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How to Make Your Own Low Power Am Radio Transmitter

Low-power AM radio transmitters are legal and require no license as long as their broadcast range is no more than "approximately 200 feet," according to the Federal Communications Commission. Anything more powerful requires a license. The penalties for operating one are severe, including fines up to $75,000 and possible jail sentences. You can build your own low-power transmitter at home for less than $50 in a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Printed circuitboard
  • Oscillator in the AM broadcast range, 1 MHz
  • Audio transformer, 1000 ohm to 8 ohm
  • 6-volt battery and holder
  • Phone plug, 1/8 inch
  • Alligator clip jumper wires
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach the transformer to the left side of the circuit board by gluing the metal tabs on each end to the board.

    • 2

      Attach the oscillator to the far right of the circuit board, attaching the leads to the circuit board and bending them over underneath to hold the oscillator in place.

    • 3

      Attach the pins of the oscillator to holes in the board with solder, then plug the red wire from the oscillator into an open hole on the board. Attach the red wire from the battery holder to a nearby hole. Solder both to the copper foil on the board. Make sure the two holes are connected by the foil on the board.

    • 4

      Attach the white wire from the transformer to an open hole that is connected by foil to the oscillator's left upper pin.

    • 5

      Cut the wire connecting the alligator clip in half, leaving two alligator clips with a piece of wire attached. Use wire strippers to strip about 1/2 inch of insulation from both.

    • 6

      Place the black wire from the battery holder into a hole connected by foil to the pin on the lower right of the oscillator. Plug in a wire from an alligator clip to another hole connected to the same oscillator pin. Use solder to connect them to the board.

    • 7

      Solder the wire connected to the other alligator clip to a hole connected by foil to the upper right pin of the oscillator.

    • 8

      Take the phone plug apart. Solder the two wires from the transformer to the two prongs of the metal part of the plug.

    • 9

      Place the battery in the battery holder.

    • 10

      Plug the phone jack into a portable CD player or other audio source's headphone connection. Turn the audio source on. Tune an AM radio to 1000 kHz and turn it on. Move close to the transformer, if necessary, to hear your broadcast.


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