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Tecsun 2P3 AM Radio Receiver Kit - DIY for Enthusiasts, Built it into a Radio case !
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Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | TECSUN |
Color | Multicolor |
Product Dimensions | 11"L x 8"W x 3"H |
Tuner Technology | AM |
Style | Fun Radio Kit |
Power Source | Battery Powered |
Item Weight | 16 ounces |
Hardware Interface | 3.5mm Audio |
Frequency | 108 MHz |
Speaker Maximum Output Power | 120 Watts |
About this item
- Build a high performance AM radio Receiver
- DIY for enthusiasts, higher sensitivity than 99% AM radios on the market
- Step-by-step Guide included
- Great for learning and education
- Completed it with a radio case, make it your favorite radio and take it anywhere you want, Tell and Show !
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 11 x 8 x 2 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1 pounds |
Country of Origin | China |
ASIN | B00LXK26QW |
Item model number | 2P3 |
Manufacturer recommended age | 12 years and up |
Best Sellers Rank | #90,110 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #49 in Car Satellite Radio Equipment |
Customer Reviews |
4.0 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Manufacturer | Tecsun |
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Product Description
In mid 1960s, due to a steadily available stock of domestic made transistors, there was a huge DIY wave of transistor radio in the world. The big issue for a DIY transistor radio is how to make it good, the Tecsun 2P3 radio kit was made to fulfill this demand.The 2P3 comes with transistors and IC hybrid kit, it lets both hobbyist and DIYers to build their own AM radio receiver with a detailed diagram and instructions.From this DIY, you learn many things that a book can not tell you, It tells you how the Resistors and IC works together to make a radio work, Fun to Do It.It is no like any other kits, this kit comes with a radio case that designed for the radio, so after it is assembled , you can use it as radio and put into your pocket.
Important information
Safety Information
Do not Recommend for kids under 8 Years old. Use solder iron and battery.
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Customer Review: My New Favorite Radio!
Richard Hoffman
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, sound quality, and appearance of the radio. They mention that it's worth having, has good sound, and has plenty of volume. They appreciate the beautiful exterior design and sharp looking. Customers are also satisfied with performance, sensitivity, and alignment. However, some customers differ on ease of assembly, and completeness.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the quality of the radio kit. They mention that it's the best quality radio kit they have purchased, with sufficient quality parts. They are impressed with the engineering, sensitivity, and selectivity of this little radio. They also say the design is open and good, making it easy to read. Overall, customers say it'll be a pleasure to build and worth every penny spent.
"...is an exceptionally well designed & executed kit with all high quality parts and materials...." Read more
"...So I'm very impressed with the engineering, sensitivity and selectivity of this little radio...." Read more
"...a lot of fun doing it and got a good radio to boot so it was well worth the cost. I just wish they had designed it so the volume worked as normal...." Read more
"...The draftsmanship is open and very good, making it easy to read. You can follow it well while reading the included theory of operation...." Read more
Customers like the sound quality of the radio. They say the volume is quite good, the tonal quality is great, and there's plenty of volume.
"...This combined with full, crystal clear audio may be an eye-opener for those of us used to DSP-based radios that prevail today...." Read more
"...The little radio picked up that station with plenty of volume and no static - unlike all 4 of the car radios of the folks who were at camp with me,..." Read more
"...The audio amp is done with a single IC. The volume is quite good, and everything matches up well. The alignment is quite simple...." Read more
"...At its heart, though, the radio is able to deliver near-hifi sound when used with a decent set of headphones...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the radio. They mention that it has a beautiful exterior design, is well-designed, and is presented nicely. They also appreciate the sharp looking, discrete design, and the retro look. Customers also mention that the case is nicely finished and adds that extra touch to a nice finished product.
"...The result of the builder's effort is an attractive and very functional traditional pocket radio that I expect will provide years of dependable use..." Read more
"...the rest of the kit in it's implementation, documentation, and design is so outstanding that I'm still giving it 5 stars...." Read more
"...The circuit is a unique design in that with only 3 transistors, it's able to achieve quite a sensitive and selective radio!..." Read more
"...The design is discrete - meaning it has individual transistors and components, all through-hole and no surface-mount items...." Read more
Customers like the performance of the radio. They say it works well, has reasonable selectivity, and has excellent reception. Some mention that the radio is a first time builder and works well upon first power up.
"...The result of the builder's effort is an attractive and very functional traditional pocket radio that I expect will provide years of dependable use..." Read more
"I've built two of these kits, the first one worked great, the second one just static...." Read more
"...THE RADIO IS BARELY USEABLE THIS WAY. MECHANICAL IS AWFUL!TEST/ ALIGNMENT GRIPES:17. NO TEST EQUIPMENT LIST...." Read more
"Feb 2024 - 2p3 works for surprisingly well. I picked up stations at first power on up to 901 miles away...." Read more
Customers like the alignment of the radio. They say it's simple, well adjusted from the factory, and everything fits together exactly. They also mention that the instructions are easy to follow and the radio is relatively easy to tune.
"...Final mechanical assembly was intuitive and all parts aligned perfectly...." Read more
"...The volume is quite good, and everything matches up well. The alignment is quite simple...." Read more
"...All necessary screws lineup. Back of cabinet fits tightly. It could be a quarter of a centimeter bigger...." Read more
"...Alignment was pretty easy following the directions, though the provided alignment tool is not usable on the tuning capacitor trimmers...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the sensitivity of the radio. For example, they mention it's highly sensitive, picks up distant stations, and is one of the most sensitive AM pocket radios ever.
"...Performance wise, I found sensitivity is quite good...." Read more
"...I then had a remarkably sensitive and selective little receiver; that tells me they used good parts for the tuned circuits in the radio considering..." Read more
"...design in that with only 3 transistors, it's able to achieve quite a sensitive and selective radio!..." Read more
"...Sensitivity of the radio is good picking up distant stations...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of assembly. Some mention the Theory of Operation and instructions for assembly are almost perfect, clear, and informative. The alignment process was simple, and the wires are color-coded, making it easy to solder on the board. The print quality of the instructions is excellent, and drawings and schematic diagrams are excellent. However, some say the kit lacks step-by-step detailed instructions, and some find the mechanical assembly challenging.
"...The alignment process was simple but I spent considerable time peaking for maximum performance before I was satisfied....just my nature!..." Read more
"...BOTTOM LINE:25. THE RADIO DOES WORK, BUT YOUR ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS, TESTING , MECHANICAL DESIGN AND QUALITY, MISSING PARTS, NO..." Read more
"...Overall, despite the missing parts, it was a pleasure to build and a pleasure to listen to...." Read more
"...The volume is quite good, and everything matches up well. The alignment is quite simple...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the completeness of the radio. Some mention that all parts were present, and the kit is a real delight. However, others say that the kit was missing a few common value resistors and capacitors.
"...As a result, signal-to-noise ratio is excellent. This combined with full, crystal clear audio may be an eye-opener for those of us used to DSP-based..." Read more
"...star because, as other reviewers have mentioned, the kit IS missing two 10K-ohm resistors; and also because the documentation shows an empty IF..." Read more
"...And there is a good point to make. This kit comes with everything you will need EXCEPT solder. You have to make a choice...." Read more
"...I THINK I’M FIRST BECAUSE YOU HAVE SERIOUS MISTAKES, OMISSIONS, MISSING PARTS ETC., ESPECIALLY SEE #3, #11! REQUIRED FILING TO FIT!..." Read more
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My first task beyond study of the manual was to take inventory of the parts against the bill of materials. All parts were present in my kit. Upon completion of circuit board assembly, bias current readings were within spec without the need for resistor value changes (as described in the manual). Extra resistors of various values are provided to accommodate if needed. The radio immediately functioned quite well from initial power up. The alignment process was simple but I spent considerable time peaking for maximum performance before I was satisfied....just my nature! Build time from unpacking to completion of alignment to my satisfaction was in excess of 6 hours! This included cleaning of flux and careful inspection. There was no rework involved. Final mechanical assembly was intuitive and all parts aligned perfectly.
Performance wise, I found sensitivity is quite good. Selectivity is average and as expected for its design but readily aided by the radio's excellent directional nulling ability. Audio quality is excellent, particularly with headphones, and has plenty of power. Consistent with the 2P3's conventional superhet design, the noise floor is nearly non-existent in an RFI-quiet environment. As a result, signal-to-noise ratio is excellent. This combined with full, crystal clear audio may be an eye-opener for those of us used to DSP-based radios that prevail today. As expected, tuning requires some finesse. One caution - AGC action is minimal and the headphone jack receives full speaker drive without any safety attenuation, so caution is advised when listening with headphones.
I truly hope Tecsun will keep this great kit available so all can enjoy it. I'm not aware of any serious competing kit radios currently available. Personally, I'd like to build another one. Availability of different colors or cabinet styles would serve as an excellent excuse! Here's hoping for future availability.
Other reviewer stated that he had to cut holes in the plastic case in order to get a good fit, that is just plain false. Folks, this is a kit, you have to expect to do some work here! It's not going to just snap together like some Lego blocks. Doing the work, taking your time and doing it right with some finesse, and winding up with a nice thing you can have some pride of accomplishment in, that's all part of the kit building experience. I found that if you position the volume control and headphone jack on the PCB and hold it there with a little piece of blue painter's masking tape (do one of them first, then the other) in their positions and DON'T solder yet, then place the PCB in the case and test for fit with the holes in the case . . . if the fit is not good, reposition the part and secure again with the tape. Once the fit is perfect, carefully remove the PCB without disturbing the position of the part being held by the tape, and then with the tape holding the part in it's perfect location, you solder it down to the PCB. That's what I mean by taking your time and doing the job with some finesse.
Again to the reviewer who complained he had to file the little volume control daughter board after breaking it off the main PCB, it's to be expected, it's a kit, not a pile of Lego blocks. Another totally invalid complaint IMHO.
The 4-color poster is fantastic, there are NO errors on it. The reviewer who complained about the electrolytic capacitor markings was just nit-picking, Thee negative side of the capacitors is marked plainly on both the pictorial chart AND on the PCB itself. I have been working as a professional in Avionics for over 38 years, and most ALL capacitors of that type I've seen have the NEGATIVE side marked. In the kit, the parts themselves, the pictorial, and the PCB all are plainly marked as to which side is the negative side, so no problem there at all IMHO.
I have an extensive "junk box" full of electronic parts at home, so I had no problem replacing the two missing resistors. Still, no excuse for that, they need to fix that issue so that people don't have to go to Radio Shack and get something that is supposed to be included in the kit. I also had plenty of "junk" miniature IF transformers, so I gutted one of them and installed the can on the PCB over the detector components as shown by the outline on the PCB and in the documentation. Missing parts issue solved.
I turned on the radio and it worked right away. Then I aligned it via the simple method in the documentation and it was working just fine, with the stations 560 and 1450 showing up on the station dial in their proper relative positions. Maybe the reviewer who complained about the stations not being in the right place was in too big of a hurry to read the documentation about the part that says it NEEDS to be aligned. Again, it's a kit radio, NOT a snap-together pile of Lego blocks.
I then did what I consider to be a "proper" alignment using a voltmeter to monitor the AVC voltage at the points marked "TP1 and TP2" in the documentation, and using an RF signal generator set to 455khz to align the IF, and then set to 540KHz and 1650Khz to alternately align the inductor and trimmer capacitors to get the stations to appear almost perfectly with the tuning dial markings. I then had a remarkably sensitive and selective little receiver; that tells me they used good parts for the tuned circuits in the radio considering there are just a couple of transistors in there doing all the "work".
It even received my talk radio station inside a metal aircraft hangar, better than any radio anyone else has in the shop (but still it wasn't as loud as it can get outside the building). I then noticed it I place my hand, or a small metal plate near the back of the radio inside the metal hangar, it picked up as good as it could outside. So an idea came to mind - I took the back of the radio off again, and I covered the whole inside surface of it with "1000 mile per hour tape" AKA aircraft battle damage tape, it's metal (aluminum) tape and you can get a roll of it at any of the big box home improvement stores, usually in the section that has the duct work for heating and air conditioning (or sometimes it's in the paint department with the masking tape). I carefully cut around all of the ventilation holes in the radio's back (even though it doesn't get hot and doesn't need ventilation) mostly because the sound from the speaker can get out through those slots and makes the radio's sound fuller. VOILA, not the radio pick up just as good in metal or rebar reinforced concrete structures as it does outside in open air.
Then I went on a camping trip way out in the desert 155 miles as the crow flies from my home town's low-power talk radio station. The little radio picked up that station with plenty of volume and no static - unlike all 4 of the car radios of the folks who were at camp with me, none of the car radios (two stock ones and two after-market ones) could even pick it up. So I'm very impressed with the engineering, sensitivity and selectivity of this little radio.
Overall, despite the missing parts, it was a pleasure to build and a pleasure to listen to. Oh, and the batteries last a long time I'm sure, because I've been listening to it almost everyday for 5-7 hours each day at work, plus on Saturdays in the house (talk radio junky here) for almost 2 months now, and there is no sign of the radio's volume being any lower than the first time I used it.
A well deserved 5-Stars, and that's not even taking into account it's educational value to kids who are just learning radio electronics. But I sure wish Tecsun would hurry and get the missing parts issue solved for those kids big and small that don't have a huge collection of electronic parts laying about the house as I do.
Top reviews from other countries
For those that have a transistor beta (hFE) tester, a voltmeter, some spare resistors, and a breadboard, you might want to make the following changes to the build procedures:
Measure hFE of each S9018 transistor and order them from highest to lowest and then assign them to the circuit as follows (my hFE examples in brackets).
Q1 - highest hFE (104)
Q2 - mid-level hFE (102)
Q3 - lowest hFE (97)
Note that the provided kit bias resistors seem to assume hFE 100 so you will know to modify the resistors if you measure far off that nominal value (100).
Build and test each section as you go - starting from the audio amplifier, then second IF amp./detector (Q3), then first IF amp. (Q2) then the Mixing circuit (Q1).
Calculating modified bias resistors:
-----------------------------------------
A. Calculate R2
Ve = 0.68 (given on schematic)
hFE Q1 measured (e.g. 104)
Ic = (0.6 + 0.3)/2 = 0.45 mA desired collector current.
then
R2 = (hFE1 * Ve) / (1 + hFE1) / Ic
e.g. R2 = 104 * 0.68 / 105 / 0.45 = 1.50k ohms
B. Calculate R10
Ve = 0.07 volts (given on schematic)
hFE Q3 = 97 (measured)
Ic = (1.0 + 0.5)/2 = 0.75 mA desired collector current.
then
R10 = (hFE3 * Ve) / (1 + hFE3) / Ic
e.g. R10 = 97 * 0.07 / 98 / 0.75 * 1000 (mA/A) = 92.4 ohms
C. Calculate R8
Vc16 = 1.853 volts (build and measure the diode voltage source from your kit)
hFE Q3 = 97 measured
Ic = 0.75 mA (same as step B.)
then
R8 = hFE3 * (Vc16 - 0.8) / Ic
R8 = 97 * (1.853 - 0.8) / 0.75 = 136k ohms
D. Calculate R6
Vc15 = 2.78 volts (capacitor voltage given on schematic)
Vc2 = 1.6 volts (collector voltage given on schematic)
Ic = (0.6+0.3)/2 = 0.45 mA (range given on schematic)
then
R6 = (Vc15 - Vc2) / Ic
R6 = (2.78 - 1.6) / 0.45 = 2.6k ohms
E. Calculate R1
Vc16 = 1.853 volts (build and measure the diode voltage source from your kit)
hFE Q1 = 104 measured
Ic = 0.45 mA (same as step A.)
Vb = 1.3 volts (given on schematic)
then
R1 = hFE1 * (Vc16 - 1.3) / Ic
R1 = 104 * (1.853 - 1.3) / 0.45 = 128k ohms
The values of R5 and R7 were used unchanged (as they came in the kit) because their calculation is made more difficult by the circuit feedback. My circuit worked well even with hFE of Q2 (102) being slightly off the nominal value of 100.