Homemade 4-Tube FM radio

Homemade radio made with compactron tubes and many salvaged components. The tube line-up is a 17C9 convertor, 8BM11 1st and 2nd IF, 6SL7 1st audio stage and 6V6 audio output.

It uses 2 silicon diodes in a full wave setup for power supply B+ voltage and a power transformer from a VM tape recorder. A choke input filter is used, with two stages of filter chokes. One is an actual choke and the other is made from a vertical output transformer.

For the filament supplies, there are 2 6 volt taps on the transformer. In the original application, one fed the rectifier tube alone. Here, one 6-volt tap feeds the 6V6 and 6SL7. The other one is in series with the first, and goes through a resistor to supply the 8 volt filament of the 8BM11. A cassette recorder power transformer supplies the 17-volt filament of the 17C9.

Germanium diodes are used in the ratio detector circuit.

I made this radio back in 2001.

For more vintage radio and electronics information please visit http://www.retroaudiolab.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• homemade
• FM
• radio
• tubes
• compactrons
• 8BM11
• 17C9
• 6V6
• 6SL7

[rockangel1967]

i wonder if you continued on this project? put everything in a proper chassis / enclosure, added a magic eye and a tuning scala?

[retrochad]

@rockangel1967 I am going to try and improve this radio but want to keep it just the same...I do have some more junk tube radio chassis that I would like to build another homemade radio though.

[radioam232]

I like the way you built it using parts from other electronics. And sounds very good. Five stars.

[retrochad]

Thanks!

[CassetteMaster]

WOW! That is so neat! Neat job and goood sound quality! The commercial at the end I rrecognize hearing before! And, what type of camera do you use? The picture looks interesting on your videos with its love for yellow.

[retrochad]

The camera I'm sure is not the greatest! It's an RCA VHS w/color viewfinder I got at Goodwill. I don't think the white balance is compensating well for indoor lighting. Sometime I'd like to get a better, more modern camera.

[lunatictm]

Cleveland from family guy. WHOA

[disgruntldtoad]

Ohhh and the best part was when you first turned it one and first thing out was rap music. I just found it funny coming out of a tube radio

[MrRaddios]

great sound

[WarPig182]

Can you email me the wiring diagram for this? I would like to build one.

[rockangel1967]

@retrochad hi chad. cool. i can't wait to see your next project. was on your website. nice one. i want to build a FM tube radio with a magic eye. thats why i asked... i have a EM84 here

[teamfab]

Very good..

[tomek123kotek]

the problem is id rather make a modern day radio fom scratch with every single component rather than this because you just connected some wires together and it works... i have to solder a lot of things and thn it works

[RyuDarragh]

Can't help but repeat "wow!". A classic "junk parts box" radio. That's some decent design skill, there :)

[hawk7342]

It`s amazing how valvuled radios produces very high quality sond ! I wish i could build one as a hobby , but valves are quite rare here in Brazil .

[renekenshin6573]

O.O WOW