NOVEMBER 1 989
FEATURES
GOT A COMPUTER & a
shortwave receiver? Link them
together with our new Radfax
Decoder and plot out weather
maps, radioteletype transmissions
& Morse code. See page 18.
76 Electronics For Everyone by Leo Simpson
Pt.5: what you need to know about switches
90 Simple Program For Resistor Calculations by S. Payor
You type in the value & the tolerance
92 The Evolution of Electric Railways by Bryan Maher
Pt.25: the Pilbara iron ore railways
PROJECTS TO BUILD
4 Build A Low Cost Analog Multimeter
by Leo Simpson
Fun to build, easy to use
14 Super Sensitive FM Bug by Greg Swain
So small it fits in a matchbox
18 The Radfax Decoder by John Clarke
Teams with your computer, decodes weather maps, RTTY & Morse
32 2-Chip Portable AM Stereo Radio by Steve Payor
Pt.3: the alignment details
64 FM Radio Intercom For Motorbikes by John Clarke
Pt.2: alignment & troubleshooting
THIS SNEAKY .FM BUG is
smaJJ enough to hide in a
matchbox yet is super sensitive.
We show you how to build it
starting page 14.
SPECIAL COLUMNS
8 Vintage Radio by John Hill
The humble 4-valve receiver
40 Remote Control by Bob Young
Modern radio control systems
46 Amateur Radio by Garry Cratt
Two-tone test oscillator for SSB transmitters
48 Serviceman's Log by the TV serviceman
You've got to be 'Sharp' in this game
68 Computer Bits
by Jennifer Bonnitcha
Floppy disc drives: formats & options
86 The Way I See
It by Neville Williams
Electronic identification: a boom or a catastrophe?
DEPARTMENTS
2 Publisher's Letter
3 Mailbag
7 Subscription Page
61 Circuit Notebook
89 Back Issues
99 Product Showcase
108 Bookshelf
110 Ask Silicon Chip
112 Market Centre
SUPER SLEUTH (alias the
Serviceman) matched wits with
a tricky VCR this month but
eventuaJJy won ('cos he's
briJJiant). The super sleuthing
starts on page 48.
AM Stereo Radio
THIS MONTH, WE conclude
construction of the AM Stereo
Radio with the alignment
details. The procedure starts on
page 32.
NOVEMBER 1989
1