Building the same circuit over and over again?
It might not be all stupid. There are some benefits though. At least I like to think so.
First, you get to know the circuit well and make small changes. And then, after a couple of tries, the component layout improves a bit. This is my latest version of a simple two transistor IF amplifier with 2N3904.
Current consumption is less than 5mA, decreasing on strong signals.
I have a 100uA S-meter. A 1mA meter should also work fine, with an 820 ohm series resistor.
The signal input from mixer is on the left. A 30pF capasitor to the top of the first IF transformer seems to work well in my experiments. A smaller capasitor gives better selectivity, at the expence of sound quallity.
Here is a picture of the circuit layout:
The circuit board is 5 x 10 cm. Input is on the left, and output is on the right.
Fantastic!!
The insulation on the flying resistor leads is a nice touch.
73
Win W5JAG
Just a quick add on ...
A short video to give an idea what the circuit might sound like. At the end of the video I made a plus-minus 5 kHz frequency change to indicate what kind of selectivity could be expected from a simple circuit like this. My IF frequency is not 100% symmetrical. There is a difference in sound between + 5 kHz and - 5 kHz. Tweeking the IF cans 'by ear' has its limitations.
The transmitter site is in Al Seela in the Middle East.