A Philips EE implementation of a VLF/LF receiver for SAQ etc.

[JurjenK]

Hello!

Many people of a certain age will have known the Philips EE (Electronic Experimentation / Electronic Engineer) kits. I am still actively using them, and designed and built a VLF/LF receiver with it for the range 15.6 – 80 kHz, and thus including SAQ. It is a Direct Conversion receiver where the frequency is provided by a simple microcontroller. Below is a picture of my implementation, and here follows the link to all the details: A Philips EE VLF receiver (16 – 80 kHz) with digital control. Maybe the design provides soem guidance for others in this field …
/Jurjen

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[JurjenK]

Hi Rich, thank you for your kind answer!

It will be really exiting to see whether I am able to copy the signal in June this year with this machine. I have started a discussion on this design as well (and got a lot of support) on the main Philips EE forum that is still very active these days on new Philips EE developments and designs: Philips/Schuco Elektronik. The specific Grimeton/SAQ link can be found here: VLF, Grimeton/SAQ und Mainflingen DCF77, there it is now even being discussed whether an original Philips EE design from EE1005/2005 (7.02, TV-Set Detector / Peilgerät für Fernsehempfänger) could be directly suitable (with one LW-Coil) or even optimized (multiple coils etc.) for Grimeton/SAQ as well!

Regards,
Jurjen

[rich.g.williams]

This made my day and really brings back memories! Well done and thank you!

I can remember building (from this type of Philips kit) (60 years ago) a simple Long Wave radio. Back then in the UK Radio 2 (the Light programme) was transmitted on 200KHz 1500m. I built this simple radio into a small homemade wooden box and used it regularly for a few years. I think the RF transistor was an AF116 the front end was just a tuned circuit. The simple audio amp was I think two AC126 feeding a small loudspeaker.

On the front of the wooden box there were two of the (thinking back now – iconic) Philips kit red plastic pointer knobs, one for volume and one to tweak the tuning if ever needed.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 5 days ago by rich.g.williams.

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