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WIRELESSFMTRANSMITTER(E/P)
Thesecircuitshavealwaysbeenpopularfor bothutilityandentertainment
purposes.
i
TheFMtransmitterdescribedhereis builtwithfewcomponents tosavespace I
andcost.Thecircuithasonlyonetransistorand is powered
bytwoorfourAA I
cells.
The broadcasting frequency of the unit,in the rangebetween88 and 108
MHz(FMband),is determined by Ll andthevariable CV (a 2Oor
capacitor
30 pFtrimmercapacitor). L1consists of fourturnsof No.22wire,woundin a
singleclose-spaced layeron a 112-inch
form.Thecoilis centertappedwhere
it is wiredto theantennaterminal.
Anypieceof stitfwirewillserveas theantennaandwillgivegoodcoverage.
Forbetteroperation,antennalengthshouldbe between 5 and15inches.
Tryoutyourunit at anyconvenient
deadspotonthetheFMband.AdjustCV
to thebestsignal.Thesignalscanbetunedin distances
upto 150feet.
A schematic diagramof the FMtransmitter
is shownin Figure1.Onlyone
transistor
as usedas a high-frequency
oscillator.
AnysmallRFNPNtransis-
tor canbe usedforthetask.
Components placement on a printed-circuit
boardis shownin Figure2.Ca-
pacitorsare criticalcomponents and shouldbe the typesindicatedin the
partslist.Don'tusemetalfilmcapacitors insteadof the ceramiccapacitors
whicharecalledfor in thepartslist.
Youcanalsousea terminalstripas chassisas shownin Figure3,butkeep
allthecomponent
terminals
andwiringshortto avoidinstability.
Thecircuitcanbehousedin d smallplasticboxalongwiththepowersupply.
Avoidtheuseof metalboxesto housethecircuit.
Takecarewithpositionof the polarized
pieces,suchas the electretmicro-
phone,electrolytic
capacitorandpowersupply.

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R4
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Figure 1

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Figure2

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PartsList - WirelessFMTransmitter
Q1 - 8F494RF silicontransistor

MIC - two-terminal
electretmicrophone

L1 - coil - see text

CV - trimmercapacitor(20 to 50 pF)

R1,3 - 4,00ohm,114W,5%
resistor

R2 - 10,000ohm, 114W,5%
resistor
R4 - 47 ohm,1l4W,5%resistor

C1 - 10 uF,6 WVDCelectrolytic
capacitor
C2 - 0.01 uF ceramiccapacitor

Cg - 4.7 pF ceramiccapacitor

C4 - 0.1 uF ceramiccapacitor

S1 - SPSTslideor toggleswitch

81 - 3V or 6V - two or fourAA cells

A - antenna- see text

ldeasto Explore
To learnmoreaboutthe circuitor to get betterperformance:
o ReplacetransistorQ1 with a2N2218and powerthe circuitfrom a
9V battery.The
signalswillbe tunedin fromdistancesup to 1,500feet.
o The circuitcan be usedas a "bug"to hearsecretconversations.

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Figure 3

Placethe circuitinsidea falsebook on a deskto pick up conversa-

tions.
o Explainhowthe transmitterworks.

o Whatare radiowavesor electromagnetic

waves?
o What is FrequencyModulation(FM) and AmplitudeModulation
(AM)?Explainthe ditferences.
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Scienceprojectsusingthistransmitter:
o The transmittercan be usedto pickup remotesounds.Youcan fix
it in animalpensor jailsto monitorthemremotely.
o The mikecan be placedin the focusof a parabolicreflectorto
sounds.Birdsandotheranimalsintheforestor otherplaces
concentrate
can be heardusingthissystem,as suggestedin Figure4. An interest-
ingstudycan be madeinvolving localsongbirds.
o Youcan usethis transmitterfor an experimentalbroadcastin your
schoof.However,don't use long antennas becauseFCC rules are
severeregarding strong illegal radio emissions in the FM band.

Figure 4

100