Flathagen has made a DIY EMRFD Direct conversion 40m receiver in a tea caddy:
I woke up one day eager to build something simple (at least I thought is was simple) and opened up the first chapter in EMRFD and decided to build the 40m direct conversion receiver. I already had most of the components in my junk box. By the way, Experimental Method in RF Design (EMRFD) is the best book about homebrewing amateur radio gear. You should get it if you don`t have it.
Project info at DIYcrap blog.
Check out the video after the break.
Ugh, another NE602 based thing. The NE602 has horrible dynamic range. So much effort went into building it too…
You are missing the point entireliy. I had fun building it and I learned a lot. For me that is the purpose of DIY. The struggle and effort was very limited. I could not care less about the specifications on the ICs.
Obey the rules! No fun, no NE602, no Arduino, no Windows. Obey!