Turn an old junk AA-5 radio into an AM broadcast band transmitter

[kj4ilk]

they had cable radio befor cable tv?

[clint4Now]

pretty cool video, thanks for the info.

[TommyPlane14]

Great video.

I am going to my local antique store today!

Ive seen these there before many times.

The man that works there loves them. :)

Thanks Bob!

Great Mod!! one of the most creative ones Ive found.

[TommyPlane14]

Great video.

I am going to my local antique store today!

Ive seen these there before many times.

The man that works there loves them. :)

Thanks Bob!

[TommyPlane14]

Great video.

I am going to my local antique store today!

Ive seen these there before many times.

The man that works there loves them. :)

Thanks Bob!

p.s. When I am doing the Mod should I solder or just connect them somehow?

what would be best?

[w9x7cv3vg6]

actualy the local osc can transmit a signal 455 khz down which u can pump audio into also via some creative ways

[wisteela]

Very cleverly done. Brilliant.

[Jake199415]

Hey i would apreciate it if yall would come and check out my chanel, I am posting videos of my vintage radios and tv's and my projects. I would apreciate it. Thanks

[855h0le]

You can add a D-104 for a Mic !! :-)

[cobrachoppergirl]

Yeah, make a video about how you would build the most rudimentary longwire pirate AM voice transmitter from a prison cell. All you have to work with are the components you find in a Sony Walkman with AM/FM, and you have an AC power plug for unlimited transmit power. It should have a broadcast range of maybe 300 yards to reach other AM radios, so you could run your own show. Captain Crunch says he did it, and he's not terribly bright.

[w9x7cv3vg6]

@cobrachoppergirl i already did this back in the 70s haha

[cobrachoppergirl]

I got diagrams to build a spark gap transmitter in jail off a wall socket so I could transmit an SOS to the outside world. That's what you need to do a video about. There was an AIrport right next to the jail with air traffic control tower, I figured I could reach someone and tell them I was being held captive against my will. In jail you have wall sockets, so plenty of power, and you can get your hands on small AM radios for wires, parts, etc. Though to desolder them, hum, not so easy

[pg3242]

Ill be damned, it works!!!, I did this modification on an old junk AA5 clock radio, I used a power adaptor for a matching transformer, later I will install an audio output transformer inside the radio next time I come across one. The range is about what I was expecting, it will transmit across the room using only a few clip-leads for an antenna. This is an easy modification to do, didnt take long.

[old64goat]

Great video, i may try this.

Bill

[KC8YOQ]

O i see this is a great project and a great use of junk to make something else!

[KC8YOQ]

Nice project BUT whats the point? You might be able to hear it across the room! Why spend the time and effort to do this!

[ranickel]

@KC8YOQ - for many of us who just want to play music or Old Time Radio into our vintage radios, that's all we want. The FCC limits the range to about 150 feet, and that's what I've measured using a few feet of wire for an antenna. Thanks for the question.

[TAC19jm]

niice transmitter!!!

...good usage of junk

[BadChizzle]

Dude, you gotta make more videos!

Oh yeah, your voice is Cool, really makes your videos fun!

Make more stuff with junk.

If you need more junk, I've got plenty.

Go man go,

Chuck

[kombUl]

What is the range?Im keen to make a pirate radio :)

[goompapa]

Thanks Bob, appreciate the time you put into this.

[GlobalAntennaWorks]

You mention a link you posted to see the modifications and a schematic, but I have no idea where that can be found. Where's the link?

Thanks.

Graham Welch - WE5I

[ranickel]

Graham,

Thanks for your comments. The link is to the info on Photobucket is on the Youtube page, just click on "more info" in the upper right-hand corner area of the page, and you'll be able to click on the link that will take you there.

73, Bob W9RAN

[GlobalAntennaWorks]

Super video! Please make many more videos. I'd love to see how to move the Tx frequency to 160 Meters, wire a mic to it, and also how to make it Tx CW.

73 de WE5I.

[geeflyboy]

How many watts do you think it's making out the antenna?

[ranickel]

Hi,

I'm sure it's a very small fraction of a watt, since it's just using the local oscillator. Legally, it would have to comply with Part 15 regulations, and based on comparisons with other transmitters I'd guess it's someone around 50 milliwatts.

Bob

[geeflyboy]

Thanks. That's what I thought, fun stuff.

Part 15... Read it. It is not useful. I guess about 100 mW max. Never the less NO ONE seems to care. Folks have no problem running 100's or 1000's of watts on 11 meter CB. Many using personal radios sevice or 2 meter with out licence. Now pirate radio station gear is cheap. You can take $500-1000 and turn it into a Broadcast FM station with a 30-100 watts or more. People just don't care about FCC. NOT CONDONING IT, just saying people are cavalier.

[joernone]

Bob,

I'm about to give this a whirl. The radio I'll be using is on the way.

Question about the a/c impedance matching tranny: I have a wall wart with a 12vac output. I'm assuming the primary gets connected to the audio input device and the secondary to the radio's volume control. Is that correct, or does it make any difference?

Regards,

John

[ranickel]

John, your wall wart should work, but the idea is to match the low impedance from a CD or MP3 player to the higher impedance of the radio. So you'd connect the low voltage secondary (6-12 volts typically) to the audio source, and the plugs that would normally go to the AC outlet (primary) to the radio volume control. It's not a perfect impedance match, but close enough - and much easier to find!

Have fun and be safe,

Bob

[NG9D]

BOB - FUN STUFF, THANKS!

[philcotube42]

haha very cool!

I have a transmitter video of my own if you wanna check it out.

[jackerofonasis]

thanks for such an informative how-to!

[joernone]

Bob,

Pretty slick. What distance will the unit transmit?

Regards,

John

[ranickel]

Hi John,

FCC Part 15 rules limit the power to 100 mw and antenna to 3 meters, but even so I was able to hear the transmitter all over my house pretty well, so I'd call it 50-100 ft. range. Have fun!

Bob

[dnl5649]

i am making this right now.

Cool