Hi, I stumbled across the All About Circuits website and this forum during a search for notch filters for my 34 year old analogue wireless radio. My question is, would the course material on the All About Circuits be of any use to me with respect to getting inside these old radios and doing modifications on them?

Does the world of Electronics that is taught at All About Circuits have any benefit for someone wanting to get into sound/radio/antennas etc.? Please be brutally honest.

 

Hello,

What kind of modifications are you tinking about ?
There are a couple of radio amatuers on AAC active.

If you are interested in Rf related stuff take a look at this links:
http://www.dxzone.com/
http://www.rfcafe.com/

Greetings,
Bertus

 

Thank you Bertus, those kinks are terrific, especially the dxzone. The reason I want to know if the AAC course is any good for me is because I love watching videos and prefer them over books where you just read by yourself.

I've watched a couple of videos here and they are really good, the only thing I'm not sure of, is if they will benefit me. I understand there are a vast amount of modifications you can make to the older radios to improve them, but when I read further it says that you need to solder certain components here and there and remove others etc.

So I want to know where to learn these things and hopefully via video, so is the All About Circuits the right place for me to be, or is there a better more suitable place, somewhere else?

 

Hello,

For basic RF theory you could take a look for the HAM-radio books of the ARRL or RSGB.
http://www.arrl.org/
http://www.rsgb.org/

For modifications on ham radio stuff there is this site:
http://www.mods.dk/index.php
(see the menu on the left for manuals and modifications).

Greetings,
Bertus

 

Even a 34 year old radio will have its electronics on printed circuit boards. It would be a very good idea to have an understanding of basic electronics and of radio circuits before thinking of modifying any radio. It's always nice to feel confident of the outcome.

You may also find that the radio in question works as well as it can. There may be no modification that will actually improve anything about it.

 

Thank you bertus and beenthere for what you have both said. I agree that the in some cases mod's won't be needed but I still want to learn how to work inside a radio and when I watched the first couple of videos on this site, it listed 5 main areas of systems, computers, television etc. but did not mention wireless.

I would have thought that radio and wireless were essentially very similar, however I might be wrong. Seeing I am wanting to learn as a hobby and not a life or career choice nor for profit or employment, but 100% purely because I would like to take a soldering iron to a radio and make a few changes, and at the same time, I would like to have an idea of why I'm making the changes, and not just following someone’s instructions on how to do it.

So am I in the right place?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

I would have thought that radio and wireless were essentially very similar, however I might be wrong.

As far as I am concerned, "wireless" is radio. Television is radio (with rather wideband modulation, but still radio).

What you want to do is learn about RF (radio frequency) theory. That is, RF is AC circuit theory with things taken to very high frequencies.

My suggestion is to learn basic DC and AC circuit theories first, that is, basic electronics. Then emphasize radio along with active components like transistors and tube theory.

You sound like me when I was 14 years old! I started reading everything I could and have worked in wireless/radio for 28 years now.

There are many good introductory publications by the ARRL (www.arrl.org) and by the Radio Society of Great Britain (don't have their website).

This place is also good, but they do deal with a WIDE range of electronic and electrical topics like computers and motors and 3 phase power transmission that might not be of interest to you (it is of little interest to me! )

Radio is a fun world to learn and play in - like I said, I got interested in my pre-teen years and have been involved ever since. At age 45, I finally went to school for a degree in electronics - but had made a living in it for 25 years before that!

Good luck, read everything you can, and enjoy the journey.

 

Even a 34 year old radio will have its electronics on printed circuit boards. It would be a very good idea to have an understanding of basic electronics and of radio circuits before thinking of modifying any radio. It's always nice to feel confident of the outcome.

You may also find that the radio in question works as well as it can. There may be no modification that will actually improve anything about it.

I have a 1926 Atwater Kent that I think predates wire! All the inside connections are done with bus bars.


But, actually the term Wireless was around long before "radio".

Eric

 

As far as I am concerned, "wireless" is radio. Television is radio (with rather wideband modulation, but still radio).

What you want to do is learn about RF (radio frequency) theory. That is, RF is AC circuit theory with things taken to very high frequencies.

My suggestion is to learn basic DC and AC circuit theories first, that is, basic electronics. Then emphasize radio along with active components like transistors and tube theory.

You sound like me when I was 14 years old! I started reading everything I could and have worked in wireless/radio for 28 years now.

There are many good introductory publications by the ARRL (www.arrl.org) and by the Radio Society of Great Britain (don't have their website).

This place is also good, but they do deal with a WIDE range of electronic and electrical topics like computers and motors and 3 phase power transmission that might not be of interest to you (it is of little interest to me! )

Radio is a fun world to learn and play in - like I said, I got interested in my pre-teen years and have been involved ever since. At age 45, I finally went to school for a degree in electronics - but had made a living in it for 25 years before that!

Good luck, read everything you can, and enjoy the journey.

According to Ye Olde Websters, "Radio" didn't come into common usage until 1910-1915. It was a contraction of "radiotelegraph" which had been in common use by 1905. "Wireless" goes back to Marconi, at least.

Now you know.

eric

 

Oh, I know "wireless" came first, eric - but it's all radio.

And I find it funny that we have come full circle and are calling cellphones, PCS devices and microphones "wireless".

All things old are new again. (In the language, anyway.)

 

Oop's sorry, I meant to say wireless (meaning radio) and television were essentially similar, it's was very early in the morning when I wrote that, please forgive me.

Ok, based on some of the replies, can I assume I'll do no harm by viewing the following videos which are listed on this site:

Alternating Current

• Generation of Alternating Voltage (14:26)
• Sine Wave Characteristics (10:43)
• Sine Wave Characteristics (cont) (16:48)
• Working with Phase Angles (11:53)
• Working with Phase Angles (cont) (19:47)
• Circuit Analysis of AC Resistive Circuits (15:37)
• Alternating Voltage Applications (9:11)

From there I may need to go outside to other sites as mentioned to gain more specialised instruction.

Can I just get a thumbs up on doing at the very least the above, which comes from this page: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/videos/index.html If there are other sections on that page you also feel would be worthwhile to me, can you please list them, and having said that if there are several sections, would you please provide a possible order in which to view them, should that be relevant.

Thank you to all you guys, in advance.