Skip to main content
Commonmark migration
Source Link

It seems that the local oscillator transistor has marginal gain at 150 MHz...achieving stable oscillation may be difficult. App-note suggests boosting DC operating current by adding an external resistor from pin 3 to ground: a value between 10K - 22K is recommended for oscillator frequency above 80 MHz. Boosting oscillator DC current will improve its gain-bandwidth product.
In addition, RF oscillator amplitude at pin 3 should be 220mV (RMS) to get full mixer gain. Relying on a SPICE simulation is very risky, because this transistor is not well-specified in the data sheet - what transistor should you substitute?

Oscillator frequency will drift with temperature and supply voltage. Expect to adjust frequency often (either with variable L or a variable C). At these frequencies, a voltage-controlled-oscillator would be used, as part of a phase-locked-loop to achieve stable frequency. Doing so with this feeble on-board transistor makes oscillator design even more risky.
An alternative might use a digital oscillator: something like SiliconLabs Si5351. Its top frequency end goes at least to 160 MHz (some claim 200 MHz). A tiny microcontroller would be required to set its frequency on power-up, and a fixed-frequency ~25MHz crystal is required as well. You can program its output frequency very close to 151.05 MHz. Its 3.3V CMOS output square wave can be reduced in amplitude with a resistor divider, and injected via a small capacitor to SA605 pin 4.

Colpitts oscillator: In the schematic below, R3 is an added external resistor to pin 3. R1 & R2 are internal bias resistors inside the chip. These might serve as a starting point for choosing values:
[![VHF Colpitts SA605 rough simulation][1]][1]VHF Colpitts SA605 rough simulation
Oscillating frequency is roughly 150 MHz. C3 could include a very small variable capacitor, or L1 might be wound on a form with an iron powder slug or brass slug. R4 is not a real resistor; it simulates finite Q of the coil L1.


This simulation kick-starts the oscillator by injecting a current pulse with an initial condition: .IC I(L1)=10n [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/Q4X3h.png

It seems that the local oscillator transistor has marginal gain at 150 MHz...achieving stable oscillation may be difficult. App-note suggests boosting DC operating current by adding an external resistor from pin 3 to ground: a value between 10K - 22K is recommended for oscillator frequency above 80 MHz. Boosting oscillator DC current will improve its gain-bandwidth product.
In addition, RF oscillator amplitude at pin 3 should be 220mV (RMS) to get full mixer gain. Relying on a SPICE simulation is very risky, because this transistor is not well-specified in the data sheet - what transistor should you substitute?

Oscillator frequency will drift with temperature and supply voltage. Expect to adjust frequency often (either with variable L or a variable C). At these frequencies, a voltage-controlled-oscillator would be used, as part of a phase-locked-loop to achieve stable frequency. Doing so with this feeble on-board transistor makes oscillator design even more risky.
An alternative might use a digital oscillator: something like SiliconLabs Si5351. Its top frequency end goes at least to 160 MHz (some claim 200 MHz). A tiny microcontroller would be required to set its frequency on power-up, and a fixed-frequency ~25MHz crystal is required as well. You can program its output frequency very close to 151.05 MHz. Its 3.3V CMOS output square wave can be reduced in amplitude with a resistor divider, and injected via a small capacitor to SA605 pin 4.

Colpitts oscillator: In the schematic below, R3 is an added external resistor to pin 3. R1 & R2 are internal bias resistors inside the chip. These might serve as a starting point for choosing values:
[![VHF Colpitts SA605 rough simulation][1]][1]
Oscillating frequency is roughly 150 MHz. C3 could include a very small variable capacitor, or L1 might be wound on a form with an iron powder slug or brass slug. R4 is not a real resistor; it simulates finite Q of the coil L1.


This simulation kick-starts the oscillator by injecting a current pulse with an initial condition: .IC I(L1)=10n [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/Q4X3h.png

It seems that the local oscillator transistor has marginal gain at 150 MHz...achieving stable oscillation may be difficult. App-note suggests boosting DC operating current by adding an external resistor from pin 3 to ground: a value between 10K - 22K is recommended for oscillator frequency above 80 MHz. Boosting oscillator DC current will improve its gain-bandwidth product.
In addition, RF oscillator amplitude at pin 3 should be 220mV (RMS) to get full mixer gain. Relying on a SPICE simulation is very risky, because this transistor is not well-specified in the data sheet - what transistor should you substitute?

Oscillator frequency will drift with temperature and supply voltage. Expect to adjust frequency often (either with variable L or a variable C). At these frequencies, a voltage-controlled-oscillator would be used, as part of a phase-locked-loop to achieve stable frequency. Doing so with this feeble on-board transistor makes oscillator design even more risky.
An alternative might use a digital oscillator: something like SiliconLabs Si5351. Its top frequency end goes at least to 160 MHz (some claim 200 MHz). A tiny microcontroller would be required to set its frequency on power-up, and a fixed-frequency ~25MHz crystal is required as well. You can program its output frequency very close to 151.05 MHz. Its 3.3V CMOS output square wave can be reduced in amplitude with a resistor divider, and injected via a small capacitor to SA605 pin 4.

Colpitts oscillator: In the schematic below, R3 is an added external resistor to pin 3. R1 & R2 are internal bias resistors inside the chip. These might serve as a starting point for choosing values:
VHF Colpitts SA605 rough simulation
Oscillating frequency is roughly 150 MHz. C3 could include a very small variable capacitor, or L1 might be wound on a form with an iron powder slug or brass slug. R4 is not a real resistor; it simulates finite Q of the coil L1.


This simulation kick-starts the oscillator by injecting a current pulse with an initial condition: .IC I(L1)=10n

Source Link
glen_geek
  • 27.6k
  • 1
  • 25
  • 56

It seems that the local oscillator transistor has marginal gain at 150 MHz...achieving stable oscillation may be difficult. App-note suggests boosting DC operating current by adding an external resistor from pin 3 to ground: a value between 10K - 22K is recommended for oscillator frequency above 80 MHz. Boosting oscillator DC current will improve its gain-bandwidth product.
In addition, RF oscillator amplitude at pin 3 should be 220mV (RMS) to get full mixer gain. Relying on a SPICE simulation is very risky, because this transistor is not well-specified in the data sheet - what transistor should you substitute?

Oscillator frequency will drift with temperature and supply voltage. Expect to adjust frequency often (either with variable L or a variable C). At these frequencies, a voltage-controlled-oscillator would be used, as part of a phase-locked-loop to achieve stable frequency. Doing so with this feeble on-board transistor makes oscillator design even more risky.
An alternative might use a digital oscillator: something like SiliconLabs Si5351. Its top frequency end goes at least to 160 MHz (some claim 200 MHz). A tiny microcontroller would be required to set its frequency on power-up, and a fixed-frequency ~25MHz crystal is required as well. You can program its output frequency very close to 151.05 MHz. Its 3.3V CMOS output square wave can be reduced in amplitude with a resistor divider, and injected via a small capacitor to SA605 pin 4.

Colpitts oscillator: In the schematic below, R3 is an added external resistor to pin 3. R1 & R2 are internal bias resistors inside the chip. These might serve as a starting point for choosing values:
[![VHF Colpitts SA605 rough simulation][1]][1]
Oscillating frequency is roughly 150 MHz. C3 could include a very small variable capacitor, or L1 might be wound on a form with an iron powder slug or brass slug. R4 is not a real resistor; it simulates finite Q of the coil L1.


This simulation kick-starts the oscillator by injecting a current pulse with an initial condition: .IC I(L1)=10n [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/Q4X3h.png