Don't laugh but I made some progress. I didn't abandon you guys. I'm still determined to make a super awesome radio. I just want to understand.

I don't know if it's working on the principles I think it's working on. It seems to work but poorly. So the idea with using a transformer works really well from scitoys.

But I want to use a transistor.

So according to what I understand which is very limited..... I decided to hook up my oscillator to the collector, my audio source to the base, and antenna to the emitter. My idea is the carrier signal should go through the transistor and be adjusted by the audio signal at the base.

It works but very poorly. Is that a thing? There's not a lot of materials out there. I'm trying to make an AM modulating circuit. Very simple dead simple.

The thing that's got me baffled.... It still works when I remove the oscillator pin if the wire is near the transistor

Ahhhhhhhh. How can I still hear my music? I think I know less than what I started with. It's like witchcraft.

I keep tinkering with things. There's really nothing out there so I'm kind of Sol. Just keep poking and prodding.

Maybe my oscillator pin which is a wire is inducing a current on one of the transistor pins in close range. That's only reason I can think of.

Unless I'm always supposed to use a transformer. Is that the way it's done?

The only thing that makes sense to me is this article.

dummies.com/programming/electronics/components/…

I want to get away from transformers because they're big and bulky

@Derpy Well, that depends. I have some that are smaller than 1" and weigh a few ounces at most. The HV PS transformer in my homebrew legal-limit HF linear amplifier weighs 150 lbs. ;-)

The audio transformer from an old 56k modem might work. Free, too.

I see. Are transformers always required or can I use a transistor instead?

Hey good to see you back Derpy!