This simple schematic shows a basic exciter. This particular unit uses commonly available components, and can be built for about $10. When powered with 12 VDC, it produces about 100mw of output power. It takes about 30 minutes to build, and 1-4 hours to tune properly. The signal drifts, and it sounds like shit. Be that as it may, anyone who is serious about pirate radio should build it (or something similar) anyway. Working with this piece of shit for a few hours makes you appreciate how nice some of the exciters detailed here really are.

There are several really important qualities to look for when choosing an exciter.

The first quality to look for is stability. A good exciter warms up quickly (less than a second), and locks onto frequency reliably. No amount of signal drift (or worse, signal splatter) is acceptable in a broadcast exciter.

The next quality to look for is audio character. A good exciter will reproduce the full audible spectrum without distortion. If it does not, then it will also never function properly when fed a stereo signal (more on stereo later).

Ease of deployment is never a bad quality in an exciter. Portability, power requirements, ease of tuning, and connector options are all important. Be aware, however, that some of the easiest-to-deploy exciters also lack stability and audio quality – which really are the two most important qualities to look for in any exciter.

Commonly available exciters include: The British made Veronica, or any quality unit of the same type. The Chinese made “Airlock” variety. The newer Israeli made Tugicom. The Ramsey FM100 kit. And some commercial units like those available from Broadcast Warehouse (expensive).

The Veronica PLL exciter shown above (currently branded “AAREF”, and now produced in Spain) has been around since the early 1990’s. The Veronica is easily tuned, and once tuned is very stable. It has fine audio character. It is readily available with or without enclosure. And it doesn’t cost a week’s wages. Several vendors, notably NRGKITS, sell knock-off Veronicas. NRGKITS’ exciters are quite nice. Some of the knock-offs are sketchy, and should be avoided. One advantage of the Veronica type exciters is that they use discreet components on a readily workable PCB. If any given component goes bad, it can be easily replaced. It is best to purchase a fully assembled Veronica from either AAREF or NRGKITS.

From the Orient ship any variety of IC based PLL exciters. Most of these tune using a couple of faceplate buttons. Most have a built-in stereo coder. The first of these to achieve popularity was probably the “Airlock”. Now there are a dozen outfits in the Far East building similar exciters. While these exciters are inexpensive, and easily tuned, they often sound awful. Their audio circuits are generally borrowed from cheap automotive accessory transmitters, and it hurts. What’s more, since they are IC based, they are unto impossible to repair. If one of these slick oriental exciters breaks, you might as well toss it in the trash.

Of similar character, but not to be confused with the aforementioned exciters of Eastern origin, Tugicom's TX-180 offers the advantages of "on the fly" tuning, and excellent audio reproduction. Made in Israel, it ships for about the same price as a Veronica. While the TX180 does use mostly discreet components, they are mostly “smt” and unto impossible to service.

Ramsey Electronics produces a decent line of exciters, the most useful being the FM100B. Though Ramsey does not sell assembled kits inside the U.S., it’s easy enough to find built Ramsey kits online. Lots of folks swear by the Ramsey FM100B exciter. It is easily tuned on-the-fly using faceplate buttons and an LED. It sports several audio input options (a practically useless feature). And the stock enclosure is impressive. In practicality, the Ramsey FM100b is about as good as a genuine Veronica, with lots of features most folks don’t need, at about twice the price.

If you’re wealthy, and want a professional grade exciter, they’re out there. Broadcast Warehouse sells a couple of different commercial 1W units for just under a month’s living wage. These units are professionally built, rack mount enclosed, and sound fantastic. You might have to pull some strings to obtain one without an FCC license, but hey you’re wealthy.

Don’t bargain shop for an exciter. It is the single most important component in your transmitter. Don’t homebrew an exciter out of spit and surplus. You might get away with home-brewing an RF amp, but good exciters are just too sophisticated to cobble together. If you ask me, I will tell you that I have used Veronica and NRGKITS exciters for years, and that they have never let me down. If you ask the next guy, he will swear by Ramsey exciters. In the end, you will probably form your own opinion based on lots of frustrating trial and error. Good luck with that.