THE SESE80 80 METER SSB RECEIVER

By PAUL DAULTON K5WMS

Feb. 5 2011

Index
Introduction……………………………………………………… 2

Assembly…………………….…………………………… 2 and 3

Alignment……………………………………………………… 4

Wiring to P C Board ………………………………………….. 5

Parts List………………………………………………………. 6

Schematic……………………………………………………… 7

Pictures ……………………………………………………….. 8 and 9

Color Code Designations……………..……………………….9

Biography ……………………………………………………………….10

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Introduction

The SESE80 is an 80-meter SSB single conversion amateur radio receiver

covering 3.5 to 4.0 MHz. Transistors and discrete components were used
instead of the conventional IC mixer to achieve the desired performance.
There are two tuned circuits, T1 and T2 in the front end to give greater out
side of the band rejection. The first IF and mixer consist of Q1, Q2, and Q3.
The first oscillator (the VFO) tunes from 6.0 to 6.5 MHz with a course tune
via VR2 and a fine tune via VR9 for excellent selective. For excellent
selectivity, a four pole crystal filter is used in the IF. The second oscillator
is Q8 at 10 MHz and feeds into the product detector consisting of Q4, Q5,
and Q6. Audio gain is supplier by the LM386 IC for driving headphones, 8
ohm, or 16-ohm speaker. Voltage regulation for stability of the two
oscillators is done with a 78L05 IC.

Assemble
Assembly of the SESE80 can be an easy task with a little preparation.

First inventory the parts and segregate them. A styrofoam block is a

convenient way to sort and store the parts prior to assembly. If you are
missing any parts or if any of the parts are broken, please email FAR
Circuits for replacements. Note that the resistors may be 10% and 5%. The
10% resistors have tan body and the four band value color code. The 5 %
resistors have a blue body and have a five band value color code.

Second, prepare the cabinet before installing the parts on the circuit board.
An enclosed metal cabinet is recommended. Two of the prototypes were
built in Bud Industries 2x6x8 chassis. Bud part no. AC1413, Mouser P/N
563-AC1413. Check for clearance of the controls and location of the main
board before drilling. Use the P C board before mounting any parts to mark
the location of the P C board mounting holes. The cabinet can be drilled,
painted and labeled (except main or course tuning, this must wait until final
alignment) then set the cabinet aside.

Third, remove the capacitors from the coils T1, T2, and T3.and discard the
capacitors. Crushing the caps with a jeweler’s screwdriver can do this.
Install the components in the circuit board starting with the resistors, diodes,
capacitors, and the rest of the parts. Do not install the LM386 until after the
voltage check and be made in the alignment section. Go at a leisurely pace,

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insert 5 or so components stop and solder them and trim the excess leads.
The components especially the resistor and capacitors should fit all the way
against the board. If a component does not sit against the board after
soldering the part, unsolder one pad at a time one straightens the part.
Moving a part without relieving the stress by unsoldering the lead from the
pad may result in a detached pad. Installed the 8 pin IC socked for the
LM386 but do not install the LM386 until the assemble is complete and
preliminary voltage measures and made.

. Make sure the electrolytic capacitors are installed with correct polarity. The
plus (+) lead is longer and there is a strip on the body of the capacitor
indicating the minus (-) lead. The P C board is marked with a plus (+) sign
where the positive (+) lead in inserted. Take care to keep the 470 uh choke
and the 470 resistor segregated. They have the same color code, but the
choke has blue body and the resistor has a tan body. Use an ohmmeter if in
doubt. The resistors and the capacitors are packed in separate bags.

After all the parts are installed, solder the leads for power, antenna, volume,
and tuning controls to the circuit board Install the board in the cabinet using
the 1/4 inch spacers and #4 hardware supplied for mounting the p c board to
the cabinet.

Next connect for the wires to the controls, antenna, power, and speaker.
Two conductor-shielded wire is supplied for connection of the volume
control to the P C Board. The antenna connection to the P C board should be
made with a short length of 50-ohm coax.

SESE80 is designed to use 9 to 12 volts via red and black supplied wires.
You may elect to install your favorite power jack for convenience. It is
recommended to use 12v from a regulated and well-filtered power supply. A
“wall wart” DC source is not suitable. Most of these wall warts are
unfiltered and unregulated. Use a good 3 or 4 inch speaker. A 4-inch CB
extension speakers or external computer speaker is ideal. The CB extension
speakers are sold at most truck stops or at the Electronic Surplus suppliers.

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Alignment
Voltage Check, apply power to the power jacks. Check that there is the
supplied voltage on the collector of Q1and pin 6 of the socket for the
LM386. Then check there is 5 v on the collector of Q7 and Q8. With
successful voltage measurements, remove power and install LM386.

Set the VFO fine tune pot to mid range and install the knob pointing to 12
o’clock. Set the course tune to CW stop and install knob pointing to 5
o’clock. Turn course tune back to 3 o’clock and adjust VFO coil T3 for a
VFO frequency of 6.500 MHz. (received frequency of 3.500 MHz) This can
be determined by listening to the VFO on a general coverage receiver or
injecting a 3.500 MHz signal into the antenna jack. Rotate the course tune
back to 9 o’clock the VFO should be about 6.000 MHz (received frequency
of 4.000 MHz). Label the 4.0 and 3.5 MHz points and the 100 kHz marks in
between.

Front-end alignment, connect an antenna, set T1 for maximum background

noise at 3.9mhz, and set T2 for maximum background noise at 3.7mhz. If
SW broadcast feed through is heard, then T2 is adjusted too far down. If this
occurs, turn T2 CCW a couple of turns and re-peak T1.

BFO alignment. Tune down in frequency across a steady carrier. The correct
frequency for the BFO is when the carrier drops out at about zero beat.
Adjust C36 to change BFO frequency.

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 P C BOARD INTERCONNECT WIRING

VOLUME CONTROL
REAR VIEW
TO ANTENNA

+12 DC GND
AUDIO GND

2 WIRE SHIELDED
COAX

COURSE TUNE FINR TUNE

GND
+5V
WIPER

REAR VIEW OF CONTROLS CONTROLS

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PARTS LIST
DESIGNATION DESCRIPTION/MARKING PART #
T1, T2, T3 10.7 MHZ IFT 42IF123-RC
Q1 THRU Q8 2N3904 2N3904
U1 78L05 TO92 PACKAGE 78L05ACPRAG
U2 LM386 8 PIN DIP NJM386D
X1 THRU X5 10 MKZ CRYSTAL FOX100-20-LF
C1 THRU C15 .1 UF DISC LABELED AS 104 SR2115E104MMA
C16 THRU C21 390 PF COG BLUE, NO MARKING K391J15COGF53L2
C22 33 PF COG BLUE BODY 33 RPE5C1H
C23-C28 68 PF COF BLUE BODY NO MARKING FK28COG1H680J
C29 .047 UF 140-50Z5-472M-RC
C30-C33 10 UF 16V UVR1E100MDD
C34-C35 100 UF 25V B41827A5107M00
C36 50 PF TRIMMER 659-GKG50015
D1 1N4001 512-1N4001
R1 33K ¼ COLOR CODE OR-OR-OR-GD 291-33K-RC
R2 22K 1/4 W COLOR CODE RD-RD-OR-GD 291-22K-RC
R3 2200 1/4 W COLOR CODE RD-RD-RD-GD 291-2.2K-RC
R4, R5 10K 1/4 W COLOR CODE BR-BK-OR-GD 291-10K-RC
R6 1000 1/4W COLOR CODE BR-BR-RD-GD 291-1K-RC
R7,R8 6800 1/4 W COLOR CODE BL-GY-RD-GD 291-6,8K-RC
R9- R10 1500 1/4 W COLOR CODE BR-GN-RD-GD R291-1.5K-RC
R11 THRU R20 3300 1/4 W COLOR CODE OR-OR-RD-GD 291-3.3K-RC
R21 THRU R23 10 1/4 W COLOR CODE BR-BK-BK-GD 291-10-RC
R24 R25 470 1/4 W COLOR CODE YL-VI-BR-GD 291-470-RC
R26 100 1/4 W COLOR CODE BR-BR-BR-GD 291-1K-RC
R27- R28 330 1/4 W COLOR CODE OR-OR-BN-GD 291-330-RC
RFC1-RFC2 470 UH YL-VO-BR-GD BLUE BODY 542-78F471-RC
VR1 5K AUDIO TAPER RV120F-10-15F-A5K
VR2 100K AUDIO TAPER RV120F-10-15F-A100K
VR3 5K LINEAR TAPER RV120F-10-15F-L100K
J1 SPEAKER JACK 1/4" 161-MJ159M-EX
J2 PWR JACK 5.5 MM/2.1MM 163-4304-E
J3 SO239 ANTENNA CONNECTOR USER SUPPLIED
KNOBS USER SUPPLIED
12V DC POWER SUPPLY USER SUPPLIED
CABINET USER SUPPLIED

UNMARKED PARTS ARE INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED AND LABELED

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Resistor color code designation
Black 0
Brown 1
Red 2
Orange 3
Yellow 4
Green 5
Blue 6
Violet 7
Gray 8
White 9
Silver 10%
Gold 5%

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Biography
Paul Daulton was licensed in 1959 and holds an Advance Class licenses

Published in:
73’s August 1992 The Explorer Receiver
73’s October 1995 The Traveler Receiver
Designed the Centennial SSB transceiver for Dan’s Small Parts and Kits

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