Advanced 80m-ARDF Receiver – Version 4

Nick Roethe, DF1FO

This is a slightly abbreviated translation of the original document in German ’Ein komfortabler 80m-Peilempfänger Version 4’

Conceptual Overview
The 80m-ARDF-receiver described in this document consists of two parts:
- A single conversion receiver with 460 kHz IF and product detector.
- A controller and user interface using an Atmel-Microprocessor, LCD-Display und rotary encoder.
The operation is very similar to my 2m-receiver.

Highlights:
- User Interface is a rotary encoder and LCD-display
- Frequency controlled by processor
- Stores up to four frequencies
- Automatic attenuator
- Estimates distance to fox
- Shows current fox, time left for this fox, warns n seconds before end of transmission
- Stopwatch
- Shows battery voltage, low voltage alarm

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The receiver is built into a tin-plate box of 16x5x3 cm. The ferrite rod and the electrical antenna – a piece of tape
measure – are mounted on the top. On the front side from top to bottom are the rotary encoder, a toggle switch
(Attenuator-Operate-Menu) and the display. The Forward/Backward-switch sits on the back, the phone-jack at the
bottom.

The receiver is held in the right or left hand. The thumb operates the rotary encoder and toggle switch, the index
finger the Forward/Backward-switch. The ferrite rod points in the direction in which you are running (minimum
position). For the Forward/Backward-distinction the receiver is turned 90° away from you.

Technical Data:

Frequency Range: 3,490 – 3,660 MHz

Sensitivity: 200nV for 10dB S+N/N (coupled with DF1FO-loop)
300nV for 75% S-Meter indication
RF-Bandwidth @ -3dB: 3,530 – 3,600 MHz
Mirror frequency rejection: 26 dB
IF/AF-Bandwidth: 1,3 kHz/-6dB, 4 kHz/-20dB, 8 kHz/-40dB
Attenuation range: 0 - 120 dB in 5 dB steps
Supply voltage: 5,5 – 10 V
Current consumption: 25 mA
Battery life: > 10 hours (9V Alkaline Manganese)
Weight: about 370g
Total cost of parts: about 90 €

How the receiver developed

The receiver described here is the result of more than 3 years of development and testing. Version 2 was published
yearend 2007, and several dozen receivers of this version were built in 2008. They worked fine, but also showed
room for improvement in the areas of usability and reproducibility. The first perforated board prototypes of Version
4 were tested since the middle of 2008, and PCB versions since November. Yearend 2008 several OMs are busy
building Version 4 receivers.

The biggest hardware change from Version 2 to 4 is the replacement of the TCA440, which is hard to get in good
quality, by an SA612 and discrete RF- and IF-amplifiers. The second big change is the introduction of the automatic
attenuator known from my 2m-receiver.

Feedback
Your comments, corrections, criticism, improvements and questions are always welcome. Please send an Email to
.

Translation of some terms used in the circuit diagram on the next page
Abschwächer Attenuator Schirmwand Shield
Abstimmspannung Tuning voltage Sichtseite Front view
Drehgeber Rotary encoder Steckseite Component side
E-Antenne E-Antenna UPegel Level indication
Ein On V/R-Verhältnis F/B-ratio
Ferritstab Ferrite rod Verstärkung Gain
Lautstärke Volume Vor Forward
Messung Measurement Zeichen Characters
Platine PCB zum Zähler to counter
Rück Backward

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Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 3
Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 4
Circuit Description

See the schematic on the previous page and the translations on page 2.

The receiver is a single conversion super-het with an IF of 460 kHz, product detector and two stage AF-amplifier.

The antenna is a ferrite rod. The antenna circuit W1/C16 is tuned to 3,57 MHz, and is wide enough to cover the
frequency range used by standard 80m foxes.

For the Forward-/Backward-distinction the signal from an electrical auxiliary antenna is coupled into the ferrite
rod through W2a/b. Two push-button switches allow to test and compare both directions without turning the
receiver. Alternatively a single (On)-Off-(On) toggle switch can be used instead of the two push-buttons. The F/B-
ratio is optimized by cutting the length of the electrical antenna. R41 is used for a fine adjustment. The processor
gets the information, that the F/B-antenna is active, through Pin PC1. This tells the processor to suppress the
automatic attenuator and to enable an acoustic S-Meter function, to simplify the F/B-distinction.

Push-button and toggle switch version

The antenna circuit W1/C16 is connected to a symmetrical Source-follower preamplifier. This stage matches the
high-impedance antenna circuit to the symmetrical mixer input. It has no voltage gain, but about 10 dB power gain.
And, as described below, it is also used as ab attenuator.

The next stage is an SA612 double-balanced mixer. It also contains the first oscillator needed to convert the 3.5
MHz signal to 460 kHz. The oscillator coil is a fixed inductance choke. Two cascaded ceramic filters provide the
required selectivity. These were originally intended to be used in AM-receivers, and are therefore too wide. An AF-
low-pass-filter improves the selectivity, see below. Next comes the single stage IF-amplifier T3 with a conventional
LC-filter.

The receiver gain is attenuated for strong RF-signals by reducing the operating voltage of the FETs in the RF- and
IF-amplifiers (T1, T2, T3). The processor sets this voltage through a pulse-width modulator, and the emitter follower
T4 buffers it. With this method 120 dB attenuation can be reached easily (80 dB would be enough).

After the IF-amplifier comes the product detector IC2. It is also realized with an SA612. The BFO frequency is
464,5 kHZ, the upper limit of the ceramic filters pass-band. So only the lower sideband is received. The BFO-
frequency is set by a ceramic resonator.

The AF-amplifier uses a TL082 Dual-Op-Amp. Its left half is a 3rd degree active low-pass-filter with a corner
frequency of 1,5 kHz, and also amplifies the signal about 500x. The AF-low-pass is necessary because of the
bandwidth of the ceramic filters of about 6 kHz. The gain is set with R4 to compensate gain variations of the RF
part. The AF-signal at the output of the low-pass is rectified by D1, read by the processor through an A/D-converter
on Pin PC0, and used for the S-Meter and the automatic attenuator. The right half of the TL082 has a gain of only 2x.
It limits the AF-signal and drives the headphones. The processor generates (with a programmable oscillator) various
tone signals. The signal is fed though PIN PB3 into the AF-amplifier. When the processor grounds output pin PC4,
the AF-signal from the processor is muted, so that only the signal tones can be heard. The AF volume is set with R26
to match the headphones used.

The frequency is controlled directly by the processor. The signal of the first oscillator is amplified by T6 and T7 to
logic level, and fed through pin PD5 to a 16 bit counter in the processor. It counts the periods of the oscillator signal

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for 50 msec, so the resolution is 20 Hz. This results in pulse counts of about 155k. The 16 bit counter wraps twice
(every 65k). Then the difference between the actual frequency and the desired frequency is calculated. Depending on
the direction of the offset output PB2 – normally High-Z – is switched to High or Low for a time period that is
proportional to the frequency difference. These pulses are integrated and stored in C44, and the resulting voltage
controls the oscillator frequency through the VariCap D2.

The attenuator voltage is generated by the processor with a 5 kHz pulse-width modulator. Its output is pin PD6.
A two-stage low-pass converts the pulse-signal to an equivalent voltage. The relationship between PWM-values and
resulting attenuation is stored in the processor as part of the alignment procedure. The processor increases the
attenuation by 5 dB, when the S-meter reaches full scale. So when the receiver is turned to the maximum direction, it
automatically adjusts the attenuator to match the momentary field strength. The distance to the fox is estimated
based on the attenuator setting (= field-strength) and the output power of the fox (see Setup menu).

The field strength, that an 80m-fox produces, depends heavily on the length and matching of the antenna, the length
of the ground rod or radial, and the conductivity of the ground. If the person installing the foxes does a good job and
you have a little luck, the distance estimations can be quite precise. But on a bad day it could be totally off, so don’t
expect too much and remember: it is an estimation based on the available data, not a measurement.

The processor ATmega168, besides controlling the receiver, also handles the user interface. It consists of a rotary
encoder, a 3-position-switch and a 2*8 LCD-Display connected to the processor. The processor also measures the
supply voltage with an internal A/D-converter connected to pin PC2. The 10 pin connector ISP allows the in-system-
programming of the processor.

The display has an internal clock of about 250 kHz. Its 14th harmonic is audible typically close to the most important
fox frequency of 3,580 MHz. It is therefore shifted out of the receivers frequency range with C93.

The receiver is turned on by plugging in the headphones. The battery voltage must be between 5.5 and 10 Volts.
A low-drop voltage regulator brings it down to 5.0 Volts.

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Mechanical Construction
The receiver is built into a standard tinplate box with interior measurements of 160*50*28mm. The box consists of
a frame and two covers. The PCB has a size of 106 * 50 mm and is soldered into the frame. A piece of tinplate
shields the RF part from the processor part of the board. It is shown in the schematic. The battery is held by a tinplate
bracket soldered to the frame. The LCD display and some related components sit on a small 21 * 41 mm PCB. A
reinforcement frame soldered around the display gives the ‘front-panel’ more stability.

I have spray-painted the frame in silver, and the covers in a color.

A total of four threaded studs are soldered to the middle of the short sides of the frame. The covers are screwed to
them. For the component side cover I use thumbscrews for easy access to the battery.

This construction is mechanically stable, provides excellent shielding and accessibility. With the covers removed
both sides of the PCB are easily accessible for measurements or experiments.

The shielding of the box and inside the box is very important, because two sources of noise are built into the
receiver: the processor and the LCD display. I strongly recommend to stick to this proven design

The ferrite rod is protected by a piece of PVC tube and mounted on the receiver with matching holders.

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Operation
The receiver is turned on by plugging in the headphones.

The toggle switch selects the mode: ‘Operate’ or ‘Menu’. By pushing the switch to the spring-loaded ‘Attenuator’-
position the attenuation can be reduced.

Toggle switch to ‚Operate‘:

By pressing and turning the rotary encoder the frequency can be fine-adjusted in 100 Hz steps. (The basic setting of
the frequencies of foxes and homing beacon are done in the Menu mode.) A double-click on the encoder switches to
the next stored frequency, e.g. the homing beacon.

It is important, that the receiver is tuned to the correct sideband. If you press+turn (fine-tune) the encoder
clockwise, the audio frequency of the signal should increase. Otherwise trun on through zero-beat, and the signal will
get much stronger.

The direction to the fox is found by turning the receiver to the signal minimum. If the volume is too low to find the
minimum, the attenuation has to be reduced. This can be done by clicking to ‘Attenuator’, this opens the attenuator
in 3 steps: 50, 25, 0 dB. Alternatively the attenuation can be changed in 5 dB-steps by turning the encoder. Pushing
‘Attenuator’ long turns the automatic attenuator off or on again.

Even at full attenuation you will still hear a little bit of noise. This is due to the high gain of the stages after the last
regulated stage.

To do the Forward-/Backward-distinction the receiver is turned to the maximum position, i.e. 90° from the
minimum. The attenuator will automatically adjust to an S-meter indication between 50% and full scale, and the
estimated distance is indicated. Now the forward- or backward-buttons are pushed. In one direction the signal
strength will increase, and you will hear a tone generated by the processor. The frequency of the tone depends on the
signal strength (‘F/B-Zoom’). In the backward direction the signal just gets weaker.

Toggle switch to Menu:

After switching to ‚Menu’ the display shows for 2 seconds the current frequency, stop watch and battery voltage.
Then the ‘Menu’-mode is entered.

By turning the encoder one of the menu items or the Setup-menu can be selected. The menus and operation are very
close to my 2m-receiver. All menus are left by switching to ‘Operate’. The table on the next page gives a detailed
overview of the menus.

When entering the Setup-menu the first item shown is PFox. This makes it easy to adjust the assumed transmitter
output power during a hunt. The following method for setting PFox works well, if all foxes have about the same
characteristics: in a foxhunt according to IARU-rules the nearest fox is at least 750 meters away, and normally no
more than 1 km. So set PFox at the start so, that the distance indicated for the strongest fox is 700m or 1km.

The functions in the Calibration-menu will be described in the alignment section of this document.

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Operation Overview (Software-Version fjrx84 V1.3)

Switch Function Display

< > Attenuator +/-5dB Fox-Timer
<*> Frequency +/- 100 Hz Distance
‚Operate‘ ** Next Frequency # S-Meter
a Reduce Attenuation 1-4 Dots: Freq. #.
A Auto-Attenuator On/Off * = Auto-Att. Off
Frequency
‚Menu‘ < > Select item Stop-Watch
Battery Voltage Rotary Encoder
_______________________| < > Turn
↓ Main Menu (Exit with Switch => Operate) <*> Push + Turn
Menu Item Function * Click
** Double-Click
< > Freq +/- 1 kHz
Change Freq. * Start ==> <*> Freq +/- 100 Hz Switch to ‚Attenuator‘
* Next Freq. # a Click
Clk Stop/Start * Stopwatch Stop / Reset + Start A Push long

* Restart Fox-Timer
Tmr Start
<*> Change current fox # *1
Setup-Menu * Start Setup Menu ==> < > Select item
________________________________________________|
↓ Setup Menu (Exit with Switch => Operate)
N Foxes <*> # of foxes 1..10 (1 = Foxoring,) *2
T Fox s <*> Fox transmit time 1..99 sec
T Fox ms <*> Fox transmit time +/- 20 msec
P Fox <*> Fox output power 1 µW - 30 W, dB only *3
N Freq <*> # of frequencies used 1..4
T Alarm <*> Alarmtime 1 - 30 sec before end (0 = Off)
F/B-Zoom * Acoustic S-Meter for F/B distinction On/Off

Calibration-Menu Start: Turn on RX with * and switch to ‘Menu’

Language <*> Select Deutsch/English/Nederlands
EEPROM Reset * Reset all Calibration and setup values
Cal VBat <*> Calibrate battery voltage measurement
CalF <*> Adjust frequency offset +/- 0..9,9 kHz
Cal Att Start * Calibrate attenuator in 13 10dB-steps
BatWarng <*> Adjust battery alarm threshold 5,8..8,0 V
Cal Dis <*> Adjust distance estimation –5..+5
FrqRange * Frequency range 3,49-3,66 / 3,49-3,81 MHz
Save Cal Values * Store calibration values to EEPROM

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(*1): Restart timer at start of transmission of any fox with *, then set current fox # with <*>
(*2): For ‘Foxoring’ set NFoxes = 1, this turns off fox timer and alarm, display shows stopwatch instead of timer
(*3): ‚dB only’ = no distance estimation, instead the current attenuation in dB is shown
Building the Receiver

Mechanics

The tin-plate box consists of four parts: two L-shaped half-frames and two covers. Before the half-frames are
soldered together, several holes have to be drilled or cut.

Working with the 0,5 mm tin-plate requires some extra care. Use only good new drills and hold the half-frames well,
otherwise they may coil around the drill. I use drills only for the holes up to 7mm. For the bigger holes and the
display window I drill a 7 mm hole and do the rest with a set of good quality files. Depending on the F/B-switch used
one of the three drill patterns shown above has to be chosen.

The frame is very weak in the area of the display window. Therefore I solder a 5 mm high U-shaped reinforcement
frame around the display. I use a strip of 1 mm brass plate, 5 mm wide and 105 mm long. It is fitted so that it
positions the display in the center of the display window. There should be a 0.5mm gap between the display and the
frame bottom – this will be needed for the display PCB. The display reinforcement frame is soldered to the front
frame.

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The DIN-jack for the headphones is soldered to the frame. Its two mounting holes are countersunk for better
solderability, the jack is held in place, and soldered to the frame with plenty of solder. Instead of the DIN-jack a
standard 3,5 mm headphone jack could be used. In this case a small toggle switch must be mounted beside the phone
jack (to turn the receiver on/off).

Now the PCBs are prepared. The display board is filed down to the edges of the copper ground plane to a size of 21
* 41 mm.

The receiver board must also be filed down to the edges of the copper plane. Now the board is carefully fitted into
the frame, this will require some more filing. The frame is stabilized by installing the solder side cover. The four 5
mm studs give the correct position of the boards solder side – 5 mm from the solder side cover. The board should fit
snuggly into the frame - without bending the frame apart. In the front/top-corner of the PCB a little extra has to be
filed away because of the overlap of the frames. If two push-buttons are used as Forward-/Backward-switch, the area
of the PCB marked ‘V/R’ and with a dash-dot-line must be cut out.

The battery bracket is made from a 22 mm wide strip of tinplate with 70,5 mm length. It is bent so that the battery
compartment has an inner size of 17 * 53 mm. This should leave some room around most batteries, but sizes differ.
The battery bracket is positioned flush with the solder side cover, this leaves 6 mm free on the component side for
the battery cable.

Now the half-frames, the receiver board and the battery bracket can be soldered together with a few solder points.
Once more check the position of everything and then solder everything together all around.

A shield is installed between the RF and the microprocessor part of the board. On the component side it is a piece of
tinplate of about 21 * 50 mm. It is fitted and a half-round cutout is made for the wires to the encoder and toggle
switch. Then it is soldered in on three sides. On the solder side the shield is about 5 * 50 mm. There are wires on the
PCB connecting through the shield. The shield must be tapered at the ends and in the middle so that these wires are
not shorted. Fit the shield and solder it in.

The four 5 mm M3 studs for the covers are soldered to the middle of the short sides of the frame, flush with the
edge of the frame. This requires three hands or some ingenuity. The covers are marked ‘Top Solder Side’ and ‘Top
Placement Side’, and two holes each are drilled that match the position of the studs.

Now the assembly should look like this:

Next the frame can be spray-painted. Before painting, wash off all resin and fat with alcohol and roughen the
surface with sandpaper. Mask off the edges of the frame that will be covered by the covers (about 3 mm on both
sides of the frame), so that they remain blank for a good contact. Also mask off the inside of the receiver, so that the
paint gets only to the outside of the frame. Put an old plug into the phone-jack.

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The switches and rotary encoder are installed. If the ‘Taster 9141’ is used as Forward-/Backward-switch: fit it with a
little epoxy glue.

E-Antenna
The E-antenna consists of a piece of tape measure of about 20 cm * 12 mm, a bracket, an isolated feed-through, and
two screws and nuts. For the feed-through I use a transistor isolation nipple and an M5 nylon nut. The bracket has
3 mm holes 10 mm from the corner. The heads of the screws are soldered to the bracket to make the installation
easier.

Mounting hardware for the E-Antenna Ferrite antenna W1=orange, W2=2*white

Mounting of E-Antenna and Ferrite antenna

Ferrite Antenna

The sensitivity of the receiver depends heavily on the ferrite rod. The first basic rule is: the bigger (longer and
thicker) the rod, the better the sensitivity of the receiver. The second basic rule is: many rods look good, but the
ferrite material is not suited for 3.6 MHz use and the sensitivity is bad.
If you have a collection of ferrite rods with unknown data, you should test them before deciding which one you will
use for the receiver. To test them you will have to put W1 on the rod, it should have 80 to 90 µH. Connect it to the
receiver, peak C16, receive a defined test-signal (from a signal generator with magnetic antenna in a defined
distance), and compare the results.

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Most copies of this receiver use the rod 8*140mm offered by [Link] , it is pretty good – only 3 dB
under my best rod (which is 9,5*200mm). The winding numbers given in the schematic are for this rod. But if you
are willing to experiment, you might find a better one in some dark corner of your shack.

The windings on the ferrite rod are not critical. I am using thin isolated wire with 0.5 mm outer diameter (wire-wrap
wire AWG30). Other thin solid or flexible wire or enamel-insulated copper wire (0.4 mm) can be used as well. W1
should have an inductance of 80 to 90 µH, the required number of turns is between 20 and 40, depending on the
ferrite material and size of the rod you are using. W2 has 3+3 turns wound in parallel (= bifilar, see photo above).
Three 3mm wide strips of self-adhesive tape hold the ends of the windings. There are no windings under the tape, so
the windings have 3mm distance from each other. The windings are then secured with a thin layer of 2 component
epoxy glue (‘Uhu Plus’).

The ferrite rod is protected by a piece of PVC tube with 16 mm outer diameter.
The wires are fed through a 4 mm hole 5mm off the center of the tube. The rod is
centered and protected at both ends with foam material.

A 20 mm piece of shrink tubing is shrunk over the 6 connecting wires.

The two 16mm brackets for the antenna tube are mounted on the receiver with
M4 screws and nuts. Some brackets are a bit too wide and collide with the
covers, so it might be necessary to file off the corners of the brackets.

Only after the receiver (and antenna) have been

tested and found to work ok, the following
should be completed:

The ends of the PVC tube and the feed-through

of the wires are filled with silicone rubber.

The ends of the tube are covered with caps.

The PVC tube is glued to the brackets, so that it

cannot move around accidentally and rip off the
wires. This requires special plastic glue. I use
‘Pattex Blitz Plastik’, cyanoacrylate glue with a
special activator for plastic.

Display

The mechanical preparation of the display board has been described above.

The components C91-93 and R91-92 are placed on the solder side
– the side without placement print. For the 8 connections to the
receiver board 8 pieces of flexible wire are soldered in. The wires
are 60 mm long, and 2 mm of insulation is removed at each end.
After soldering to the board all wires are cut very short on the
placement side to avoid any shorts to the display.

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Now to the preparation of the display: looking at the pin side you will see that part of its metal frame are 4 holders
that are bent in and hold the board. Solder the holders to the golden islands on the board.

On one side of the display you can see a group of SMD resistors, and on the other side a single resistor. This single
resistor sets the oscillator frequency. Solder a thin wire (about 0.2 mm) to the end of this resistor that points to the
center of the display.

Now the display is placed on the display board, the thin wire goes through the square island near C93. The 14
display pins and the thin wire are soldered to the board. Finally the display frame is soldered to the ground plane on
the board at the four corners.

The display assembly is mounted temporarily behind the display window. When the receiver is tested ok the display
can be secured by soldering it to the display frame with 2 solder dots.

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Placement
The board is double-sided, plated through,
with solder stop mask and placement print

If you use 2 push-buttons for

Forward/Backward: cut out the area marked
with dash-dot-line

The SMD-Diode D2 is placed on the

component side

Receiver board

Shield

C71 and C72 are SMD-Cs and are installed on

the solder side between IC4 Pin7/8 resp. 21/22

----------------------------------------

Display board
Only the display is on the component side, all
other parts are on the solder side!

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Wiring and Board Assembly

All wire connections are made according to the circuit diagram. I use 0.14 mm2 flexible wire. The battery leads are
fed through a conductor sleeve soldered to the battery bracket for strain relief, and soldered to the headphone jack.
The display wires are soldered to a 2*4 pin female connector that plugs into a 2*4 header on the receiver board.

Some other remarks on the wiring:

- For the toggle switch ‚Attenuator‘ is up, ‚Menu‘ down, and ‚Operate‘ center
- For the display a 2*4 male connector is soldered into the board, for ISP a 2*5 male connector
- All other connections are soldered directly (without connector) into the board.

The three FETS T1-T3 should be matched to have similar source voltages. Therefore they have to be tested before
assembly: connect Drain to +5V, Gate to Ground, and Source to a 3.3 kOhm resistor to Ground. Measure the voltage
Source to Ground. Find 3 Transistors, for which the difference of this voltage is within 200 mV.
T5 and T6 are not critical.

Now the board is assembled starting from the antenna side. A few hints:

- The detailed parts list is at the end of this document.

- Use classical solder with 38-40%Pb and resin core. (No ROHS-solder!)
- The square solder islands are spare for later changes and not used.
- The very small round islands are vias and remain free.
- Sockets are used for all ICs, the ICs are plugged after assembly is complete.
- D2 is SMD, it is soldered to the component side of the board.
- The can of crystal Q1 is soldered to the island on the board with one solder dot.
- Capacitors C71 and C72 are SMD, they are soldered on the solder side between pins 7+8 resp. pins 21+22
of IC4.

To improve the shielding effect of the covers a contact is soldered to the middle of the shields on placement and
solder side. I use contacts cut from a relay, bend them 90°, and position them so, that they make good contact with
the covers (see photo on page 6).

To protect the display from rain and scratches a piece of clear plastic (from a blister pack) is installed in front of the
display window with double-sided adhesive tape.

The three positions of the toggle switch are marked ‚Attenuator/Operate/Menu’ or just ‘A/O/M’. Everything else is
self-explanatory.

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Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 17
Test and Alignment

All variable resistors are set to the center position. C16 and C37 are set to 50%, C93 to minimum C.
Plug in a headphone.

The receiver is connected to a regulated power-supply, a voltmeter on Pin 2 of the ISP connector measures the
regulated voltage. Increase the supply voltage from 0 to 9 V, the regulated voltage should go up to close to 5.0 V and
the supply current to about 25 mA (with a programmed processor).

If the processor is unprogrammed: plug a programming adapter to the ISP connector, load AVR Studio 4 and the
assembler source code [Link], program flash, and program the fuses as described in the source code.

Turn the receiver off and on again, you should hear a Morse ‚HI‘ ( .... .. ) in the headphones. This indicates that the
processor is running and its EEPROM is still blank.

Adjust the display contrast with R91 for best readability. Test the function of toggle switch and rotary encoder.

To align the frequency regulation connect a voltmeter to the end of R35 that connects to C44 (it is accessible on the
component side). Adjust C37 so that the measured tuning voltage for the total frequency range of 3,49-3,66 MHz is
within 1,5-4,0 V.

If the frequency regulation does not lock: check the counter input signal at IC4/11 with an oscilloscope. There
should be 3 MHz square wave signal with an amplitude of at least 3 V. The duty cycle should be about 50% at the 2V
threshold. The duty cycle can be corrected by changing R45.

Now the receiver should be receiving on the 80m band. The frequency can be up to 10 kHz off, this will be
corrected later.

The further alignment of the receiver must be done during the day, when the band is quiet.

Coupling Loop Completed Loop Loose Coupling Close Coupling

For the further alignment you need a signal generator with a stable CW output signal in the 80m band and a
calibrated output attenuator with an output level range of 300nV to 300 mV. To couple the signal generator into the
ferrite rod prepare a coupling loop. It consists of a piece of thin coax, 12 cm of flexible wire, a 51 Ohm resistor and
some shrink tubing, for details see the photos above.

Put the coupling loop near the end of the ferrite rod (loose coupling. Set the signal generator level to 1 mV and the
frequency of generator and receiver to about 3,570 MHz, so that the signal is audible in the receiver. Tune the
antenna circuit with C16 to maximum S-meter indication.

Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 18

Now replace the power supply by a 9V-battery and put the two covers in place to reduce receiver noise. Set the
generator to 300 nV and push the coupling loop as far to the middle of the ferrite rod as the brackets allow (close
coupling). Set attenuator to minimum by turning the rotary encoder to the left. Tune FI1 to maximum S-Meter
indication (the peak is pretty wide). Adjust R4 so that the S-Meter shows ¾ full scale.

Adjust R26 for a comfortable volume at 25% S-meter. The volume has to be pretty high, because you will be
looking for the minimum volume at most times. The relative volume of the signal tones can be changed by changing
R20.

Measure the BFO-frequency with a frequency counter connected with a high-impedance probe to IC2/7. The
frequency should be 464.5 kHz. If it is more than 500 Hz off, change C27.

The bandwidth of the input circuit W1/C16 depends on the material of the ferrite rod. If the receiver sensitivity at
3,530 MHz and 3,600 MHz is more than 3 dB down compared to 3,570 MHZ, you have to reduce R17. Then re-
check the alignment of R4.

The display has an internal clock frequency of 250 kHz. It generates harmonics every 250 kHz. The 14th harmonic
is typically close to 3580 kHz. In addition there are weaker signals (subharmonics) every 50 kHz. The signals can be
heard in the receiver, when the covers are off. The clock is moved down by carefully increasing C93, so that the
strong signal is outside the reception range, and weaker signals are at 3510, 3560 and 3610 kHz. With the covers
installed, these signals should be barely audible.

Now start the Calibration menu by turning on the receiver with toggle switch to ‘Menu’ and rotary encoder pressed.

Select the desired Language of the menu texts: German, English or Dutch.

Select ‘Cal Vbat‘. Measure the battery voltage with a digital voltmeter. Press+turn to adjust the voltage indication in
the display to the value shown by the DVM.

Set the signal generator and receiver to 3,570 MHz. Select ‘CalF’. Press+turn to tune the receiver to the generator
signal. The audio frequency should be 800 Hz to 1 kHz.

Install the covers. Select ‘Cal Att Start‘ and click. Couple the signal generator to the ferrite antenna with close
coupling (as described above). Set the signal generator to 300 nV, the S-meter indication should be ¾ (this was
adjusted before with R4). Click, increase generator level by 10 db, adjust attenuator by turning so that the S-Meter is
back at ¾. Repeat 11 times until 300mV/120dB is reached. Click once more to complete the attenuator calibration.
Due to variations of the FETs it is possible, that the full attenuation of 120 dB (in the top range) cannot be reached.
Since such a high attenuation is not needed in real life, set the attenuator to max (255) and forget it.

Select ‘BatWarng‘. Here the battery voltage warning level can be changed. For standard 9V batteries leave it at 7
Volts.

Ignore ‘CalDis’ for now, we will come back to it later.

Select ’FrqRange‘. The frequency range of the software can be extended to 3.8 MHz. However this is not supported
by the oscillator hardware, so don’t change it.

Select ‘Save Cal Values’ and click to store all settings to the EEPROM. From now on you will hear a different
power-on tone-sequence, and changes in the setup-menu will be retained over power-off. If in the future you change
any parameters in the calibration menu, you must always save them with ‘Save Cal Values’.

Finally you should go through the calibration menu once more and write down all values, so that you can re-enter
them if they are lost (which of course shouldn’t happen).

For the following two adjustments you have to go outside.

Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 19

To align the Forward/Backward ratio you need a fox with an exactly vertical antenna in a distance of at least 100
m. Cut the tape-measure-E-antenna 1 cm at a time, until you have a clear minimum in the backward-direction. Fine-
adjust the minimum with R41. The resulting length of the tape measure depends on the ferrite rod, it is typically
between 12 and 20 cm. If the minimum is in the forward instead of the backward direction, swap the leads of W2. It
is important, that for this adjustment the receiver is held in the same position as in an actual foxhunt – typically in
front of your breast, not your eyes.

The actual Forward/Backward ratio seen during a hunt depends on the height of the receiver over ground and the
conductivity of the ground. But under all circumstances you should be able to clearly distinguish the forward and
backward directions.

Select ‘CalDis‘. Here a distance correction factor can be set, if the distance estimations are always too short or too
far. You need a typical fox with typical antenna/ground in a distance of about 100m. PFox must be set correctly in
the setup-menu, typically to 1W. Turn the receiver to the maximum direction, the attenuator adjusts automatically.
Push+turn to set the indicated distance to the actual distance of 100m. Save setting with ‘Save Cal Values’.

Now you are ready for serious fox hunting. Good luck and have fun!

Further Information

The most up-to-date version of all documentation and software is on my homepage [Link]/df1fo

AVR-Code-Development: AVR-Studio 4 ([Link] -> search for ‚AVR Studio 4‘)

Free registration required
Make the following settings in Studio 4:
 Project -> Assembler Options: Assembler to „Version 2“
 Tools -> Options -> Editor -> „Tabwidth“ 8
The Software is written completely in Assembler and available on my website: [Link]

AVR-Programmer: AT AVR ISP (Reichelt)

Circuit Diagram, Layout and the drawings were made with Eagle 4.15 ([Link])

Data Sheets for SA612 and TL082 can be found at [Link]

Data Sheet for ATMega168 (400 pages): [Link] -> search for ‚ATMega168‘

Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 20

Appendix: Parts List
Most parts are available from Reichelt. In <..> order numbers from Reichelt or name of other supplier.

Parts on the Receiver PCB

CF1,2 SFP460H (Ceramicfilter 460 kHz) <DF1FO>
CR1 CSB470 (Ceramic-Resonator 470 kHz) <CSB 470>
FI1 455 kHz-Filter 7x7 mm black <DF1FO or [Link]>
D1 AA112 (Germanium Diode) <AA 112>
D2 BB629 (VariCap Diode) <DF1FO>
D3 1N4001 <1N 4001>
DR1,3 10µH Miniature Choke <DF1FO or Conrad 535729>
DR2 47µH <DF1FO or Conrad 535761
IC1,2 SA612 (Mixer) or NE612/SA602/NE602 <NE 612 DIP>
IC3 TL082 (Dual-Op-Amp) <TL 082 DIP>
IC4 ATmega 168 DIL (Processor) <Programmed: DF1FO>
- IC-Sockets 3 * 8-pin, 1 * 28-pin narrow <GS 8P, GS 28P-S>
IC5 LP2950CZ5 (Low-Drop-5V-Regulator) <LP 2950 CZ5>
Q1 10,24MHz Crystal HC49U-V <10,2400-HC49U-S>
T1,2,3,5,6 BF256b (FET) <BF 256B>
T4,7 BF254 (HF-Transistor) <BF 254>
ISP Connector 2*5 male <SL 2X10G 2,54 (cut)>
LCD Connector 2*4 male

Cs: up to 220nF ceramic, from 1µF electrolytic

C1 10µ/35V C31 220p R1 33 R31 100
C2 100n C32 47p R2 33 R32 2k2
C3 100n C33 68p R3 33 R33 100k
C4 100n C34 100n R4 100k var. R34 1k
C5 100n C35 1µ/35V R5 10k R35 47k
C6 100n C36 22n R6 100k R36 100
C7 100n C37 10p var. R7 100k R37 1M
C8 220n C38 220n R8 33 R38 2k2
C9 100n C39 100p R9 33 R39 10k
C10 100n C40 22n R10 22k R40 33
C11 100n C41 22n R11 3k3 R41 10k var.
C12 4n7 C42 100n R12 22k R42 1M
C13 100n C43 100n R13 68k R43 3k3
C14 100µ/16V C44 10µ/16V R14 22k R44 3k3
C15 10µ/35V Tantalum R15 220 R45 47k
C16 22p var. C45 47p R16 100 R46 33k
C17 100n C46 100n R17 220k R47 15k
C18 1n C47 18p R18 82k
C19 100n C48 100n R19 15k
C20 47n C49 100n R20 330k
C21 10µF/35V C50 100n R21 1M
C22 100n C51 2n2 R22 3k3
C23 1n C52 100n R23 10k
C24 220n C53 18p R24 3k3
C25 100n C54 18p R25 100k
C26 10n C55 100µ/16V R26 1k var.
C27 470p C56 100µ/16V R27 2k2
C28 2n2 C57 100n R28 10k
C29 10n C71 100n SMD R29 3k3
C30 1n C72 100n SMD R30 2k2

Nick Roethe, DF1FO: 80m-ARDF-Receiver Version 4 [Link] Update 30.1.2009 Page 21

Parts on the Display PCB
C91,92 100n SMD 0805
C93 5p variable
R91 5k variable
R92 22k 1/4W
X1 DIPS082 (Display 2 * 8 Chars.) <LCD MO82 DIP>
- Connector 2*4 female <BL 2X10G 2,54 (cut)>

Antenna
Ferrite rod <Funkamateur 8 * 140 mm>
PVC-Tube 16 mm, 2 Caps, 2 Holders <Hardware store>
E-Antenna with isolated feed-through
Rubber Feed-through, 3mm inner diameter <Conrad 526908>

Other Parts
PCBs FJRX84 (Receiver and Display) <DF1FO>
Toggle Switch for F/B SP (On)/Off/(On) <MS500E>
or 2 Pushbuttons <TASTER 9141 or SDT 21S>
Rotary Encoder <STEC 11B01>
Knob 6mm, 28mm diameter, with cap <KNOPF 28-6 SW, DECKEL 28M SW>
Toggle Switch Mode SP (On)/Off/On <MS500D>
DIN-Jack 5-pole 180° for headphone <MAB 5S>
Battery-clip for 9V-Battery <CLIP HQ9V>
9V-Battery <Aldi, Penny>
Tinplate box 52 * 162 * 30 mm <DF1FO>
4 Threaded studs M3 * 5 mm <DI 5MM>
2 Thumb screws M3 * 6 (for top cover) <Conrad 998845 or 521859>
2 Screws M3 * 4 (for solder-side cover)
Some pieces of tinplate, wire, solder, some bits and pieces...

Shopping List
R and C sorted by value with Reichelt order number (* = Value).

Ceramic-C Electrolytic 4 22k

<KERKO *> <Z5U-2,5 *> 1 RAD 1/63 1 33k
3 18p 3 220N 3 RAD 10/35 2 47k
2 47p 1 TANTAL 10/16 1 68k
1 68p SMD-C 3 RAD 100/16 1 82k
1 100p 4 X7R-G0805 4 100k
1 220p 100N Resistor 1 220k
1 470p <1/4W *> 1 330k
<X7R-2,5 *> Variable C 6 33 3 1,0M
3 1,0N 1 TRIMMER 3 100
2 2,2N 23508 1 220 Variable R
1 4,7N 1 TRIMMER 1 1,0k <PT 6-L *>
2 10N 23109 4 2,2k 1 1,0k
3 22N 1 TRIMMER 6 3,3k 1 5,0k
1 47N 23209 4 10k 1 10k
23 100N 2 15k 1 100k

The following parts are available from DF1FO:

PCBs FJRX84 15 € (for set of 2)
Tinplate box 4 €
2 Ceramic Filters SFP460H 1 € (for 2)
VariCap Diode BB629 0.50 €
455 kHz-Filter 7x7 black 1.50 €
3 Chokes (2x10µH, 1x47µH) 1.50 € (for set of 3)
ATmega 168, programmed 4 €
Complete Set ‘Special Parts FJRX84‘ as above 27,50 €. I do not offer kits.
Please send questions or orders by Email to .