Building a Simple 2N2222 DSB Transmitter for Amateur Radio

Minimalist RF circuits often teach more than complex modern designs. This small DSB transmitter is a good example. The entire DSB transmitter uses only one active semiconductor device together with a pair of diodes and a few tuned circuits.

At first glance the circuit almost looks too simple to work seriously. Yet it does. When connected to a properly matched antenna, the transmitter can establish contacts with ordinary SSB stations surprisingly well. Most operators on the other end will hardly notice that the signal comes from such a basic setup because the carrier is largely suppressed.

The original concept was published by the well-known experimenter JF1OZL and later reproduced by several European homebrew enthusiasts. Its appeal comes from one thing: simplicity.

Building a Simple 2N2222 DSB Transmitter for Amateur Radio