Figure 13-This single-balanced, push-pull transistor mixer achieves a high dynamic range (IP3 ≈ 33 dBm) with 15 to 17 dBm of LO drive. Its insertion loss is approximately 6 dB-comparable to a diode-ring mixer. A diode-ring mixer would require 25 to 27 dBm of LO drive to achieve the same IP3. Recent mixer studies have lead to the development of a medium-frequency mixer that is well-suited to shortwave applications and home-built projects. Shown in Figure 13, it consists of two transistors in a push-pull configuration that is singly rather than doubly balanced. Because of the degenerative feedback introduced by the 2042 emitter resistors, the two transistors do not have to be matched. This mixer's real advantage lies in its achievement of a 33-dBm output intercept with only 17 dBm of LO drive. Typically, a diode ring with the same intermod performance requires 25 to 27 dBm of LO drive.
Tests indicate that the upper frequency limit of this mixer lies in the 500-MHz region. The circuit's lower frequency limit depends on the transformer inductances and the ferrites used for the transformer cores.