Alignment - Ramsey Electronics HR-80 Instruction Manual

hear a few whistles as you tune, the NE602 oscillator is working
just fine.
These simple initial checks verify that your receiver is operating
well enough to proceed to the next section, alignment.

Alignment:

Turn on whatever reference signal source you plan to use. This can
be a regular transceiver keying a few milliwatts into a dummy load, a
crystal oscillator or a signal generator. Or, you can look for a known
signal that you have tuned in on another receiver.
If you are without any reference signal whatsoever but have a
reasonable antenna , you can use your familiarity with the 80-meter
band to make a rough alignment of the receiver. If Ham radio and 80
meters are new to you, here's a rough idea of what you can expect to
hear on this busy band:
3.00 - 3.5 MHz - CW, most of it is fairly fast
3.50 - 3.70 MHz - Teletype (RTTY) and digital operation
3.70 - 4.00 MHz - SSB voice, many different languages
4.00 - 5.00 MHz - general SSB voice operation
NOTE: A miniature transformer alignment tool is used to turn the
slugs in L1 and L2. If you do not have one, make one by gently
sanding the tip of a wooden match stick, a kabob skewer or other
piece of wood or plastic. While it seems that a small jeweler's
screwdriver could be used, be aware that its metallic construction will
make adjustment of L2 very erratic and could damage the powdered
iron slug. Any kind of metal tip will affect the coil's true value, so that
the oscillator will run at one frequency with the metal instrument in
the coil can, and a completely different frequency by itself.
For now, set the tuning control to its mid-point. Use the insulated
alignment tool to gently rotate the slug in the top of L2. If it starts
to get tight , DO NOT FORCE IT! Instead gently rock it back and
forth until it loosens up. You should find your 3MHz reference
over a range of approximately 6 to 9 MHz. The varactor tuning
control can cover any 300 KHz range chosen within the 2.5 to
5MHz limits.
Adjust L1 for maximum received signal strength. Now you're
ready to receive on-the-air signals! After you get used to its
tuning and performance, you can adjust the tuning control, L1
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