Tips for getting your Bitx working

If you have build your Bitx and are not being able to receive or transmit with a very low power then I have some solutions that may be of help.
BFO tunning problem- Many of us are faced with the problem of adjusting the bfo to the correct frequency so that it is in the pass band of the filter. A simple way of getting the frequency would be to use a 10uh rf choke in L5 and 22pf capacitor with it.
This combination worked for me in several bitx I made. After the set is working you could wind the necessary turns to get 10uh, the rf choke will pick up broadcast so finally you should remove it.

The second cause for the receiver not working would be that your bandpass filter is not tuned. If you use 47 pf see that the bandpass coil slugs are tuned on the top of the coil,once you get the signals with connecting the antenna you could further tune them up or down according to the maximum signal strength.If you use 33pf it should tune somewhere in middle of the coil.

A problem that has been bugging some is the low output from the Bitx main board,so the linear does not give sufficient output, it maybe be as the IRF is not getting the sufficient drive and so a low output.
I found a interesting circuit in sprat sent and recommended by my friend Tony in U.K
A bsx transistor stage could be coupled to the 2n3866 in driver stage on Bitx version 3 linear and an increased output may be possible, i have not tried it out as yet but maybe guys having a problem with low output may try this mod.

The Bitx version 3 will now be easier to make with the manual by Leonard and all the help from Bitx forum members.
If correct procedures are followed then Bitx version 3 could be a quite easy to build,but sometimes due to some mistakes it sits around looking for further attention. hi hi.
Best Regards
Sunil
VU3SUA

Circuit For Increasing the driver output in Linear take from Sprat Magazine.

Request For Your Bitx Version 3 Pictures

kindly feel free to submit your Bitx Version 3 pictures and write down a few words on your moments spent on building the Bitx. It would be great to put some pictures of all the Bitx Version 3 being build by Hams.
73's
De
Sunil Lakhani
VU3SUA

Ham Radio Books At Amazon

Amazon.com has some interesting books for Radio Amateurs New and Used ones.
We have a shop on Amazon and we request members to buy from our shop if they do
intend to buy from Amazon.The income generated will be used for making new kits that will always be very economical for Hams living in any part of the world.
Best of wishes
73's
Sunil Lakhani

Poll results for ACP cabinet

My thanks to all friends for taking part in a poll for knowing if the ACP cabinet would be a suitable choice for a cabinet for Bitx.
Most of the members have found the idea unique for Bitx to have a ACP cabinet.
I would request all members to kindly express their opinion on what type of cabinet they prefer amongst the metal cabinets, and if possible drop me a mail expressing their choice of cabinet.

CW For Bitx and CW Filter

It gives me great pleasure in introducing my friend Om Tony Fletcher m0pkd from the
United Kingdom. Tony had purchased a Bitx Version 3 kit from my ebay shop and in a very short time had build the receiver of the Bitx.
It is an appreciated effort on the part of Tony as this is his first home brew for a
SSB TCVR as Tony as an cw enthusiast.

Tony has also come up with a simple solution for the Bitx to work on a 400 Khz cw filter,which can be switched for ssb/cw
The circuit is posted here






I am presenting one more circuit sent to me by Tony ,this circuit for the benefit of all wishing to add cw to their Bitx with a very little work.

We thank Tony for his great effort in making the Bitx to work on a filter suitable for cw mode with a very simple technique.

Bitx Manual And ACP Cabinet for Bitx Version 3

Om Leonard is working on the Bitx Version 3 Manual and he has completed some sections, hopefully the complete manual should be complete soon.
The Bitx version 3 PCB is getting a new silk screen so now the component placement will be much clearer from the earlier one. The Linear board is also getting a silk screen according to the components placement as suggested by Leonard modifications.
Hope fully we are moving in the right direction and making the Bitx version 3 more easy to construct by providing the correct info for components.

A new poll has been put up for an ACP cabinet for Bitx, kindly take part in poll and let us know your opinion on it.
Kind regards to all.
Sunil Lakhani VU3SUA

Bitx Version 3 Facts

Hi. I would like to thank Arv Evans for his very frank opinion posted in Yahoo Bitx Group on the Bitx sets available in complete kit form and semi kit form.
I had started out giving the Bitx mini kit to the forum members as there was no PCB available for Bitx, I belief this started before the Bitx 20 a. The aim was just to help members get the bandpass coils and pcb. The cost is also very economical for a ham from any part of the world. The start price of $10 for a mini kit can not be considered a business venture or selling kits to make profits,when you know the pitfalls and the comments which may be good or bad.
Since the documentation was missing, my aim is to provide the maximum info about Bitx, the main docs of Farhan and layouts of VU3WJM mods.
I did not venture in selling the whole kit just because of incomplete documentation,but Leonard has done a great job in making so much of info available in regards to Bitx VER 3.

I think a couple a dollars spent on version 3 would just be about a parking ticket in US. So the motive is not to earn money but to help people who have a limited budget for the hobby.
It requires help from a couple of guys to document and distribute a project and I have been doing my best with the limited resources and time.

I am also posting this thread on my blog also for my friends to get a clear picture as what to expect with the Bitx version 3 kit.

Many of my Italian friends have build the Bitx version 3 with success and this drives home a point that the basic building blocks for making the ssb tcvr are same and we need an alert mindset to study the design and adapt from the basic design and not be let down by just a few documents . But in due course a full documentation of version 3 will be available as Om Leonard is working on it, and we hope to meet the aspirations of your expectations.
Regards
Sunil Lakhani VU3SUA