Hi all
I am interested in building a FM Radio but cannot find a kit to construct. I am looking for a kit that has good selectivity on the FM band. Preferably one without any ICs but I can do with it if the kit has ICs. Does anyone know where I can find a good FM kit to build? I am reasonably new to electronics, but can solder and have a multimeter.
Also I am in australia, so if anyone knows of a good FM kit to build please let me know.
Thanks
If you'd like one where the components are "spread out" for easy access and measurement, you might look at the Ramsey Electronics kit AMFM108K ($35USD) at
If that's not what you're looking for, they have several other kits related to the commercial FM broadcast band.
No idea what they'd charge for inter-continental S/H, but you could always ask.
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Ramsey has "some" nice stuff - however - you might wish to ask about support - if it isn't working when completed. A friend of mine bought a 220 MHz receiver. He built it - did everything properly - myself and another tech checked it when it was found to be very very insensitive. We checked the components - even swapped a few out - still no luck. My friend called Ramsey at our suggestion - they gave him a price - which was like double the cost of the kit - to service it - not to mention ship back.
The "Sensitivity" on that receiver - well - we pumped in a signal off a Service Monitor - at max - and you were just barely able to hear it. In my opinion, it was a piece of garbage.
In their defense - I bought some other kits and was very pleased with them. Sometimes a company will have a thorn between the roses. That receiver (IMHO) was the one of the thorns.
The other day - I seen in a Radio Shack store that I went in for the first time in almost a year - they have a pocket FM radio. I'm not sure that fits your idea of a kit - per your post - but maybe give it a shot.
"Graymark" (?) - not sure if still in business - used to make some kits. I built a couple of them in High School Electronics class. They weren't the greatest thing since sliced bread - but they did come in handy and worked.They also sold a booklet which I thought was pretty decent. In the manual for the "power supply" kit I built - if memory serves me correct, it had a place to show the expected wave form on a scope and a place for you to mark yours. I'll have to check the manual again - but it seems to me - that was the case.I "did" see one of their "receiver" books - but I didn't get a good close look at it to know how well documented it was. I believe it was an AM/FM radio.
CAVEAT EMPTOR - you don't want your experience to be a "bad" one. That is a quick way to sway someone away from this field/hobby. I don't know that as a "kit" - you're going to find anything with "spectacular" specs.
Good luck to you!
This is an ELENCO Kit. It is available in a version with solid state AF stage (AMFM108K) and IC AF stage (AMFM108TK). You can download the manual at
I use the AMFM108K as practical work in our electronic curse for Ph.D. Students and it makes fun to them, even if the sound does not correspond to that of a HiFi receiver. The technology is that of the 60s. A AM/FM RF generator is required to align for best result.
Peter Nyffeler Physical Chemistry, Swiss Fed. Inst. of Technology
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