AM/FM radio plans?

Ive been spurred on by Christmas gift from my wife. She was definetly full of good intentions, and bought me an AM/FM radio/dynamo charger. The only problem is, it is really cheaply made and I fear it would fall apart after a days use in the wilderness.

I can't listen to the AM band because the tuning knob is so clumsy I can't get it to stay on a station the moment I remove my finger. The dynamo has a plastic rotary handle that will most assuredly break if it gets cold. The case, of course, is plastic also.

So, I'd like to make one. All solid state, rugged aluminum case, 10:1 turn ratio metal knobs (for very fine tuning control), and a metal dynamo handle. I've looked for plans and such, but I keep coming across plans that use IC chips instead of transistors.

AM radio kits seem to abound, but FM transistor kits are hard to find. This guy has some nice plans: http://www.somerset.net/arm/fm_only_one_transistor_radio.html , but it is a fixed frequency radio, you have to actually touch the coil and push them apart or together to tune it in.

Anybody else have any suggestions?

 

I remember the old Heathkit radios from the late 50s and early 60s for CB and HAM ,they could be a lot fun back then .
I haven't seen or heard anything about them in years ,but I'll look around and see
what I can find .

 

When I was a schoolkid, my parents got me an AM/FM radio kit (from Radio Shack, I think) and a bigger 'Electronic Experiment Kit' that got me into a little trouble.
I built the AM transmitter, then replaced the AA battery with a 9volt and hooked the antenna lead to my metal window screen - knocked out the parents TV program in the livingroom.......

The little radio kit was nice - I used it for years, even took it with me to my first duty station. Don't know what finally happened to it.

Lots of fun.

 

Go to http://www.sciplus.com/index.cfm put "radio kit" in search and go down a bit to AM/FM radio kit. 14 (wow) transistors. Forget including a dynamo; they're all made with plastic gears.

 

Thanks, QuietOne!

 

What about taking apart an old field phone and using the one in it that makes it ring?

 

That's a lot of work for a small output. If you really want to have a human-powered electrical backup take a look at the Weza.