Customer Reviews

AM/FM Radio Kit/Trainer (requires assembly-advanced)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're a tech buff, you'll love this. I'm building this for my Auto/mechanics class in High School, and this is my latest project. I love it. I've finished the AM part and am halfway through the FM part, and the AM part worked the first time I tried it. It sounds very loud and clear after adjusting the coils. Putting it together was an awesome experience, and I couldn't wipe that grin off my face when I turned it on and it worked. The instructions are very clear, they get straight to the point and have you do some testing with a multimeter along the way to make sure you didn't screw anything up. Great kit, just three tips:

Don't drop the AM antenna. It is little more than a bar of iron, and it WILL crack into several pieces.

Don't forget to put the plastic o-ring under the volume potentiometer.

On the AM/FM tuning gang capacitor, make sure you put the two screws on first BEFORE soldering it to the board. If you don't do this, it will cause the PCB to noticeably bend, and that's no fun.

I'll make this short. If like me, you miss building those kits--this is the one you want. At first I thought it would be too easy--I haven't done it yet, but I did open the box and give it the 'quick once over'.

Apparently, it is 'just' complicated enough to keep my interest--I would have perferred building my own cabinet stereo...but they don't exist anymore. So I settled for this little one. Oh yes, this comes with a small speaker.

All you technos who want to build your own radio (including the soldering and circuit board parts) that will fit into a small shoe box...this is the one to get! (it was also the only one I could find on the internet--those Snap-on and Spring Clips aren't my bag).

So, it gets my five star rating.

BYE!

I originally purchased this kit as part of my capstone project for my associates degree in computer and electrical engineering. The manual that comes with the kit makes for a very good learning lab, especially if you have an RF generator and an O-scope to use. Make sure you follow the directions to a T and never assume. Once assembled the AM Part of the radio worked really well. The FM side worked OK. I had problems picking up stations inside of my school building on the FM side more than the AM side. The kit does react to noise, as it does not have a box to block it. The silk screen board is really nice as it labels the sections of the radio, but mine came with small cracks on the surface.

This project is good for someone just starting out learning electronics communications.

Very nice kit. Only amplifier was oscillating. Just place the extra provided capacitor over powerconnection of IC and over the input of the IC and ground a resistor of 10 Kohm and all is OK. It is a lot of fun to build the radio and reception is above expectation.

I learned to solder (via the learn to solder kit) only weeks before I made the plunge and bought this kit. I always wanted to build a radio! When I turned it on and heard real music, I must use the overused term- majic. Very cool. later I soldered on a 9v power supply from a cell phone so I don't need batteries.

This product can neatly packaged with well written instructions. I have built kits before, but this one contained testing instructions that are done during the building phase. If you like to build small projects, this kit is an ideal project to fill that need.

I would have given it 5 stars had the kit not been short one resistor, which led to a trip to Radio Shack. It was fun to build, and I completed the kit in two afternoons. It would have been faster save for the extensively detailed adjustment procedures, but these are the most interesting and educational part of the whole experience, it was fun to see the results on the oscilloscope. Probably a little too hard overall as a first kit, but easy once basic soldering skills are acquired.

I've built two of these radios. The first was for a college learn-to-solder class. The second one I built a couple of years later after some college electronics courses and a lot of self-education through reading and tinkering. Both times the radios worked, but the second time, I understood how.

I love these radios! You'll learn how to solder, and you'll get a chunk of radio theory which can start you off into a real learning experience. That's what happened to me.

These aren't the best radios. You can buy a better radio on the internet for a few bucks. But you can't get the knowledge of how radios work that way. Enjoy the experience!

It's still fun when you hear a voice coming from the speaker for the first time. And they aren't hard to make, either!

I'd get the version with the build-from-scratch audio amp. You'll learn more that way.

It's not a toy and you have to spend many hours soldering the components to the board. Overall, it is good training for soldering and learning how electronic communications work.

Grandson loved putting it together and gave Grandpa some quality time teaching whta he loves tools and how to use them.