INITIAL TESTING OF YOUR HR20:
You’re now ready to power up and test your HR20, but before you begin take some time to sweep off your bench of any loose component leads or solder splashes. A clean work area not only makes testing less frustrating but also less prone to problems.
REQUIRED FOR INITIAL TESTING AND ALIGNMENT:
A known frequency standard in the 10MHz range such as:
•Crystal oscillator or,
•RF signal generator or,
•Grid Dip oscillator or,
•QRP transmitter such as a Ramsey
•A Ramsey frequency counter,
•Any accurately calibrated receiver covering 20 meters
•At the least,personal familiarity with the 20 Meter Ham band
And the following:
•Coil alignment tool ( can be homemade per directions) and
•
Connect the following:
Fresh,
Earphone or speaker.
Antenna or at least a random length of wire.
Adjust the three controls to the middle of their ranges.
Press the power switch “on”. You should hear background noise immediately, at least a gentle hiss.
See if the volume control works, vary it and notice how the volume changes.
See if the RF gain control has some effect on what you hear.
If everything seems ok so far, feel the tops of the two IC's with your finger. Neither should feel hot or warm
Slowly rotate the tuning control. At this point you may or may not hear anything, since neither coil has been adjusted. If you do hear a few whistles as you tune, the SA602 oscillator is working just fine.
These simple initial checks verify that your receiver is operating well enough to proceed to the next section, alignment.