All posts by Martin Blustine

I studied physics and went on to work in infrared optics, millimeter wave and microwave engineering until retirement. My interests lie in teaching, music, radio astronomy, infrared systems and microwave and antenna engineering. I enjoy writing technical papers about ham radio topics. When I am not operating CW, I enjoy homebrewing ham gear and restoring vintage HP and Agilent test and measurement equipment.

IF to Audio Baseband Converters for QRP SSB

Introduction

Previously [1], an RF to IF Converter was described that precedes this module in a 10-Band QRP Single Sideband (SSB) transceiver.

The IF to Audio Baseband Converter modules described in this paper both serve to convert a 9 MHz Intermediate Frequency (IF) to baseband audio upon receive and from baseband audio to a 9 MHz IF upon transmit. Only one of these modules is required, and an explanation is provided for why two have been designed and built.

The discussion in this paper will be restricted to voice transmission and reception. Digital data transmission and reception on SSB will not be discussed.

Though used in the form of a trigonometric identity in one of the derivations; discussion of the Hilbert transform has been avoided.

Circuit Design

There are circuit commonalities and differences for both circuit boards designed for this application.

Module Commonalities

Please refer to the schematic diagrams in Figures 1 and 2 for this discussion. Both IF to Audio Baseband Converters employ Bridged-T Diplexers [2][3], pi-attenuators [4], and impedance matching transformers [5] on the BFO ports of their Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixers [6]. Both employ audio diplexers [7] on their mixer IF ports. Both employ a low noise LM723 regulator [8] in a millivolt DC power supply to unbalance a Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixer used as a balanced modulator for the purpose of reinjecting a carrier into the up-conversion path upon transmit. The carrier is used for antenna tuning. The command to unbalance the balanced modulator is asserted from the Control Panel by depressing the push-to-talk (PTT) button on the MIC or the PTT push-button on the Control Panel once the F1 button on the Control Panel has been pressed to display Tune on the 3.2” TFT display [9].  The Control Panel and TFT display will be described in another article.

One further commonality is the dual-function use of ADE-1 mixers in both module designs. Upon receive, they serve as product detectors for demodulation of the time-dependent audio message. Upon transmit, they serve as balanced modulators to mix the time dependent audio message with the IF carrier frequency for up-conversion. Descriptions of how product detectors and a balanced modulators work are provided in later sections.

Module Differences

Please refer to the schematic diagrams in Figures 1 and 2 for this discussion. The first IF to Audio Baseband Converter module incorporates a Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, fixed gain, bidirectional, termination insensitive amplifier (TIA) [10][11][12] for both transmit and receive paths, while the second incorporates the W7ZOI termination insensitive, closed-loop, IF AGC amplifier [13][14][15] in the receive path, and an open-loop, variable gain, W7ZOI termination insensitive amplifier (TIA) [16][17] in the transmit path. The variable gain amplifier has been implemented with an open-loop, AGC amplifier to which has been added an onboard gain adjustment trimpot. This trimpot is used during module tests. It is removed during transceiver integration and is replaced by a control panel potentiometer that sets the transmitter drive level.

Figure 1. The IF to Audio Baseband Converter Schematic Diagram. This module employs a fixed gain W7ZOI bidirectional, termination insensitive amplifier (TIA) for receive down-conversion from 9 MHz IF to audio baseband and from audio baseband to 9 MHz IF for transmit up-conversion. A low-noise LM723 voltage regulator is part of a millivolt, DC, onboard power supply. Its purpose is to unbalance the ADE-1 balanced modulator so that a carrier may be injected during transmit for antenna tuning.

Figure 2. The IF to Audio Baseband Converter with Receive AGC Schematic Diagram. This module employs a W7ZOI Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) with closed loop AGC for receive down-conversion from 9 MHz IF to audio baseband. A W7ZOI Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) with open loop AGC is used for transmit up-conversion. A low-noise LM723 voltage regulator is part of a millivolt, DC, onboard power supply. Its purpose is to unbalance the ADE-1 balanced modulator so that a carrier may be injected during transmit for antenna tuning.

What is a Balanced Modulator?

In the time domain a SSB signal containing the message is generated by multiplying a time dependent audio message signal by a time dependent IF carrier signal in a mixer used as what is called a balanced modulator. The audio message information is injected into the IF port of the balanced modulator while a local oscillator (LO) signal is injected into the LO port of the balanced modulator. What results is a double sideband suppressed carrier signal in the time domain. There are other methods used to produce SSB signals, but we will limit this discussion to the use of a double balanced mixer for this example. The problem could also be described in the frequency domain, but that solution will not be presented at this time. For sake of example, we neglect higher order, odd harmonics of the LO signal because the LO signal is a square wave. Also, for simplicity, we will neglect the phase terms that accompany each of the signals.

In order to achieve the best possible carrier cancellation in a double balanced mixer used as a balanced modulator, care must be taken to ensure that all of the mixer ports have been terminated in 50-ohms. It is also essential to drive the mixer at its required signal level. Once these requirements have been implemented in the design, the signal leaving the balanced modulator will consist of two sidebands, an upper one and a lower one. The carrier will have been greatly suppressed.

The time dependent, equation for the output of a balanced modulator may be derived from two expressions; the first,

is the time-dependent audio message information that is injected into the IF port of the balanced modulator,

where:

It is important to remember that the time-dependent audio message signal may or may not be a single sinusoidal frequency. For example, voice is quite complex and contains many frequency components. For simplicity here, though, it is defined as a single frequency.

while the second,

is the time-dependent IF carrier signal that is injected into the LO port of the balanced modulator,

where:

For this discussion the assumption is made that the IF carrier signal frequency is much greater than the audio message signal frequency. Multiplying the audio message with the IF carrier, we have for the double sideband suppressed carrier (DSB-SC),

Substituting, we have,

We may recall from trigonometry that the product of two cosines is just,

Substituting, we have,

This equation is comprised of two terms, where the first term,

is called the upper sideband because the output frequency is higher than the carrier.

We know from trigonometry that,

Thus, for the upper sideband, we have,

where the minus sign is correct and is the result of trigonometry.

The second of the two terms is,

which is called the lower sideband because the output frequency is lower than the carrier.

We know from trigonometry that,

Thus, for the lower sideband, we have,

where the plus sign is correct and is the result of trigonometry.

These two sideband equations may be combined in compact form as the double sideband suppressed carrier (DSB-SC) signal,

where the minus sign represents the upper sideband, and the plus sign represents the lower sideband, however counterintuitive it may seem.

One might ask how one of the two sidebands is selected for transmission? The answer comes in the form of a very narrow (of the order of 2.6 kHz wide) crystal bandpass filter [10] centered somewhere near 9 MHz. If upper sideband transmission is desired, that frequency is shifted downward so that the upper sideband sits in the passband of the crystal bandpass filter. If lower sideband transmission is desired, that frequency is shifted upward so that the lower sideband sits in the passband of the crystal bandpass filter. This is accomplished by shifting the LO frequency to the balanced modulator by a few kHz.

All of this requires some a priori knowledge of where the center frequency of the crystal bandpass filter is located. Once known, the audio message information may be shifted so that it is centered in the crystal bandpass filter passband for either sideband.

What is a Product Detector?

In this context a product detector is a demodulator used to recover audio message information from a SSB voice message signal. If a double balanced mixer is used as a product detector, a SSB signal enters the RF port of the mixer while a local oscillator beat frequency oscillator (BFO) signal is injected into the local oscillator (LO) port. When the listener tunes the receiver BFO frequency close to the carrier frequency that was removed prior to SSB transmission, the audio message information becomes intelligible to the listener. This presupposes that the signal is transmitted on upper or lower sideband in accordance with conventions used on the ham bands. It is important that hams work to the same conventions everywhere on the planet or the system will break down.

Product detection may also be described in a few trigonometric equations. This time we use the same double balanced mixer as a product detector. After passing through our crystal bandpass filter, the upper or lower sideband signal is sent to the RF input of the product detector. A BFO signal is injected into the product detector LO port to match the frequency of the carrier that originally generated the SSB transmission. Once tuned to the correct sideband, the output of the product detector passes through a lowpass filter to remove all of the remaining high frequency components, thereby recovering the message audio.

In the previous section it was shown that the DSB-SC signal may be represented by,

This expression contains the message on both of the sidebands, where the carrier has been suppressed.

If we want to recover the voice audio message information, we select the appropriate sideband that has been transmitted based upon the ham band in use.

In order to simplify the expression appearing above without any discussion of the Hilbert transform, let’s make some simple trig substitutions, and we will dispense with any of the constant terms out front. Let’s represent the time-dependent voice audio message in this way,

Furthermore, we can use a trigonometric identity,

Transformations of this type are quite common in communication theory, but we will not dwell upon them.

These two quantities having been defined; we may write our equation for DSB-SC in this way,

Now, suppose that we multiply the preceding expression by the same carrier frequency, presumably in the product detector, and we have for the carrier,

where c(t) is the BFO carrier signal that matches the one suppressed during message transmission.

Then, having performed this operation; we will have recovered the modulating time-dependent voice audio message, where,

and where R(t) represents the recovered, time-dependent message prior to filtering.

Multiplying through, we have,

Again, invoking trigonometric substitutions,

and,

which yield,

This may be rewritten to show the carrier frequency instead of the angular frequency,

The first term contains the time dependent audio message information while the last two terms contain the carrier frequency. The carrier frequency terms may be removed by lowpass filtering after the product detector with an audio diplexer to recover the time-dependent audio message.

Why Two IF to Audio Baseband Converters?

The reason that two discrete IF to Audio Baseband Converters were designed and built is twofold.

First, I wanted to fast-track the SSB radio integration task if trouble was encountered with the IF AGC circuit. This turned out to be fortuitous, and that is exactly what occurred. It took some time to de-bug the circuit.

Second, I wanted to be able to compare receiver performance with, and without, IF AGC. Differences in receiver dynamic range and sensitivity were anticipated.

Construction

Both circuit cards were designed on EasyEDA [18] CAD software that is available for free download and use. PCB fabrication was completed from transmitted Gerber files by JLCPCB [19] in Hong Kong. Turnaround time was 10-days. In order to reduce the number of via holes on the circuit boards, 4-layers were adopted. The top layer consists of ground plane. Vertical SMA RF connectors on the surface of the boards put the ground plane to good use. DC and signal connections to the amplifiers and mixers are made via pin headers and DuPont wires as are visible in Figures 3 and 4. Each of the modules derives its input from a crystal bandpass filter [20] that has sharp skirt selectivity.

Several features are visible on each of the circuit boards:

·        W7ZOI Termination Insensitive Amplifiers (TIAs) in use on both boards to present 50-ohms to the balanced modulator RF port on transmit and the product detector RF port on receive

·        A Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixer functions as a balanced modulator upon transmit and a product detector upon receive

·        A transformer on the BFO port to transform the impedance level of the SI5351 Clock Generator to 50-ohms

·        A pi-attenuator to adjust the BFO drive level to that required by the mixer

·        An LO diplexer is used to present 50-ohms to the mixer LO port

·        An audio diplexer is used on the mixer IF port to present a 50-ohm load to the IF port, and to filter out any RF appearing on the IF port upon receive so that the audio message may be recovered

·        A low noise LM723 voltage regulator is used in a millivolt power supply configuration so that the balanced modulator may be unbalanced for carrier injection

Figure 3. IF to Audio Baseband Converter without AGC. The IF to Audio Baseband Converter module without AGC consists of a W7ZOI bidirectional, termination insensitive amplifier (TIA) to the left, a Mini-Circuits ADE-1, +7 dBm level mixer at the center, and a millivolt power supply to the right. The mixer serves as a product detector for receive and a balanced modulator for transmit. The relay at the lower right switches 100 mV onto a 50 ohm termination at the IF port of the mixer to unbalance it. This serves to inject a carrier into the transmit path so that the antenna may be tuned to resonance. An audio diplexer is visible on the IF port. This serves to terminate the IF port in 50 ohms while providing a lowpass filter to pass the receiver audio. There is a transformer visible on the LO port of the mixer that serves to match the 76 ohm output impedance of the SI5351 clock generator used as the beat frequency oscillator (BFO) to the 50 ohms required by the LO diplexer and the ADE-1 mixer LO port. A pi-attenuator is provided between the transformer and the diplexer to drop the SI5351 level to +7 dBm.

Figure 4. IF to Audio Baseband Converter with AGC. A W7ZOI termination insensitive amplifier (TIA) is visible to the left. It is used during receive only, and it operates with closed loop AGC. The AGC output voltage also serves as the S-meter signal that is routed to the Arduino S-meter input for display on a 3.2” TFT display. Another W7ZOI termination insensitive amplifier (TIA), set to fixed gain for test, is visible second from the left. It is constructed from an amplifier that has an open loop AGC input. A potentiometer on the AGC port is used to set a fixed transmitter drive level. The Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixer, second from the right is used as a product detector on receive and a balanced modulator on transmit. The circuitry to the far right generates 100 mV that is applied to the 50 ohm termination on the IF port of the mixer. This serves to inject a carrier into the transmit chain so that the antenna may be tuned to resonance.  The relay in the photo switches the 100 mV onto the 50 ohm termination on the IF port of the mixer. A transformer is visible on the LO port that transforms the 76 ohm output impedance of the SI5351 clock generator to the 50-ohms required on the mixer LO port. A pi-attenuator is located between the transformer and the LO diplexer to lower the signal level to that required by the +7 dBm mixer. An audio diplexer and lowpass filter provides a 50 ohm match to the IF port while allowing only audio to pass.

References

[1] Blustine, Martin, K1FQL, An RF to IF Converter for QRP SSB Transceiver Use, N1FD, 4 August 2025. https://www.n1fd.org/2025/08/04/transverter/

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/calc_16a.php

[4] https://leleivre.com/rf_pipad.html

[5] Blustine, Martin, K1FQL, Impedance Matching to an 8-Pole Quasi-Equiripple (QER) Crystal Bandpass Filter, N1FD, 21 May 2024. https://www.n1fd.org/2024/05/21/crystal-filter/

[6] Mini-Circuits, https://www.minicircuits.com/WebStore/dashboard.html?model=ADE-1

[7] Lewallen, Roy, W7EL, An Optimized QRP Transceiver for 7 MHz, ARRL, https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/93hb3037.pdf

[8] Texas Instruments, https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm723.pdf

[9] Adafruit, https://www.adafruit.com/product/1743?srsltid=AfmBOopGfznYc8RKuumddbQzWwXY_d1ByQd07CqiPAZ_xqBDg2jOWuzv

[10] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI and Kopski, Bob, K3NHI, A Termination Insensitive Amplifier for Bidirectional Transceivers, 26 June 2009. https://w7zoi.net/bidirectional_matched_amplifier.pdf

[11] Land Boards, A Termination Insensitive Amplifier for Bidirectional Transceivers. https://land-boards.com/blwiki/index.php?title=A_Termination_Insensitive_Amplifier_for_Bidirectional_Transceivers

[12] Tindie, A Termination Insensitive Amplifier for Bidirectional Transceivers. https://www.tindie.com/products/land_boards/termination-insensitive-rf-amplifier/

[13] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI and Damm, Jeff, WA7MLH, The Hybrid Cascode – A General Purpose AGC IF Amplifier, QST, December 2007. https://www.ka7exm.net/hycas/hycas_200712_qst.pdf

[14] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI, Regarding Circuit Boards for the Hybrid Cascode General Purpose IF AGC Amplifier. https://w7zoi.net/hycas-pcb.html

[15] Carney, Todd, K7TFC, Mostly DIY RF, https://mostlydiyrf.com/hycas/

[16] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI, Adding AGC to a Termination Insensitive Amplifier, 27 October 2021. https://w7zoi.net/tia+agc.pdf

[17] Carney, Todd, Mostly DIY RF, TIA-AGC RF Amplifier. https://mostlydiyrf.com/tia-agc/

[18] EasyEDA. https://easyeda.com/

[19] JLCPCB. https://jlcpcb.com/?from=VGBNA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=13059631621&utm_content=581194145188&utm_term=b_jlcpcb&adgroupid=118955305341&utm_network=g_&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=13059631621&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIssG71-mZjwMVBjIIBR1NEDo_EAAYASAAEgKrzvD_BwE

[20] Blustine, Martin, K1FQL, Impedance Matching to an 8-Pole Quasi-Equiripple (QER) Crystal Bandpass Filter. Op. cit. https://www.n1fd.org/2024/05/21/crystal-filter/

Disclaimers:

The circuits included on these PCBs were sourced from a number of authors. This is a somewhat advanced and expensive project, and some prior design and construction experience is recommended before taking on a project of this magnitude. These circuit designs are provided for informational and educational purposes only and are supplied “as is” and without warranties of any kind, express, implied, or statutory. No representations or warranties are made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of this information, either in isolation or in the aggregate. These circuit designs may contain links to or information based on external sources or third-party content. Endorsement and responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of such third-party information or for the content of any linked websites are not taken.

An RF to IF Converter for QRP SSB Transceiver Use

In planning for a homebrew QRP SSB transceiver build, it was decided that all of the amplifiers for RF and IF use would be assembled from kits, or purchased preassembled from any of several suppliers in order to save time and money.

The RF to IF Converter described in this article is a good example of how off-the-shelf parts may be packaged to create a working module

The RF to IF Converter is tuned by an SI5351 Clock Generator VFO over the frequency range of 1.1 MHz to 38.7 MHz. This is the VFO frequency tuning range required for high side and low side LO injection to a mixer for 10-band HF operation.

Subassembly List

Mostly off-the-shelf parts that constitute this module are

·        a W7ZOI termination insensitive (TIA) amplifier with manual gain control for receive down-conversion [1],

·        a W7ZOI termination insensitive (TIA) amplifier with manual gain control for transmit up-conversion [2],

·        a Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixer for receive down-conversion to IF and transmit up-conversion to RF [3],

·        W7ZOI bi-directional termination insensitive (TIA) RF amplifier pair with fixed gains for post-mixer receive IF preamplification, and for pre-mixer transmit IF preamplification [4],

·        a Bridged-T-Diplexer that provides a 50-ohm termination to the IF port of the ADE-1 mixer [5],

·        a Toroidal transformer that transforms the output impedance of the VFO synthesizer from 76-ohms to 50-ohms (see text), and

·        a VFO attenuator that reduces the VFO synthesizer drive level to that required by the ADE-1 mixer, +7 dBm [6].

Circuit Descriptions

W7ZOI Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) w. Manual Gain Control

The Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) combines a transistor gain stage, a hybrid cascade (HYCAS) adjustable gain stage, and a two-stage buffer into a single amplifier circuit. Two of these amplifiers are in use on this PCB. They are used as the first amplifier in the receiver and the last amplifier in the transmit chain before the power amplifier. Gain control for this amplifier is designed to work between +1 and +4 VDC, but operation is described down to 0 VDC. At maximum gain, +4 VDC, the gain is 31 dB. In his paper, W7ZOI states that 70 dB of gain control should be possible [7]. For a -30 dBm input signal level at maximum gain, the output should be +1 dBm. W7ZOI notes that there is some gain falloff at higher frequencies. Gain controls for these amplifiers are located on the Control Panel (not pictured).

Mini-Circuits ADE-1 Mixer

A doubly balanced mixer, the Mini-Circuits ADE-1 [8], is used as the RF to IF down-converter upon receive, and the IF to RF up-converter upon transmit. This is a medium LO drive mixer that requires +7 dBm to operate with specs. The nominal conversion loss for this mixer is 5 dB.

W7ZOI Bidirectional Termination Insensitive Amplifier

The W7ZOI Bidirectional Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) differs in architecture from that of the TIA with gain control described above. This amplifier consists of three bipolar transistors in the forward direction and three bipolar transistors in the reverse direction [9]. It has been designed to be termination insensitive in either direction. In this application, the amplifier is biased in the forward direction upon receive and in the reverse direction upon transmit. The nominal gain in each direction is 15 dB. The noise figure of each of the amplifiers was reported to be 5.8 dB by W7ZOI. The output third order intercept point (OIP3) was measured to be +20.5 dBm. The 1 dB compression point was estimated to be +3.5 dBm. This is due to low current transistor biasing. While this intercept point may be adequate for QRP operation, this amplifier won’t win any prizes for dynamic range. This provides an opportunity for future improvement.

Bridged-T Diplexer

In order to obtain the best performance from a doubly balanced mixer, it is vital to terminate all of its ports in 50-ohms. In this application, the RF port “sees” a termination insensitive amplifier. The IF port will also see a termination insensitive amplifier (TIA). I chose to include a Bridged-T Diplexer on the IF port in hopes of improving the mixer performance. The Bridged-T Diplexer consists of 9 MHz series and parallel resonant circuits placed between the mixer IF port and the IF TIA.

Referring to the schematic in Figure 1, the series resonant circuit at the IF frequency of 9 MHz appears to be a low impedance, and it increases to a high impedance away from resonance. The parallel resonant circuit appears like a high impedance at the IF frequency. At frequencies away from the IF frequency, the parallel resonant circuit looks like a low impedance. Consequently, the 50-ohm resistor, R1, to the left, appears across the mixer IF port for frequencies away from the IF frequency. Similarly, for frequencies far from the IF frequency, the TIA amplifier that follows sees the 50-ohm resistor, R2, to the right.

Figure 1. The Bridged-T Diplexer. The series resonant circuit at the IF frequency of 9 MHz appears to be a low impedance, and it increases to a high impedance away from resonance. The parallel resonant circuit appears like a high impedance at the IF frequency. At frequencies away from the IF frequency, the parallel resonant circuit looks like a low impedance. Consequently, the 50-ohm resistor, R1, to the left, appears across the mixer IF port for frequencies away from the IF frequency. Similarly, for frequencies far from the IF frequency, the TIA amplifier that follows sees the 50-ohm resistor, R2, to the right. Please click on the figure to open it in a new window.

In order to design a diplexer of this type, a circuit Q must be specified. Some designs use different Q values for the series and parallel resonant circuits. For this design, Q = 10 was chosen to be the same for both. An online calculator was used to design this Bridged-T Diplexer [10].

VFO Impedance Matching Transformer

It has been determined by direct measurement that the output impedance for an SI5351 synthesizer is not 50-ohms. (The SI5351 Clock Generator output power level and impedance measurement is the subject of a future article.) The measured output impedance does not match the data sheet [11] impedance of 85-ohms at 8 mA bias current. It has been shown that the impedance is closer to 76-ohms at a measurement frequency of 10 MHz, at least for the SI5351 in use. Consequently, the impedance ratio was found to be 1.52:1.

In order to ensure the best possible match, a broadband transformer should be used to perform the impedance transformation if possible. An L-matching network won’t work because the VFO requires a broadband match. Once an FT37-43 toroid core was chosen, the turns-ratio was calculated by taking the square root of the impedance ratio, 1.52:1, resulting in a turns-ratio of 1.233:1. Next, the primary and secondary turns numbers were determined that were as close to whole numbers as possible with the constraint that the winding having the fewest number of turns have an impedance of at least 50-ohms x 5 = 250-ohms.

The turns-ratio that closely matches the requirement is 16T:13T. Dividing the two, obtains 1.231:1. When squared, a value of 1.515:1 is obtained, which is close to the original impedance ratio of 1.52:1.

Next, the impedance of the smaller of the two windings, 13 turns, was checked at the lowest VFO frequency of operation. This is 1.1 MHz for the 30m band. For this verification, a hand calculation can be performed, as has been done in the past, or an online calculator can be used [12]. The result was found to be 409-ohms > 250-ohms, so this winding meets the impedance criterion. Further measurements are required to ascertain that there are no resonances for this transformer over the entire VFO tuning range. Should in-band resonances be encountered, the transformer will be discarded.

A turns-ratio of 11T:9T might also work, but it is not as close a match to the original impedance ratio of 1.52:1. Please check this turns-ratio calculation as an exercise. Also, for practice, please check the 9T winding against the 250-ohm impedance criterion at 1.1 MHz to see if it meets it. Please let me know in the comments section.

VFO Attenuator

The signal output of the SI5351 Clock Generator used to provide the LO to the mixer was calculated and measured to be +11.48 dBm. This would suggest that a ~ 4 dB pad should be used at the mixer LO port input to obtain ~ +7 dBm. If a resistive pad in the PI-configuration is used, the resistor values may be calculated by hand, or an online calculator may be employed [13]. The ~ 4 dB attenuator in Figure 2 uses standard resistor values.

Figure 2. A 4 dB PI-Attenuator. This attenuator uses standard resistor values. They are close enough for this application, where no precision is required. Please click on the figure to open it in a new window.

Schematic Diagram

The schematic diagram of the RF to IF Converter is shown in Figure 3. A pair of manual gain controls (not shown) is provided on the Control Panel. Upon receive, the manual gain control will alter the dynamic range and the receiver noise figure. Upon transmit, the manual gain control will alter the transmitter drive level.

Figure 3. RF to IF Converter Schematic Diagram. This circuit provides RF to IF down-conversion on receive and IF to RF up-conversion on transmit. Manual gain controls are accessible from the Control Panel (not shown). The receive gain control will alter the dynamic range and noise figure upon receive. The transmit gain control will alter the amount of output power upon transmit. Please click on the schematic to open it in a new window.

Printed Circuit Board Layout

The printed circuit board layout is shown in Figure 4. Two minor labeling corrections to the PCB are visible since the silkscreen labeling was interchanged. A coupling capacitor, C10, was added to the PCB at the transformer, T1, input. The transformer must be AC-coupled to the SI5351 Clock Generator.

Figure 4. RF to IF Converter PCB. Two W7ZOI Termination Insensitive Amplifiers (TIA’s) with gain control, a Mini-Circuits ADE-1 Doubly Balanced Mixer, and a W7ZOI Bidirectional Termination Insensitive Amplifier (TIA) provide RF gain control and conversion to a 9 MHz IF on receive and from 9 MHz IF to RF on transmit. A Bridged-T Diplexer tuned to 9 MHz provides a constant 50-ohm termination at the IF port of the mixer. Please click on the photo to open it in a new window.

References

[1] Carney, Todd, K7TFC, Mostly DIY RF. https://mostlydiyrf.com/tia-agc/, and https://mostlydiyrf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TIA-AGC_manual.pdf, and https://w7zoi.net/tia+agc.pdf

[2] Ibid.

[3] CalOutlet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135758562145?itmmeta=01K1GR7N4T7T8MPD3QGCY00E4T&hash=item1f9bd74361:g:IzMAAOSwxVVoFn7M

[4] Land-Boards, LLC. https://www.tindie.com/products/land_boards/termination-insensitive-rf-amplifier/, and https://w7zoi.net/bidirectional_matched_amplifier.pdf

[5] Bridged-T Diplexer Calculator. https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/calc_16a.php

[6] PI-Attenuator Design Calculator. https://leleivre.com/rf_pipad.html

[7] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI. https://w7zoi.net/tia+agc.pdf

[8] Mini-Circuits ADE-1 mixer. https://www.minicircuits.com/pdfs/ADE-1.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOorxmabfezmF18FfPBt4-gGTfS8pEvwuLJuSS6lKZoLp0jG9YTk1

[9] Wes Hayward, W7ZOI. https://w7zoi.net/bidirectional_matched_amplifier.pdf

[10] Bridged-T Diplexer Calculator, Op. cit. https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/calc_16a.php

[11] Silicon Labs Data Sheet, p. 4. https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/Si5351.pdf

[12] Toroidal Inductor Calculator. https://toroids.info/FT37-43.php

[13] PI-Attenuator Design Calculator, Op. cit. https://leleivre.com/rf_pipad.html

Disclaimers:

The circuits included on this PCB were sourced from a number of authors. Only the 4-channel MUX decoder is original work. This is a somewhat advanced and expensive project, and some prior design and construction experience is recommended before taking on a project of this magnitude. This circuit design is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is supplied “as is” and without warranties of any kind, express, implied, or statutory. No representations or warranties are made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of this information, either in isolation or in the aggregate. This circuit design may contain links to or information based on external sources or third-party content. Endorsement and responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of such third-party information or for the content of any linked websites are not taken.

A Multifunction Audio Processor For SSB Use

Previously, a 4-channel audio multiplexer [1] was described for use in a QRP SSB transceiver. This paper describes the multifunction, analog audio processor printed circuit board upon which the 4-channel multiplexer resides. We provide a recap of the functions provided by this circuit card in the sections that follow.

Circuits Included on the Audio Processor Circuit Board

All of these circuits have been delineated on the circuit board layout:

a +9 VDC fixed voltage regulator [2],
a +3.3 VDC adjustable voltage regulator [3],
a +3.0 VDC adjustable voltage regulator [4],
a 4-channel MUX decoder [5],
a 4-channel bidirectional audio MUX [6],
a receive Class AB audio leveler preamplifier [7],
a receive audio leveler/attenuator [8],
a receive Class AB discrete audio amplifier [9],
a receive audio-derived S-meter circuit [10],
a receive IF AGC-derived S-meter circuit [11],
a transmit microphone preamplifier [12], and
a transmit microphone SSM2167 audio compressor [13].
Circuit Descriptions

+9 VDC Fixed Voltage Regulator

An LM317 adjustable regulator is used in fixed voltage mode. This voltage regulator provides filtering on the adjust terminal resulting in much quieter regulation than that of a 7809 fixed voltage regulator. It provides +9 VDC for the +3.0 VDC and +3.3 VDC voltage regulators, as well as the Class AB audio leveler preamplifier.

+3.3 VDC Adjustable Voltage Regulator

An LM317 adjustable regulator is used in fixed voltage regulator mode. A trimpot is provided to adjust the output voltage to +3.3 VDC. This regulator is used to bias the Analog Devices SSM2167 Low Voltage Microphone Preamplifier with Variable Compression and Noise Gating.

+3.0 VDC Adjustable Voltage Regulator

An LM317 adjustable regulator is used in fixed voltage regulator mode. A trimpot is provided to adjust the output voltage to +3.0 VDC. This regulator is used to bias an electret microphone. The electret microphone requires +3.0 VDC bias with a source impedance of 2.1 kohms.

4-Channel MUX Decoder

The 4-Channel MUX Decoder is used to generate 4 x 8-bit states, each of which selects a unique MUX channel. The circuit consists of one 2-channel relay and four CD4072 2 x 4-input CMOS OR gates. The 2-channel relay is used to decode +12 VDC to one of four MUX decoders at a time. The MUX decoder provides +12 VDC to series and shunt MUX switches, one mode at a time. There are two transmit and two receive modes, as will be described in the sections that follow.

4-Channel Bidirectional Audio MUX

The audio mux is used, bidirectionally, to route audio to the balanced modulator during transmit functions and from the product detector during receive functions. A single mixer serves as both a balanced modulator and a product detector for the transceiver.

The audio mux is implemented with switches consisting of series and a shunt 2N7000 enhancement mode MOSFETs in each of the four channels. The series and shunt elements provide additional switch isolation.

Receive Class AB Audio Leveler Preamplifier

A discrete Class AB audio amplifier is used to drive the W2AEW audio leveler input at a typical listening volume. This signal will vary as the audio source material. The output of the preamplifier will produce up to 100 mW of clean audio power, which is enough to drive the leveling circuit.

Receive Audio Leveler/Attenuator

An audio leveler/attenuator has been described on Alan Wolke’s, W2AEW’s, YouTube channel. This leveling circuit accepts audio at a typical listening volume to produce up to 50 mV output. This leveled output must be amplified further so that it can drive a loudspeaker, or a set of headphones.

Receive Class AB Discrete Audio Amplifier

A discrete Class AB audio amplifier is used in receive mode to either amplify the product detector output channel of the MUX directly, or to amplify the output of the audio leveler/attenuator to loudspeaker listening volume.

Receive Audio-Derived S-Meter Circuit

An audio-derived S-meter circuit is used to drive an analog input of the Arduino MEGA 2560, Rev. 3, so that an S-meter reading may be displayed on a 3.2” TFT display. The output of the shunt feedback preamplifier at the input to the receive Class AB discrete audio amplifier is the source of this signal. The audio is peak detected and stored. The resulting DC signal is applied to the Arduino. Since this signal is audio-derived from the product detector, either unleveled or leveled, it is a relative signal that bears no relationship to a -73 dBm receiver input signal in a 50 ohm system for S-9.

Receive IF AGC-Derived S-Meter Circuit

Alternatively, an IF AGC-derived S-meter circuit is used to drive an analog input of the Arduino MEGA 2560, Rev. 3, so that an S-meter reading may be displayed on a 3.2” TFT display. Since the AGC voltage will bear some resemblance to the receiver input signal level, an S-meter may be calibrated, at least at two points. A -73 dBm signal input into the 50 ohm input to the receiver should produce an S-9 reading on the TFT display. Linearity over the entire AGC range is not expected, but over some input signal range, it will be. This assumes that the RF and IF amplifier circuit gains and mixer conversion losses do not vary much over the HF bandwidth. It also assumes a specific setting for the IF gain control.

Transmit Microphone Preamplifier

A transmit microphone preamplifier is required to raise the output signal level of an electret microphone to a level that will drive the balanced modulator. A DC block is provided at the preamp input so that DC bias may be applied to the electret microphone. For the microphone being used, a 3.0 VDC bias possessing a 2.1 kohm source impedance has been specified by the manufacturer.

Transmit Microphone SSM2167 Audio Compressor

Audio compression of the microphone input is one of two transmit modes. Audio compression will increase the average duty factor of the SSB signal. In this implementation, the factory setting of 2:1 gain compression has been preserved. A DC block is provided at the SSM-2167 input so that DC bias may be applied to the electret microphone. For the microphone being used, a 3.0 VDC bias possessing a 2.1 kohm source impedance has been specified by the manufacturer.

Modes and Signal Directionality

Receive Modes

Discrete Audio Amplifier Path

Unprocessed audio from the receiver product detector passes through a MUX channel, then through a discrete, Class AB audio amplifier. Once boosted, the leveled output is available for loudspeaker or headphone use. Mode selection is made via a control panel toggle switch command asserted to an SPDT relay.

Leveled Audio Path

A dedicated, discrete Class AB audio amplifier amplifies the output of the product detector that passes through one channel of the MUX. The discrete, Class AB audio amplifier supplies audio power to the W2AEW audio leveler circuit. This circuit is used to mitigate QSB fades from audio. The leveled output has a maximum value of the order of 50 mV, and it must be amplified further. That function is provided by another discrete, Class AB audio amplifier. Once boosted, the leveled output is available for loudspeaker or headphone use. Mode selection is made via a control panel toggle switch command asserted to an SPDT relay.

Transmit Modes

Microphone Preamplifier Path

Unprocessed microphone audio is amplified by a microphone preamplifier, whereafter it passes through a SPDT relay, a MUX channel, and finally to the balanced modulator. Mode selection is made via a control panel toggle switch command asserted to an SPDT relay. Microphone bias is provided prior to the microphone preamp by a +3.0 VDC regulator and a 2.1 kohm source resistor.

Microphone Compressor Module Path

Microphone audio is routed to the input of an Analog Devices SSM2167 Low Voltage Microphone Preamplifier with Variable Compression and Noise Gating. The output of the SSM2167 compressor module is routed through an SPDT relay and a MUX channel to the input of the balanced modulator. Mode selection is made via a control panel toggle switch command asserted to an SPDT relay. Microphone bias is provided prior to the microphone preamp by a +3.0 VDC regulator and a 2.1 kohm source resistor.

Implementation

The schematic was converted to a 4-layer printed circuit board design using EasyEDA, an easy-to-learn CAD package that is available to use for free online. Once the schematic was complete, the built-in autorouter was used to connect the nodes in the circuit. The product was a rat’s nest of conductors connecting ~ 300 component parts. The remainder of the circuit board layout was completed manually to unravel the rat’s nest, as is usually the case. A Gerber file was transmitted to JLCPCB in Hong Kong for fabrication. One routing error was discovered on the finished boards. There was a missing conductor in one of the low voltage regulator circuits that became immediately obvious during test. It is assumed that this error was the result of an error message generated during the routing process. It stated that the sheer number of components in the layout was going to be troublesome for the router.

Testing

The circuits were tested one at a time. Numerous test points were provided, both pin headers and coaxial connectors, so that testing could proceed smoothly without the need to solder to any portion of the circuit board. In addition to a missing conductor, one wiring error was discovered. Labelling to two of the nodes was interchanged. Once corrected, by making some hardwire connections to two of the relays, everything tested and functioned normally. The error has been corrected on the schematic.

Schematic

A schematic diagram of the project is furnished in Figure 1. The figure may be opened in a new window by clicking on it. It may be useful to plot a full-size print at a local office supply store.

Figure 1. Audio Processor Schematic Diagram. The audio processor contains circuits from multiple sources. The CMOS MUX decoder is the work of the author. Test points on the schematic are numerous. Please click on the figure to open it in a new window.

Assembled Printed Circuit Board

A photo of the populated circuit board is provided in Figure 2. The figure may be opened in a new window by clicking on it. The hardwiring corrections to two of the relays are visible in the photo as blue wires.

Figure 2. Audio Processor PCB. This assembly provides all of the receive and transmit audio functions. All of the audio functions described in this paper have been delineated with white lines on the PCB. A 4-channel audio MUX routes microphone audio to the balanced modulator on transmit and product detector audio toward the loudspeaker on receive. Numerous headers and SMA connectors for use as test points are visible on the PCB. The tiny, orange SSM-2167 audio compressor module is visible in the foreground. Please click on the figure to open it in a new window.

References

[1] Blustine, Martin, N1FD, June 9, 2025. https://www.n1fd.org/2025/06/09/audio-multiplexer/

[2]https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm317.pdf?ts=1753570710931&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ti.com%252Fproduct%252FLM317

[3] https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm317l-n.pdf?HQS=dis-dk-null-digikeymode-dsf-pf-null-wwe&ts=1753593053351&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ti.com%252Fgeneral%252Fdocs%252Fsuppproductinfo.tsp%253FdistId%253D10%2526gotoUrl%253Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ti.com%252Flit%252Fgpn%252Flm317l-n

[4] Ibid.

[5] Blustine, Martin, N1FD, Op. cit.

[6] http://www.remmepark.com/circuit6040/ZX-SSB-II/zx_ssb_ii.html#140

[7] Andersen, Rich, KE3IJ, SK. https://web.archive.org/web/20210430124905/http://www.ke3ij.com/radios.htm

[8] Wolke, Alan, W2AEW. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h0FZJYXQ_w

[9] Scott, Rick, N3FJZ, from Elenco MODEL AM/FM-108TK Radio Kit (obsolete), and multiple sources. http://www.remmepark.com/circuit6040/ZX-SSB-II/images/(140)_ZX-SSB-II_Audio_Mic_Amp.png. Shunt feedback preamplifier, Cf. https://pe2bz.philpem.me.uk/Comm/-%20-%20Misc/-%20Amp/Info-901-AmpTutorial/BroadBand/broad-band-amplifiers.htm, and https://people.engr.tamu.edu/spalermo/ecen326/lab10_2022.pdf

[10] Scott, Rick, N3FJZ. http://www.remmepark.com/circuit6040/ZX-SSB-II/images/(130)_ZX-SSB-II_S-Meter.png

[11] Hayward, Wes, W7ZOI, Application Hints for the Hybrid Cascode IF Amplifier. Revision date, January 2, 2008. https://w7zoi.net/hycas-apps.html

[12] Morris, Charlie, ZL2CTM. Numerous examples of MIC preamps. http://zl2ctm.blogspot.com/

[13] Analog Devices, SSM2167. https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/ssm2167.pdf. https://www.amazon.com/KOOBOOK-SSM2167-Microphone-Preamplifier-Compression/dp/B07TWC2MQB/ref=sr_1_1_pp?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZubOcTd_CDlGY_ee1TTfoKEIu2r-i5th4SaPrAup8TVjWHO7FFq2tZTr5_OhbHWH06ya_J4HGXPF3qqdxM04zbRivXMFwAx3jYu8SSuxcwaeKKtGDIVeQ1wWIqO-rmFwzWHRmq3l9rz_dMQGJ246KXRlh-iNw8B8FjCayydaB5VD6rU9pIfxRtmGU7bMZigOJin5rYlC4jZgTu7InLeO-BINALfH2AUZuXxMrS5i3dFZS3w3YISA5Qj9ta-XWV-q3grohV5oLRbsgTISbX4y0oL3GwgN9lbR2GbKTpYj0dA.F9CUiFt05wysKQAuP6VXs8-NfHc9FkD2Fnlqo07BZ0A&dib_tag=se&keywords=ssm2167&qid=1753643119&sr=8-1

Disclaimers:

The circuits included on this PCB were sourced from a number of authors. Only the 4-channel MUX decoder is original work. This is a somewhat advanced and expensive project, and some prior design and construction experience is recommended before taking on a project of this magnitude. This circuit design is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is supplied “as is” and without warranties of any kind, express, implied, or statutory. No representations or warranties are made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of this information, either in isolation or in the aggregate. This circuit design may contain links to or information based on external sources or third-party content. Endorsement and responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of such third-party information or for the content of any linked websites are not taken.

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