 4 your dealer i Editor, 15th Edition cares arders to publisher) Published and Distributed to the Radio Trade by SUMMERLAND, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A (Distributed to the Book and News Trades and Libre 5 by the Baker & Taylor Co., Hillside, N. J.)THE RADIO HANDBOOK FIFTEENTH EDITION Copyright, 1959, by Editors and Engincers, Ltd. Summertond, Colifornia, U.S.A. Copyright under Pan-American Convention The “Radio Handbook” in Spanish or Italion is available from us ot $8.25 postpaid. French and Dutch editions Outside North America, if mote, convenient, write: atte Jose ‘Antonio, 584, Barcelona, “Spain {Ivallan) Edizione CELI, Vi i Bologna, ral (French or Butch) f. M. Brome Ltd, 26 Frins Leopcld St, Borgerhout, ‘ntwerp, Belgiuis, Other Outstanding Books from the Same Publisher (See Announcements at Back of Book) ‘Tie RapioreLeHonr License MaNvAL ‘Tue Sunpius Rapio Conversion Manvats ‘Tue Wor.y’s Rapio Tunes (Rapio Ture Vapr Mecum) ‘Tue Wortp’s Equivatent Tuses (Equrvatent Tus Vape Mrcust) Tue Worty’s TeLev sion Tunes (TELEVISION Tube VabE Mecum )THE RADIO HANDBOOK 15th Edition Table of Contents Chapter One. INTRODUCTION TO RADIO. -u 1-1 Amateur Radio : un 1-2 Station and Op 2 1-3. The Amateur Bands = 2 1-4 Starting Your Study .. “4 ter Two. DIRECT CURRENT CIRCUITS. 2 2-1 The Atom . 2 2-2 Fundamental Elect 2 2-3. Electrostaties — Capacitors ... 30 2-4 Magnetism and Electromagnetism 35 25 RC and RL Transients 38 Chapter Three, ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS. al 31 Alternating Current a 3-2 Resonant Circuits 53 3:3 Nonsinusoidal Waves and Transients 58 34 41 35 6a 67 4t 7 42 n 43 72 44 7 4-5 Mixer and Convertor Tut 79 4-6 Electron Tubes at Very High Frequencies 80 4-7 Special Microwave Electron Tubes at 4-8 The Cathode-Ray Tube 4-9 Gas Tubes .... 4-10 Mis neous Tube Types Chapter Five. TRANSISTORS AND SEMI-CONDUCTORS.. 5-1 Atomic Structure of Germanium and Silicon 5-2. Mechanism of Conduction 5-3. The Transistor 5-4 Transistor Characteristics 5-5 Transistor Circuitry . 5-6 Transistor Circuits... 103ix. VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIERS.. 106 Vacuum Tube Parameters sentences 106 Classes and Types of Vacwvm-Tube Amplifiers svveeeee VOT Biasing Methods ic 109 109 13 Other Interstage Coupling Methods... u3, Phase Inverters M5 D-C Amplifiers .. uz 6-10 us 6-11 Single-ended : eos 120 6-12 Push-Pull Audi : : vvees V2 6-13 Class B Audio Frequency Power Amplifiers vee 123, 6-14 Cothode-Follower Power Amplifiers oa a7, 6-15 Feedback Amplifiers... 19, 6-16 Vacuum-Tube Voltmeters 130 Chapter Seven. HIGH FIDELITY TECHNIQUES. 134 7-1 The Nature of Sound 134 7-2 The Phonograph ..... 136 7-3. The High Fidelity Amplifier 138 74 sv 142 75 nnn 143 7.6 A'Migh Quality 25 Watt Amplifier 146 Chapter Eight. RADIO FREQUENCY VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIERS............. 149 Tuned RF Vacuum Tube Amplifiers = 149 149 151 152 152 . 187 160 163 165 Chapter Nine, THE OSCILLOSCOPE . 170 9-1 A Typical Cathode-Roy Oxclloscope 170 9-2 Display of Waveforms 7S 9-3. Lissajous Figures... 176 9-4 Monitoring Tronsmiter Performance with the Oxclloscope ..... 179 9-5 Receiver I-F Alignment with an Oscilloscope 180 9-6 Single Sideband Applications one . 182 Chapter Ten, SPECIAL VACUUM TUBE CIRCUITS... 185 VO-1 Limiting Cirevits 185 10-1 Clamping Circuits 187 10-3. Multivibraters nnn = 188 10-4 The Blocking Oscillator - 190 10-5 Counting Cieuits 10) 10-6 Resistance - Capacity O: pevrennteeneete VOT 10-7 Feedback .. 192Chapter Eleven. ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS. oc 194 11-1 Digital Computers 195 11-2 Binary Netetion ao 195 11-3 Analog Computers... 197 11-4 The Operational Amplifier oe 199 11-5 Solving Analog Problems . 200 11-6 Non-linear Funeti eves 202 11-7 Digital Cireuitry 204 Chapter Twelve. RADIO RECEIVER FUNDAMENTALS.. ven 207 12-1 Detection or Demedulation 207 12-2 Superregenerative Re: 209 12-3 Supe sdyne Receivers - 210 12-4 Mixer Noise and Images ... 212 12:5 RF Stages . 213 12-6 — Signal-Frequency Tuned Circuits... 216 12-7 LF Tuned Circuits... we 1B 12-8 Detector, Audio, and Control . 225 12-9 Noise Suppression .. 227 12-10 Special Considerations In U-H-F Rec 231 12-11 Receiver Adjustment seven 235 12-12 Receiving Accessories a - 236 Chapter Thirteen. GENERATION OF RADIO FREQUENCY ENERGY. . 239 13-1. Self-Controlled Oxcillators 239 13-2 Quartz Crystal Oscillators nen 244 13-3. Crystal Oscillator Circuits... eons 287 13-4 Radio Frequency Amplifiers er 13-5 Neutralization of R.F. Ampli nu 252 13-6 Neutralizing Procedure vv 255 13-7 Grounded Grid Ampli . 258 13-8 Frequency Multip! 258 13-9 Tank Circuit Capacitances 261 13-10 L and Pi Matching Networks .. 265 13-11 Grid Bios .. een . 13-12, Protective Circuits for Tetrode Transmitting Tubes .. 269 13-13 Interstage Coupling nent 270 13-14 Radio-Frequency Chokes nnn . 272 267 13-15 Parallel and Push-Pull Tube Ci 273 Chapter Fourteen. R-F FEEDBACK... enentnnnnnnnets 27H 14-1 RF Feedback Circuits seven 74 14-2 Feedback and Neutralization of a Two-Stage R-F Ampli 277 14-3. Neutralization Procedure in Feedback-Type Amplifiers ....... 279 Chapter Fifteen, AMPLITUDE MODULATION. 282 15-1 Sidebands 282 15-2 Mechanics of Modulation snvneees 283 15-3 Systems of Amplitude Modulation ... 285 15-4 Input Medulation Systems 292 15-5 Cathode Modulation ..... 297 15-6 The Doherty and the Terman-Weodyard Modulated Amplifiers 298 15-7 Speech Clipping . 15:8 The Bias-Shift Heising Modulator ~.. 5 307Chapter Sixteen. FREQUENCY MODULATION AND REDIOTELETYPE TRANSMISSION 16-1 Frequency Modulation 16-2 Direct FM Cicet 16-3 Phase Modul 16-4 Reception of FM Signals .. 16-5 Radio Teletype —....... Chapter Seventeen. SIDEBAND TRANSMISSION. 17-1 Commercial Applications of SSB 17-2 Derivation of Single-Sideband Signals 17-3 Can ination Cireuits 17-4 175 17-6 17-7 Sidebond Exciters 17-8 Reception of Single Sidebond Signi 17-9 Double Sideband Transmission. Chapter Eighteen. TRANSMITTER DESIGN.. Resistors Capacitors... Wire and Inductors Co Holes, Leads and Shatte Parasitic Resonances : Parasitic Oscillation in R-F Amy Elimination of V-H F Parasitic Oscillations Checking for Parasitic Oscillations Chapter Nineteen, TELEVISION AND BROADCAST INTERFERENCE. 19-1 Types of Television Interference 19-2 Harmonie Radiation .. 19-3 LowsPass Filters 19-4 Broadcast Interference 19-5 HI-FI Interference Chapter Twenty. TRANSMITTER KEYING AND CONTROL... 20-1 Power Systems 20-2 Transmitter Control Methods eccrine 20-3 Safety Precautions 20-4 Transmitter Keying 20-5 Cothode Keying 20-6 Grid Cirevit Keying 20-7 Seren Grid Keying 20-8 Differential Keying Circuits a1 21-2 General Characteristics of AnfeMAGs oe nnenn 21-3 Radiation Resistance and Feed-Point Impedance 21-4 Antenna Directivity 21-5 Bandwidth 312 312 315 319 321 326 327 327 328 332 334 340 . 344 346 351 . 353 356 356 . 358 360 362 362 364 365 366 368 an a7 373 376 . 379 386 307 387 . 391 393 395 397 398 399 403 403 404 407 . 410 41321-6 Propagation of Radio Waves 21-7 Ground-Wave Communication lonospheric Propagati 21-9 Transmission Lines .. 420 21-10 Non-Resonant Transmission Lines - one 421 21-11 Tuned or Resonant Lines nn nnennnnem : 424 a3 414 416 21-12 Line Discontinuities ..ocerennnennnen . 425 Chapter Twenty-Two. ANTENNAS AND ANTENNA MATCHING............. 426 22-1 End-Fed Helf-Wave Horizontal Antennas 426 22-2 Center-Fed Half-Wave Horizontal Antennas 22-3. The Holf-Wave Vertical Antenna... sue 437 one 430 431 22-4 The Ground Plane Antenna 22-5 The Marceni Antenna... 432 22-6 . 434 22-7 a 436 22-8 Matching Non-Resonant Lines to the Antenna .o-cccnnnwnnn 442 22-9 Antenna Construction oe 448 22-10 Coupling to the Antenna System concn 451 22-11 Antenna Couplers 454 22-12 A Single-Wire Antenna Tuner 7 . 456 Chapter Twenty-Three. HIGH FREQUENCY ANTENNA ARRAYS. . 459 23-1 Directive Antennas ve 459 29-2 Long Wire Radiators 461 23-3 The V Antenna _ . 462 23-4 The Rhomble Antenna... Se Ac 23-5 Stacked-Dipole Arrays penne AB5: 23-6 Broadside Arrays. eve 468 23-7 End-Five Directivity 473) 23-8 Combination End-Fire and Broadside Arrays sven A7S Chapter Twenty-Four. V-H-F AND U-H-F ANTENNAS arr 24-1 een are, 24-2 . . 479 24-3. Simple Vertical- 480 24-4 The Discone Antenna 481 24-5 Helical Beam Antennas ae Aes 24-6 The Comer-Reflector and Hom-Type Antennas - 485 24-7 VHF Horizontal Rhombie Antenna orccrseen . 486 24-8 Multi-Element V-H-F Beam Antennas cn cccnnenennne AB Chapter Twenty-Five, ROTARY BEAMS...... oven 494 25-1 Unidirectional Parasitic End-Fire Arrays (Yogi Type) 25-2 The Two Element Beam nce nne 494 25-3 The Three-Element Array ern 496 25-4 Feed Systems for Parasitic (Yagi) Arrays 498 25-5 Unidirectional Driven Arrays 504 25-6 Bi-Directional Rotatable Arrays 505 25-7 Construction of Rotatable Arrays .. 506 Tuning the Array Antenna Rotation Systems 25-10 Indication of Direction 25-11 “Three-Bands"” Beams 509 51a 514 514‘Chapter Twenty-Six. MOBILE EQUIPMENT DESIGN AND INSTALLATION....515 26-1 Mobile Reception cnnnenen anne SIS 26-2 Mobile Transmitters .... woes 52 26-3 Antennas for Mobile Work .. . 522 26-4 Construction and Installation of Mobile Equipment 524 26-5 Vehicvlor Noise Supprestion cennenr . 527 Chapter Twenty-Seven. RECEIVERS AND TRANSCEIVERS... 530 27-1 Circuitry and Components . $33 27-2. A Simple Transistorized Portable B-C Receiver 533 27-3 A 455 Ke. Mechanical Filter Adapter . 535 27-4 A High Performance Amateur Band Receiver 540 27-5 A “Hondie-Talkie” for 144 Mc. se . 547 27-6 Six Meter Transceiver for Home or Cor 552 27-7 A “Hot” Transceiver for 28 Megacycles : 559 EXCITERS, 367 . 567 374 578 A Miniaturized $SB Transmitter for 14 Me. 589 ‘A Duplex Transmitter-Receiver for 220 Me. ... . 598 A High Stability V.F.O. For the DX Operator a aoe . 610 ower Amplifier Design ... : 610 Push-Pull Triode Ampl 612 Push-Pull Tetrode Amplifiers 614 Totrode Pi-Network Amplifiers : aly) ‘A Compect Linear Amplifier for Mobile $38... 620 ‘A Multi-bond Mobile Lin 624 ‘An Inexpensive Cathede Driven Kilowatt Amplifier 626 A Low Distortion Sideband Linear Amplifier 629 29-9 Kilowatt Amplifier for Linear or Class C Operation -- 635 29-10 A 2 Kilowatt P.EP. All-band Amplifier - 640 29-11 A High Power Push-pull Tetrode Amplifier Chapter Thirty. SPEECH AND AMPLITUDE MODULATION EQUIPMENT...... 647 30-1 Modulation... : 30-2 Design of Speech Amplifiers ond Modulators ~. 650 30-3 General Purpose Triode Class B Modulator 651 30-4 A 10-Watt Amplifier-Driver 655 30-5 500-Watt 304TL Modulat: 656 30-6 A 15-Watt Clipper-Amy - 657 30-7 A 200-Watt 811-A De-Luxe Modulat 658 30-8 Zero Biat Tetrode Modulators... - 662 Chapter Thirty-One, TRANSMITTER CONSTRUCTION. veveeeeeeees 668 31-1 A 300 Wott Phone/C-W Transmitter for 50/144 Mc. 663 31-2 A De-luxe Transmitter for the 9.5-29.7 Me. Range ... 8 673Chapter Thisty-Two. POWER SUPPLIES 321 32:2 32-3 92-4 32-5 32-6 32-7 32-8 32-9 32-10 32-11 32.12 32-13 32-14 32-15 Chapter Thisty-Thr 33-1 33-2 33-3 33-4 33-5 33-6 33-7 Chapter 34-1 34-2 34.3 34-4 34-5 34-6 34-7 34-8 34-9 34-10 Power Supply Requirements co Rectification Circuit som Standard Power Supply Circuits Selenium and Silicon ReCRers ocnnnsnnnnsnan 100 Watt Mobile Power Supply : Transistrized Power Supplies ed Mobile Supplies Power Supply Components x - Special Power Supplies Power Supply Design 300 Vell, 50 Ma. Power Supply « 500 Volt, 200 Milliompere Power Supply 1500 Volt, 425 Millimpere Power Supply ~ [A Ducl Voltage Transmitter Supply |A Kilowatt Power Supply Two Transis WORKSHOP PRACTICE Toole The Material TVL-Proof Enclosures .. Enclosure Openings... Summation of the Problem Construction Practice cn Shop Layout Measurements idk Frequency Measurements... evnnnnn Antenna and Transmission Line Measurements ‘A. Simple Coaxial Reflectometer ‘Measurements on Bolanced Transmission Lines . A “Balanced” SWR Bridge The Antennascope see A Silicon Crystal Noise Generator Chapter Thirty-Five. RADIO MATHEMATICS AND CALCULATIONS... wn 721 a 684 604 689 690 695, 697 703 - 706 707 . 709 712 ns 716 717 78 78 720 720 - 723-8 724-8 725-8 725-8 726-8 729-8 721 727-8 728-8 730-B 732 734 soe 736 738 740 vn 742FOREWORD TO THE FIFTEENTH EDITION Over two decades ago the historic first edition of the RADIO HANDBOOK was published as a unique, independent, communications manual written especially for the adv anced radio amateur and electronic engineer. Since that early issue, great pains have been taken to keep each succeeding edition of the RADIO HANDBOOK abreast of the rapidly expanding field of elecsronies, $0 quickly bas the electron invaded our everyday affairs that it is now no longer possible t0 segregate one particular branch of electronics and define it as radio com- munications; rather, the transfer of intelligence by electrical means encompasses more than the vacuum tube, the antenna, and the tuning capacitor. Included in this new, advanced Fifteenth Edition of the RADIO HANDBOOK are fresh chapters covering electronic computers, rf. feedback amplifiers, and high fidelity techniques, plus greatly expanded chapters dealing with semi-conductors and special vacuum tbe circuits. The other chapters of this Handbook have been thoroughly revised and brought up to date, touching briefly on those aspects in the industrial and military electronic fields that are of immediate interest to the electronic engineer and the radio amateur. The construction chapters have been completely re-edited. All new equipments described therein are of modern design, free of TVI problems and various unwanted parasitic oscillations. An attempt bas been made not to duplicate items that have been featured in contemporary magazines. The transceiver makes its major bow in this edition of the RADIO HANDBOOK, and it is felt that this complete, inexpensive, compact “radio station” design will become more popular during the coming years. ‘The writing and preparation of this Handbook would have been impossible without the lavish help that was tended the editor by fellow amateurs and sympathetic elec- tronic organizations. Their friendly assistance and belpful suggestions were freely given in the true amateur spirit to help make the 15th edition of the RADIO HAND- BOOK an outstanding success, The editor and publisher wish to thank these individuals and companies whose unselfish support made the compilation and publication of this book an interesting and inspired task. WILLIAM I. Orr, W6SAI, 3A2AF, Editor E, P, Alvernaz, W6DMN, Wesley Schum, WODYV, Raytheon Mfg, Go Ine. Jennings Radio Co. ‘Central Electronics, Ine. Sarkes-Tarzian, Ine Aaron Self, WSFYR, ‘Costincotal lecironiey ——_SP"Ouue Electric Co, aces fob Adame, WOAVA Peete Frank Clement, WOKPC Se America Al Cline, W6LGU_ EB, F, Johnson, Ino. J. A, Haimes, Semi-conductor ‘Temple Ehmsen, W7VS Thomas Consalv, WSEOZ, ‘Divion, Radio Gomporaton Ted Cale, WOR Barker & Williamson, Ine. of America Bill Glaser, W6OKG cat Hack, WICTW, Special thashe are due Collins Bill Guimoat WY MD National Goin Tadio Co: for permission to Ted Henry” WOUO Jo F. Jennings, WOE, feprint portions "of they Herbert Johnson, WIGRA Teonings Radio Co. Siltona"Hepot Eras Hanes La, Wea sho, WEDUS, iy Wanten Blocne, WOETK Ean Loca, W2 ce Bua Radio Co Tae laure, WwoWwWwo : Gaitorsta Chas Co Ine. en Ftc, WES : Contatah te Bob Thompson. KOSSY ee Comell-Dubilier Electric Ki ‘rovinger, W6KMK_ Go. ine Bil Vander. W?DET Gowan’ Publishing Cor. Dick West, WoiUe Toreemational Bushee and Wills, WOTS Baw, A. Neal, W2IZK, “tachines Coy ne Joseph seu General Electric Co, Marion Electrical, (photography) Tnswrument €o., The B.A, Ontiveros, WePFE ater Coll Cos te cee ‘Transformer Co. Raypar, Ine. Del Rairigh, W6ZATCHAPTER ONE Introduction to Radio The field of radio is a division of the much larger field of electronics. Radio itself is such a broad study that it is still further broken down into a number of smaller fields of which only shortwave or high-frequency radio is cov ered in this book. Specifically the field of com- munication on frequencies from 1.8 to 450 meg- acycles is taken as the subject matter for this work. The largest group of persons interested in the subject of high-frequency communication is the more than 150,000 radio amateurs located in nearly all countries of the world. Strictly speaking, a radio amateur is anyone interested in radio non-commercially, but the term is ordi- narily applied only to those hobbyists possess- ing tansmitting equipment and a license from the government It was for the radio amateur, and particu- larly for the serious and more advanced ama- teur, that most of the equipment described in this book was developed. However, in each equipment group simple items also are shown for the student or beginner. The design prin- ciples behind the equipment for high-frequency radio communication are of course the same whether the equipment is to be used for com- mercial, military, or amateur purposes, the principal differences lying in construction practices, and in the tolerances and safety factors placed upon components. With the increasing complexity of high-fre- quency communication, resulting primarily from increased utilization of the available spec- trum, it becomes necessary to delve more deep- ly into the basic principles underlying radio communication, both from the standpoint of equipment design and operation and from the standpoint of signal propagation. Hence, it will be found that this edition of the RADIO HAND- BOOK has been devoted in greater proportion W to the teaching of the principles of equipment design and signal propagation. It is in response fo requests from schools and agencies of the Department of Defense, in addition to persist- ent requests from the amateur radio fraternity, that coverage of these principles has been ex- panded. 1 Amateur Radio Amateur radio is a fascinating hobby with many phases. So strong is the fascination of- fered by this hobby that many executives, en- gineers, and military and commercial operators enjoy amateur radio as an avocation even though they are also engaged in the radio field commercially. It captures and holds the inter- est of many people in all walks of life, and in all countries of the world where amateur acti- vities are permitted by law. ‘Amateurs have rendered much public ser- vice through furnishing communications to and from the outside world in cases where disaster has isolated an area by severing all wire com- munications. Amateurs have a proud record of heroism and service in such occasion. Many expeditions to remote places have been kept in touch with home by communication with ama- teur stations on the high frequencies. The ama- teur's fine record of performance with the “wireless” equipment of World War I has been surpassed by his outstanding service in World War II. By the time peace came in the Pacific in the ‘summer of 1945, many thousand amateur operators were serving in the allied armed forces. They had supplied the army, navy, marines, coast guard, merchant marine, civil service, war plants, and civilian defense or- ganizations with trained personnel for radio,