FM to AM Radio Converter

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It is hoped this converter design described in the article will offer a new lease of life to AM only radios without breaking the bank. As featured in the British Vintage Wireless Society Bulletin Vol 42 - Summer 2017 magazine.

AM broadcasts in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world are in rapid decline and are likely to cease altogether by the middle of the 2020s, mainly due to higher transmitter running costs and dwindling listeners. Many countries in Europe have already closed AM broadcasts completely. Here in the UK on the long wave band (148.5 - 283.5kHz) only BBC Radio 4 can be heard. On the medium wave band (526.5 - 1606.5kHz) there remain a few regional and commercial stations that can be heard, but the only nationally covered stations are BBC Radio 4, and Radio 5 Live. It is however a different story on the FM band (87.5 - 108.0MHz). At least for the foreseeable future, there remains a wider selection of FM stations including regional, community and the national BBC stations, Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4 FM.

Schematic diagram of the FM to AM converter.



Stripboard layout of the FM to AM converter.

All the parts can be easily found for little cost on eBay or other online sites. The RDA5807M FM receiver module is being sold for as little as 29 pence ($0.38 USD) including P&P from China.

Further useful information discussing constructional details may be found at UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration forum.

Buy the pre-programmed PIC microcontroller.

At the heart of the converter design is a PIC12F1572 PIC microcontroller. If you would like to try building this project yourself, the PIC may be purchased below fully pre-programmed and ready for use. The price includes postage and packing via Royal Mail Signed For service, either to mainland UK or Worldwide.

Happy listening!