First intentions...
A few years ago, I decided to build a solid-state stereo FM receiver. My homemade 8-tube and 9-tube/3-IC FM receivers were quite successful, but I wanted to try my skills at a solid-state version. Among the many ICs (integrated circuits) available on the market for FM radios, I wrongly focused on the TDA7088T (FM tuner), the TDA7040T (stereo decoder) and the TDA7050T (stereo amplifier). These SMD (surface-mount) ICs were hard to obtain and difficult to handle, so my project ended up on paper and never saw the light.

Renewed interest...
I was searching the internet for receiver projects when I ended up on Patrick Cambre's website. Patrick described a 2-IC stereo FM receiver he built with the SMD (Surface mount) TEA5711T and TDA7050T ICs. His receiver was based on the application circuit of the TEA5711T, which was simple and easy to implement. Patrick used a printed circuit to connect the small ICs, but since I was going to use Manhattan style construction, I decided to use the DIP (Dual inline) version of the ICs for my receiver. Obtaining the larger TEA5711 and TDA7050 was not easy as they were out of production, but I was eventually able to locate and purchase several of them with the help of a friend in Germany. I was finally ready to build my first solid-state stereo FM receiver!

The receiver...
My receiver is built around the larger TEA5711 and TDA7050 ICs, as I mentioned above. The FM section of the TEA5711 features high selectivity with distributed IF gain, good strong signal handling, AFC (automatic frequency control) for drift-free reception, a mute circuit to decrease static on weak stations, and a stereo MPX decoder for stereo reception. The TDA7050 features low distortion and is rated at 75 mW output per channel. The application circuit uses 3 volts to power the receiver, but I decided to run my receiver with 4.5 volts for increased audio output.

The results...
I have received stereo transmissions from Cyprus, 240 km (150 miles) away. This attests to the high sensitivity of the TEA5711. The AFC functions well and provides drift-free reception. AFC level can be controlled with the value of the capacitor at pin 20 of the TEA5711. Adjacent channel selectivity depends on the two ceramic filters, which plug in sockets in this receiver. I tested several of these and settled on narrow filters with 150 KHz band width with very good results. I tried a ceramic filter in place of the ceramic resonator at pin 5, like Patrick Cambre did in his receiver, but the sound was distorted. A ceramic resonator is definitely the way to go here. I used 0.47 uF capacitors at pins 2 and 3 instead of the suggested 0.1 uF in the application circuit, to improve the base response. Stereo separation is a function of signal strength, and is similar to that of my stereo MPX decoder with 45 dB separation. And with good quality headphones, the sound is rich with deep base and high treble, for hours of enjoyable stereo music. All in all, this receiver proved to be a good performer and a pleasure to listen to!

The receiver is housed in a 7 x 5 x 2 inch aluminum chassis. Controls from left: on/off, balance, volume, stereo/mono and tuning. High quality stereo headphones with 32 or 60 ohms impedance can be used with the receiver. A 6 to 1 miniature vernier drive offers smooth tuning. Stereo reception is indicated by the small red LED. The stereo/mono switch allows clearer reception of weak stereo stations. The balance control comes in handy for transmissions with slightly flawed balance. A removable telescopic antenna can be swiveled, extended and collapsed for best reception.

The complete circuit was built "Manhattan style" on a 3 x 4 inch piece of single-sided PC board. An SDIP socket was used with the TEA5711 to allow easy connection of the components. Slug-tuned coils (red squares) were adjusted and sealed with wax for stability. Ceramic filters and resonator plug in sockets for testing purposes (right side of TEA5711). Black trimmer pot (lower left) is adjusted once for best stereo separation. Stereo amplifier TDA7050 IC sits in a DIP socket (lower right). A dual-gang potentiometer was used for a volume control (lower center). Dual-gang variable capacitor is at left. Battery holder at right holds 3 AA batteries which supply 4.5 volts to the receiver.

Close-up view of the board. A printed circuit was not necessary to assemble the high frequency circuitry. The copper plane served as a common ground and improved stability. Bending the pins of the TEA5711 SDIP socket was a frustrating experience as they were fragile and prone to breaking.

Not much at the back. Just my signature and the date of production of this high performance receiver.

The receiver is a slightly modified version of the application circuit for the TEA5711 AM/FM stereo receiver IC.