Crystal controlled listening device

There are tons of circuits for listening devices available on the internet. For the most part, they all have in common that they are virtually useless. This article shows how to build a reliable, small and inexpensive listening device using a PLL clock multiplier and a standard crystal. Most audio listening devices, also called spy […]
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Overtone Crystal Oscillator

Crystals with higher frequencies than about 30 MHz are almost exclusively overtone crystals. Such a crystal is intended to be used on an odd multiple of it’s fundamental frequency. Unfortunately, the crystal doesn’t want to resonate on it’s overtone frequency voluntarily, the oscillator circuit needs to force the correct overtone. For a little 2m band […]
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ICS501 / ICS501 VHF Experiments

The ICS501 / ICS511 from Renesas are easy to use, fully integrated clock multipliers for output frequencies up to 200 MHz. What makes them particuarly interesting is the integrated crystal oscillator circuit and ability to produce some fractional multiples, such as 6.25 or 2.5. So let’s find out if they’re interesting for the hobbyist who […]
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