This receiver is the W1DX HB-67 from the 1967 ARRL Handbook.  I first read this receiver project article back in 1967 when I was a kid, and ever since then, I've wanted to build it myself.  Fast forward to day, I am retired and have time to build.  This is my third receiver project.  It is a double conversion commercial quality ham radio receiver for covering the 80 meter, 40 meter, 30 meter, 20 meter, and 17 meter ham bands.

  
  The FiveBand Receiver in the 1967 ARRL Handbook                                                                WA9WFA Version of the HB-67



The HB-67 (Home Brew 1967) is a double conversion receiver covering 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, and 17m.  The design consists of an 80 meter base superheterodyne receiver, and then it uses crystal controlled converters for 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m.  For the converted bands, those signals are converted down into the 80 meter band.  The receiver is single conversion on 80 meters and double conversion on 40-17.  While the radio technically uses 10 tubes, two of the tubes have 3 tube functions each, one of the tubes has two tube functions, so it compares to a 14 tube radio.  This is the first time ever that I've used COMPACTRON tubes.  At first I was leery of them because of their massive 12 pin sockets, but I've come to appreciate the functionality of three tubes in one. 

I wanted to duplicate the look and feel of W1DX's front panel because that's what I remember from 1967.  I've gotten very close as you can see.  The extra control on the left is for the switchable Collins mechanical filters.  Controls bottom left to right, 500 Hz/2.1 KHz mechanical filter switch,  volume control, band switch, BFO.  Controls top left to right, Jackson Brothers dual speed 6:1/36:1 main tuning dial, IF gain control, AGC on/off, preselector.

The 80 meter base receiver uses Collins mechanical filters, and has sockets for both a 2.1 KHz and 500 Hz filter, selectable from the front panel.  The radio also has three 455 KHz IF amplifiers so ensure plenty of system gain.  An audio derived AGC helps keep audio volume from blowing out my ear drums when loud signals appear.  I followed W1DX's design very closely with some exceptions.  I added an additional 500 Hz mechanical filter for CW, switchable from the front panel.  I replaced the simple diode detector with a real product detector.  I added a third 455 KHz IF amplifier stage.  And I'm planning to replace the BFO LC tunable oscillator with a front panel controlled LSB/USB crystal oscillator.  I left the power supply off the chassis because as a beginner builder, I needed more room for wiring the circuitry.  Other than that, it's W1DX's design.  W1DX used a JW Miller 6:1/36:1 vernier dial in 1967. Unable to find one, I luckily found a Jackson Brothers 6:1/36:1 vernier that looks similar to W1DX's, and the 36:1 tuning is super smooth.

Progress report as of March 19, 2023:  the 80 meter base receiver is working well.  The crystal controlled converter is wired with the exception of the band coils.  I tack wired in just the 20 meter set for experimentation, and by golly, the receiver sounds awesome! 

My plan is to finish off this radio and then build a matching CW transmitter.  I have an additional Jackson Brothers 36:1 vernier dial for a VFO driving 2 or 3 6146's.  If you have a transmitter design that you favor,  I'd appreciate hearing about it.  73 Scott WA9WFA