Gerhard Fiedler connectionbrazil.com> writes: > >> buy nH inductor kit > > > > Yeah. Get the kit where you also get a complimentary bridge in the desert > > included. > > I didn't understand this... I guess you mean it's not worth it? Yup. It would be a box with pieces of wire and instructions to avoid bending them or putting them near any metal or dielectric ... > > FYI there is a file on the web called 'aircoil.htm' or 'aircoils.htm'. It > > is a table of inductors for the tens to thousands of nH range suitable > > for FM and 144 MHz work. > > You mean ? (Many hits on > "aircoil.htm".) But I think the aircoil calculations are rather > straightforward -- if they work :) No, it's not that file. The file I had in mind is off the net. My copy was downloaded in 1998. The calculations are as useless as the ready made inductors: they cannot predict the real situation. As I said, small details can pull the frequency off 1-3%. That's 10 MHz at 433 MHz (way too much). > If I understand you correctly, you seem to say that using self-made > aircoils is a lot safer (in the sense of fewer "rinse and repeat" cycles :) > than using PCB coils? No, it's the same, but they don't cost extra money or waste of time. If you cannot 'see' what you are doing it would take a lot of experience to get things done like that and you will never be sure of what comes out. Try very hard to locate a place where they have a specan. Any lab that does cell phones or handy phones (UHF) should have one. Or try to rent from an equipment supplier. Peter P. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist