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River City ARCS�7 April 2026

  • Dean Souleles KK4DAS   In Northern Virginia. 

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  • Pete Juliano, N6QW, the Wizard of Newbury Park

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  • Bill Meara Hi7/N2CQR  Is in the Dominican Republic, not with us today because of time zones!

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  • We are the 3 SolderSmoke guys.  Bill and I did most of the work on the project while Pete was tied up with family matters. 

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The SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver – What we will cover: 

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Why build a receiver?

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The challenge

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Background – Failure, then success

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Our receiver

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Why we did it this way

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Results 

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Why Build a Receiver?� �Why THIS Receiver?

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Farhan�VU2ESE�

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Why Farhan, why?

“ ‘Why build a receiver? Why do you want to build it? You can buy one in the Dubai Duty Free shop!’ said Harish, an old friend when he spotted us struggling with the DC40 one evening.

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My personal answer would be because we human beings are fundamentally tool builders. We have an opposable thumb that allows us to grip the soldering iron.”

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"For a ham or an engineer, building a usable receiver is a personal landmark. It establishes a personal competency to be able to understand the very fundamental operation of the radio and mastery over it."

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Conventional Ham Radio Wisdom��“Receivers are too hard for hams to build!”

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  • This has been repeated many times over the last 50 years.

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  • “Hams can build simple transmitters, but receivers are too hard.”

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  • NOT TRUE. And we missed out on a lot…

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Project Started at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology 2023

  • We worked hard on this. At least 15 visits to the school…

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  • But the students and faculty just lost interest and quit before they completed the project.
  • They quit right before the finish line.
  • Some 15 receivers were ALMOST finished.
  • But they weren’t finished. They failed. They all went to the “Shelf of Shame.” And it was a real shame.

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  • We wanted success.

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So we shifted venues.

-- In December 2024, on the SolderSmoke podcast we challenged the ham radio community to build our receiver.

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-- Dean KK4DAS offered to produce “how to” videos, and to help builders.

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-- We set up a Discord server. To discuss, share experiences, and to ask for help.

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Homebrew – not a kit

  • Early on we faced pressure from some who wanted us to turn this into a kit assembly project.

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  • We said no. This should be a true homebrew project

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  • We use the old ham radio definition. It is homebrew if you built it yourself, at home.

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  • Even if you didn’t necessarily DESIGN it yourself.

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  • Some think this is easy. It is not!

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We kept it simple. BRUTALLY simple.

  • We got lots of “you should” suggestions.

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  • All would have made the receiver a slight bit better, but much more complicated.

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  • So we said NO.

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  • We kept it simple.

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Our Receiver: 40 Meters, Direct Conversion, All Discrete, Manhattan Construction

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Just four simple modules

If you understand how these modules work together then you understand radio!

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Permeability Tuned Oscillator

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Band Pass Filter – Simple Double Tuned Circuit

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Mixer and Diplexer

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Audio Amplifier

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A real ham receiver – Not a toy!

  • Hams are using this receiver to make contacts: SSB, DSB,CW.

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  • Others have used it to receive and decode FT8.

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  • The builders are almost always astonished by what they have built.

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  • Builders are very pleased.

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Before we chalk up a success, we usually ask for proof. Video proof.

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��BIG SUCCESS: �So far 128 receivers have been completed, in 18 countries. ��This one was built in Singapore:

Recognition:

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  • 2025 ARRL Technical Services Award

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  • GQRP Club 2026 G2NJ Trophy for the greatest contribution to international QRP

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Some receivers in action

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So… We urge you to accept the challenge! Build this thing. Then be an Elmer and help someone else.

Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server (over 900 members):

https://discord.gg/Fu6B7yGxx2

 

High School Build Documentation on Hackaday:

https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

 

SolderSmoke YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@soldersmoke

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