How do you multiply the frequency of an oscillator?

[davenn]

for low power circuits, the frequency limit of the the transistor is the critical part.
all transistor datasheets show a Ft for the transistor. this is the maximum and generally one would choose a transistor that has a much higher Ft than what their circuit is going to operate at.

Dave

 

[tackyattack]

for low power circuits, the frequency limit of the the transistor is the critical part.
all transistor datasheets show a Ft for the transistor. this is the maximum and generally one would choose a transistor that has a much higher Ft than what their circuit is going to operate at.

Dave

Yeah, I knew it had to be higher, but does it have to be a certain amount higher other than extra headroom? Doesn't it have to be non-linear or something like that to make harmonics? Or is the LC tank the part that makes the harmonics and the transistor just acts as a buffer?

 

[NascentOxygen]

I think most countries allow very low-power FM transmissions for things such as baby monitors, wireless microphones, etc. At a 100MHz operating frequency, you can verify its frequency on your FM broadcast receiver. Example: one transistor transmitter http://www.next.gr/oscillators/rf/RF-oscillator-circuit-2N3904-l6324.html

First check that this band of operation is permitted in your country.

 

[vk6kro]

Yeah, I knew it had to be higher, but does it have to be a certain amount higher other than extra headroom? Doesn't it have to be non-linear or something like that to make harmonics? Or is the LC tank the part that makes the harmonics and the transistor just acts as a buffer?

The Ft quoted in transistor data sheets is the frequency at which the current gain reaches one.

So, you don't want to be using it at that frequency. At about half of that frequency, the transistor will have substantial gain and will give harmonic output from drive at a lower frequency.

So, for output at 200 MHz, you would need a transistor with an ft of at least 400 MHz.

I have some transistors with an ft of 6000 MHz but these would be capable of output up to 3000 MHz so they have to be used carefully.

For this project, you would need an output of 5 or 10 watts from the transmitter, and this could cause lots of interference unless it is properly designed and tested.