The Maplin Ranger 160m Receiver

Maplin produced another little receiver, in addition to the famous direct conversion project from 1988…it was called the Maplin Ranger.  The 160m receiver covered from 1.8 to 2.2MHz and was designed for AM, SSB and CW.  This time the receiver is a ‘proper’ superheterodyne design with an IF of 455KHz.

I obtained one of these from eBay, the one featured here in fact, and another which was PCB only, for a radio pal in the USA.  I think he had his up and running last year sometime, but I’ve only just got round to finishing this one.  The ICs and other components should still be fairly easy to source, although the TOKO coils may need a ‘wanted’ advert in a QRP or homebrew forum.

Under the bonnet of the Maplin Ranger

Sadly, 160m is plagued by interference, and many people find it unusable.  Fortunately, the Maplin Ranger uses a 12V power supply and could therefore be used mobile from a parked car or a tent say.  With a decent aerial, you will be surprised how many people use the band once you get away from the man-made interference.

It’s quite a nice little receiver to play with and I have a full PDF of the article for download if you need it.

If you already have a Maplin Ranger, or are planning to build one, do drop me a line.

Note: they normally have a set of tilt up feet…which never came with my radio.  If you have a box from Maplin lying around that looks like this one, please get in touch too; the case is a ‘Case 3502’, Maplin part number YN33L.